Mahmoud Ghazlan, spokesman for Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood, said in an interview with Arabic newspaper Asharq Alawsat Wednesday that the group “is not prepared to conduct dialogue with Israel.”
“It is illogical to open dialogue, any dialogue, given the current Israeli policies against the Arab peoples,” Ghazlan said. “We will reject any request from the Israeli embassy to meet with leaders of the group.”
He added that the group’s “position is consistent and clear, and is not up for discussion.”
Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said on Tuesday that Israel “would be happy to conduct dialogue with anyone prepared to talk with us.”
Earlier this month, the deputy leader of the Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), Rashad Bayoumi, was quoted as saying said “[t]he Brotherhood respects international conventions, but we will take legal action against the peace treaty with the Zionist entity.”
FJP scored well in recent Egyptian parliamentary elections, winning 47% of the seats. Its officials have proposed to put the Israel-Egypt peace treaty to a popular referendum.