JERUSALEM, Feb. 7 (UPI) -- Israel refused two Egyptian requests to put more troops in the Sinai as anti-government protests hit Cairo and other cities, an Israeli military source said.
The Israeli Defense Ministry and the prime minister's office rejected an Egyptian request to beef up Sinai forces last week, an Israeli military source told The Jerusalem Post.
"We do not want it to seem as if the peace treaty is meaningless, particularly at a time when there could be a regime change in Egypt, which could renounce the treaty altogether," a senior military source told the English language daily Monday.
Egypt has been wracked by anti-government protests since Jan. 25.
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At a time when Israel is urging the international community to ensure the peace treaty with Egypt is maintained in the event of a regime change, Israel could not allow a complete breach of the treaty, which calls for a demilitarized zone in the Sinai Peninsula, the source said.
The second Egyptian request came days after Jerusalem permitted Cairo to deploy two battalions in the Sharm el-Sheik region and around Rafah near the Gaza Strip.
At Sunday's Cabinet meeting, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said the Egyptian army is attempting to stabilize the situation. Israel's decision to permit the deployment of two battalions in Sinai is a temporary one and once stability is restored they will be pulled out, the newspaper quoted him as saying.
"Egypt is an important neighbor and peace with it is a strategic asset. We have reason to believe Egypt feels the same way," the newspaper quoted the defense minister saying.
