Egyptian official calls Israeli premier ‘delusional,’ defies him to cancel gas deal

An Egyptian official called Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu “delusional,” defying him to cancel a gas agreement between Egypt and Israel, Anadolu reports. “Netanyahu can’t bear the economic and political consequences” of abolishing the gas deal, Diaa Rashwan, the head of the State Information Service (SIS), said in televised statements. “(Netanyahu) sees Egypt as an obstacle to his dream of Greater Israel and a danger to him, a thorn in his side, especially since Cairo is the first line of defense against Palestinian displacement,” he added. His comments followed Israeli media reports suggesting that Netanyahu was considering suspending a deal to supply Egypt with gas. The daily Israel Hayom reported Tuesday that Netanyahu instructed officials “not to move forward with […]