Retired Egyptian General Mahmoud Khalaf: Israel Is and Will Remain Egypt's Main Enemy; "In Our Hearts, We Consider the Peace Treaty to Be No More than a Piece of Paper"

Following are excerpts from an interview with Egyptian General (ret.) Mahmoud Khalaf, which aired on Channel 1, Egyptian TV, on February 3, 2011:

Gen. Mahmoud Khalaf: The armed forces defend the country and its territory. They are present in unprecedented numbers, and we should all be proud of the role played by the armed forces, and by those serving them.

The armed forces of the people are considered to be the tenth most powerful military power in the world. I ask the Arabs: Against who was it built? It is no secret that the combat doctrine of the Egyptian military forces considers the enemy to be to the north-east of Africa. That is, and will remain, the main enemy. As Israel knows full well, it will continue to be Egypt's main enemy, until it withdraws from all the Arab lands.

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The Egyptian armed forces operate quietly, under the assumption that the war with Israel might take place tomorrow. I swear by Allah that they are quietly working under this assumption. We will respect the peace treaty as long as the other side does, but in our hearts, we consider it to be no more than a piece of paper.

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