Israel Army Radio reports that President of Egypt Hosni Mubarak's condition has "significantly worsened" in recent days. Debkafile specifies that Mubarak is suffering from cancer of the esophagus, and that he has been informed that the disease is now spreading throughout his body.
Since Mubarak has been diagnosed he has had several trips abroad for treatment, most recently on a state visit to Paris. Now he has moved to the Sinai resort of Sharm el-Sheik, where medical specialists can reach him more easily and inconspicuously. Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu called on Mubarak and plans to visit him in the coming days, after his return from the United States.
Mubarak has been grooming his eldest son Gemal to be his successor, apparently with the consent of the military and intelligence services, which have agreed not to offer candidates of their own. In an unusual development yesterday, Haaretz reports, the regime's mouthpiece, Al-Ahram, published a front-page story on the president's son Gamal and his statements to members of Egypt's ruling party, the National Democratic Party. Gamal Mubarak, 47, a businessman and chairman of the party's Policy Planning Committee, said the war on poverty would top the party's priorities ahead of the parliamentary elections. The story, which carried a photograph of the younger Mubarak, added that he spoke of the need to curb corruption in the country.
Gemal is expected to follow similar policies to those of his father if he takes over. A businessman who is considered pro-Western, he studied at American University in Cairo and has visited Washington a number of times in recent years, where he regularly met with representatives of Jewish organizations.
If Gamal is presented as a candidate for the National Democratic Party in the 2011 presidential elections, Haaretz reports, the opposition is expected to condemn the move.
The opposition will probably seek to put forth a strong candidate, possibly in the form of Mohamed ElBaradei, the former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency. However, he would have to rally the support of at least 250 members of parliament to amend the constitution, making it possible for him to run. The vast majority of parliamentarians in Egypt are members of Mubarak's party.
