The US “desertion” of its long-time ally President Hosni Mubarak in the face of protests shaking the Egyptian regime has angered Israel, with analysts warning of consequences for the turbulent Middle East.
Until now, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s government has held back from any public criticism of the US position, to avoid a row with US President Barack Obama.
But Washington’s change of heart towards the embattled Egyptian president has not passed unnoticed in Israel, where the dominant reaction has been one of criticism — in government circles, among analysts and in the press.