Mubarak claimed Jewish anti-Egypt conspiracies

WASHINGTON (JTA) — Former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak imagined anti-Egyptian Jewish conspiracies, according to conversations secretly recorded by his doctor.

Mubarak, who for decades was favored by Israel and pro-Israel groups because of his preservation of the 1978 Camp David peace treaty, believed that Qatar was set to send Jews to Egypt who would “start projects” and that Jews were behind plans in Ethiopia to dam the Nile River, according to the recordings, reported Monday by The New York Times.

Mubarak boasted of his relations with the pro-Israel lobby, saying his success in getting it to back funding for Egypt despite his human rights record sowed dissent between the United States and Israel.

In the recordings, he said Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu suggested moving the population of Egypt to Gaza. In rejecting the suggestion, Mubarak told Netanyahu it would precipitate an Israel-Egypt war.

Mubarak was arrested after a 2011 uprising but was released recently by the military regime that ousted his successor, Mohamed Morsi.

The Times reported that Mubarak is suing the doctor for making the recordings.