MIDEAST TRAUMA – AT 10:51 A.M. ET:  Nothing is more important to American diplomacy in the Mideast than the Israel-Egypt peace treaty.  Although it's a cold peace, it has prevented a Mideast conflagration for three decades.  That treaty is now under the worst threat in its history.

The Arab spring in Egypt is turning into an Arab winter, with some of the worst elements coming to the fore.  This would never have been possible under Hosni Mubarak who, although he was an authoritarian, undemocratic leader, was at least sane in his foreign policy, and was considered pro-American.  However, he got pushed out quickly by President Obama, who has a way with our allies.

The New York Times has the story of the latest blow to peace, the storming of the Israeli embassy in Cairo and the evacuation of the Israeli ambassador.  This is going downhill very fast:

CAIRO — Israel flew most of its diplomatic staff out of Egypt on Saturday after thousands of protesters the day before tore down a protective wall around the Israeli Embassy and broke into its offices the day before.

Prime Minister Essam Sharaf of Egypt called an emergency cabinet meeting to deal with the aftermath of the attack and the Egyptian government put its police on alert to guard against more violence.

The Egyptian Interior Ministry said Saturday that at least two people had died in the clashes, one from a bullet wound and the other from a heart attack, while as many as 1,200 had been injured in overnight clashes with the police, mostly around the Israeli Embassy. Protesters scaled the walls of the embassy to tear down its flag, broke into offices and tossed binders of documents into the streets.

The rioting began after large groups of protesters split off from what had been a peaceful protest in Tahrir Square. Thousands attacked the Israeli embassy while others converged on the Interior Ministry, defacing its headquarters. Dozens were also injured in clashes with the police there.

Israeli officials signaled Saturday that they considered the breach of their embassy’s security a significant blow to relations between the two allies. Israeli officials placed several calls to their American counterparts, including from Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to President Obama, and from Defense Minister Ehud Barak to Defense Secretary Leon Panetta, to try to apply pressure on Egypt to resolve the crisis, Israeli and American officials said.

On Saturday morning, Israel had evacuated its Cairo ambassador and embassy, sending two air force jets to bring home 86 diplomats and family members at dawn.

COMMENT:  The fact that Israel Air Force jets can still land in Cairo is a sign that at least there's some civilized control left.  The Egyptian military is widely seen as a force for rationality, but it will be replaced after "elections" are held later. 

Egypt is the most important Arab country, and the one that traditionally wields the most influence.  Cairo is where President Obama delivered his now famous (infamous, actually) outreach speech to the Muslim world.  We're getting nothing in return for that outreach, for Obama is seen as a weak president.  And, as the late Osama bin Laden observed, it's the strong horse who wins in his part of the world. 

The evacuation of the Israeli embassy in Cairo is, symbolically, a very bad moment. 

September 10, 2011