Leading Egyptian candidate calls ‘racist’ Israel a threat

CAIRO - Agence France-Presse

A leading Islamist candidate in Egypt’s presidential election has branded Israel a “racist state” and said a shared 1979 peace treaty was “a national security threat” that should be revised.

Abolfotoh, a front runner in the May 23-24 election according to polls, had earlier described Israel as an “enemy” in a televised debate with his main contender, former foreign minister and Arab League chief Amr Mussa. In May 12’s interview with the private Egyptian CBC satellite station, he said he had opposed the treaty since its implementation. “I still view the peace treaty as a national security threat to Egypt, and it must be revised.” Abolfotoh said Israel was “a racist state with 200 nuclear warheads” that continued to pose a threat to Egypt.