Israeli President Shimon Peres warned Monday of the possibility of the radical Islamist opposition rising to power in Egypt.
A fanatic religious regime in Egypt would not be better than a lack of democracy, he told a reception at his Jerusalem residence for newly appointed ambassadors, DPA reported.
"We always had and still have great respect for President Mubarak," he said.
"We don't say that everything he did is right but he did one thing for which we are thankful to him: he kept the peace in the Middle East," Peres added.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has instructed his government not to comment on the developments in Egypt.
But in Israel, the president, whose duties are largely ceremonial, does not answer to the government.