Israel Parts Ways With Neocons Over Mubarak

Ties have traditionally been strong between neoconservatives in the United States and the nation of Israel. But now Israeli leaders, worried about instability in Egypt, are disheartened to see that their reliable American advocates are calling for the downfall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Politico reports.

Israel PM Benjamin Netanyahu

Israel’s Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu made clear in a speech Wednesday that Israel is gravely concerned about what will happen to its relationship with Egypt when Mubarak departs.

But many of Israel’s staunchest backers in the United States — some of whom have been accused of putting Israel’s interests above our own – brush off that concern.

Neoconservatives such as Weekly Standard Editor Bill Kristol, Bush National Security Council official Elliott Abrams, and scholar Robert Kagan basically call for Mubarak’s ouster and criticize President Barack Obama mostly for not making the same effort for democracy that President George W. Bush did, according to Politico.