Egyptian officials approve passage of Iranian warships through Suez Canal
Israel is following the movement of the warships closely, although it does not believe the Iranian vessels have hostile intentions toward Israel.
By Amos HarelCairo intends to allow two Iranian warships to pass through the Suez Canal, Egyptian officials said Friday night. It was not clear, however, whether this was the latest in a series of contradictory statements made by the Egyptians on the matter.
Defense officials in Israel said they did not know whether more announcements would be forthcoming or when exactly the ships were scheduled to pass through the canal.
Israel is following the movement of the warships closely, although it does not believe the Iranian vessels have hostile intentions toward Israel.
On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman called the warships "another provocation" by Iran against Israel.
The vessels, which are apparently not carring any unconventional cargo, are expected to anchor in the Syrian port of Latakia.
Israel believes the Egyptians had no choice but to allow the ships to pass through the Suez Canal, because the treaty to which it is a signatory obliges it to allow free passage through the waterway. However, during recently ousted President Hosni Mubarak's regime, the Iranians did not make such a move, apparently due to clear opposition from Cairo.
The Israel Navy is prepared in case the Iranian ships make a move toward the Israeli coastline, though the chances of that happening are at this point believed to be slim.
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The Suez Canal. |
| Photo by: Nir Kafri |
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means that Egypt would be in breach of International law if they refused free passage for the Iranian ships
They are training and supply ships and if cargo not a problem then what threat are they? Unless Iran is hoping Israel attacks them and it a political trap. Granted if this becomes common then it could be a major problem at some point.
The passage of the ships is a hint that the Cairo Declaration is coming to roost in the very place it was conceived. In August 1990, 45 OIC nations agreed to install Shari’ah when they signed the CD. Article 24 “All the rights and freedoms stipulated in this Declaration are subject to the Islamic Shari’ah”. Article 25 “The Islamic Shari’ah is the only source of reference for the explanation or clarification to any of the articles of this Declaration” – renders the remaining 23 academic.