Obama's policy on Egypt's Brotherhood naive: Israeli official

A top Israeli official has slammed US President Barack Obama's "naivete" policies towards Egypt, saying his dialouge with the Islamist Muslim Brotherhood paved the way for the downfall of its close ally Honsi Mubarak.
The Israeli diplomat, who did not identify himself, said officials in Tel Aviv anticipate a protracted crisis in neighbouring Egypt as the Brotherhood has no intention of giving up power without a fight.
"President Barack Obama's 'naivete' led him to engage in dialogue with the Muslim Brotherhood and paved the way for the downfall of Mubarak," the official was quoted by the Israel Radio as saying.

Israel had quite openly criticised US' decision not to back former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, a close ally of the West, after the eruption of political turmoil in Egypt in 2011 that saw him relinquishing power and the ascendance of Muslim Brotherhood in Egyptian politics.
Mubarak's successor and Egypt's first elected President, Mohammed Morsi, a former Brotherhood member, was toppled by the powerful military last week and since has been kept in detention along with some senior aides of his Islamist party.
General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, the commander in chief of the Egyptian armed forces, realised what was at stake and took it upon himself to "rescue Egypt" from Islamist rule, the source added.

The official also told Israel Radio that al-Sisi was hopeful that the Obama administration wouldn't "nitpick" over whether a military coup was carried out.

US law mandates that foreign aid be cut off to a country in which the military removes a democratically elected government. US provides USD 1 billion in annual aid to Egypt.
However, the White House has refused to label the military ouster of Egypt's President a coup and said there would be no immediate cut in the aid.
Obama and his top aides have denounced the ouster of the democratically elected Morsi but have been careful to avoid calling for him to be reinstated, prompting speculation that the United States tacitly supported his ouster.

Israeli leaders have been avoiding making comments on the Egyptian situation under instructions from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, but it is believed that the armies of the two countries have been cooperating in maintaining peace at the borders.