Israelis Nervous About Upheaval in Egypt

JERUSALEM -- Dozens of Israelis fled the chaos in Egypt today on a special flight organized by Israel's Foreign Ministry.

Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said the families of Israeli diplomats were on the plane, along with 40 Israelis who had been traveling or working in Cairo. The diplomats are remaining in Egypt for now, although the embassy is closed.

The flight by Sun D'Or, a subsidiary of Israel's national airline El Al, took off despite restrictions that normally forbid El Al flights on the Jewish sabbath, from Friday night to Saturday night.

Cairo's airport has been besieged by visitors trying to escape the turmoil, but most tourists were unable to leave Egypt.

Israelis are growing increasingly nervous about the anti-government demonstrations in their neighbor to the south. Egypt and Jordan are the only Arab countries which have peace treaties with Israel and Israeli officials say their ties with Egypt are a linchpin of Israel's security.

"I am worried," Israeli Knesset member Binyamin Ben Eliezer told Israel's Channel Ten television. "Yesterday I was optimistic that all of this would pass but now I'm not sure."

Ben Eliezer, who has a close personal relationship with embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, said he had spoken to Mubarak in the past few days and "the message he is sending does not seem to reflect the reality in Egypt."

Israeli analysts welcomed the appointment of Egyptian security chief Omar Suleiman as Vice president.

"If there is anyone who is more cooperative with Israel than Mubarak, it's Omar Suleiman," former senior Mossad official Joseph Alpher told AOL News. "He knows us and he's worked with us for years. The best scenario for Israel is that Suleiman succeeds in restoring order."

Suleiman has visited Israel frequently, often serving as a mediator between Israel and the Islamist Hamas movement, which controls Gaza. With its 1.5 million Palestinians and a high level of poverty, Gaza is sandwiched between Israel and Egypt -- and unrest in Gaza could spill over into Egypt.

Alpher said the worst scenario for Israel is an extremist Islamist takeover, which could mean a radical reduction of relations with Israel.

"If this worst case happens, it would mean the end of security cooperation regarding Iran, Hezbollah and Hamas," Alpher said. "It could even bring back the prospect of a full-fledged war between Israel and Egypt, something we haven't even had to contemplate in 30 years."

A regime overthrow in Egypt could leave Israel even more isolated than it feels today.

"Without Mubarak, Israel is left with almost no friends in the Middle East," wrote Aluf Ben in the Ha'aretz newspaper today. "Last year, Israel saw its alliance with Turkey collapse (after the fighting on the aid flotilla that left nine Turkish citizens dead). Israel's increasing isolation in the region, coupled with a weakening United States, will force the government to court new potential allies."

But Israel, as a pro-Western democracy, may find that increasingly difficult.