Following are excerpts from an interview with Egyptian playwright Ali Salem, which aired on Al-Hayat TV on September 6, 2011.
Ali Salem: "Egypt has partners in peace – the EU and the U.S. That's why [the Israelis] cannot [change the peace accord]. There is a joint battle against extremism. There is extremism in the Sinai desert…"
Interviewer: "But isn't it in Israel's interest to have instability in Sinai?"
Ali Salem: "What you are saying stems from what I call 'war propaganda.' Israel wants a stable country across the border." […]
Former Egyptian MP Samah 'Ashour: "You are claiming that Israel did not send Egypt cancer, diseases, spies, or murderers… It is all our fault?"
Ali Salem: "No. Israel did spend spies into Egypt, but it never sent cancer. Let's be reasonable about this. This country strives for strategic ties with the Egyptian people, which is the strongest and most important people in the region. They are not stupid. I'm telling you that they are not stupid." […]
Interviewer: "You exclude any possibility of a hostile act by Israel against Egypt?"
Ali Salem: "No, I exclude the possibility of any irrational and incomprehensible act. I exclude the possibility that Israel sends us dairy products that sexually stimulate women, or that they send us belts that destroy the fertility of men. I exclude the possibility that Israel sends us creatine, which makes women infertile. I exclude the possibility that Israel sent a shark to attack people in Egypt." […]
