Egyptians split over the proposal to revoke peace treaty with Israel as its military offensive in Lebanon entered the 24th day on Friday.

While Egypt's opposition parties urged President Hosni Mubarak to freeze the peace treaty, others, including Mubarak himself, said that such a move was of no value in helping solve the Middle East crisis.

Opposition parties said it was time to reconsider relations with the United States and Israel, according to the English daily Egyptian Gazette.

Arab governments should not continue to "grin and bear it"while Israel was pursuing its aggression in Lebanon and the Palestinian territories, the daily quoted Mohaded Sarhan, vicec hairman of the opposition Wafd Party, as saying.

Egypt signed the Camp David Accords with Israel on Sept. 17, 1978 at the U.S. presidential resort, which led to the signing of the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty in March 1979, making Egypt the first Arab country to establish diplomatic ties with Israel.

Mubarak said in a recent interview that neither annulling the peace treaty nor dismissing the Israeli ambassador to Egypt would by any means serve the Middle East situation.

Emotions should be governed by logic, said Mubarak, adding that the Camp David Accords resulted from the two sides' awareness of the importance of peace and stability.

"The achievement of peace between Egypt and Israel came in accordance with the two peoples' keenness on bringing about a halt to wars in the region," said Mubarak.

Mohamed Bassiouni, former Egyptian ambassador to Israel and chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee of the People's Assembly (parliament), shared the same view with Mubarak and dismissed such a proposal.

"Put the brakes on the peace treaty! What is that supposed to mean?" asked Bassiouni, adding that a peace treaty was an international obligation that Egypt must honor.

"If stopping our peace tracks had restored occupied land, Egypt would have done so a long time ago," the former ambassador was quoted as saying.

Salah Montasser, columnist with Egypt's top-selling daily al-Ahram, said, "People have the right to be angry, but those in power cannot express anger because millions would be affected by their decision."

Montasser continued, "Are we prepared for a military confrontation with Israel? An answer to this question can make us decide on whether to continue the peace process or to bring it to a standstill."

Israel's aggression on Lebanon has triggered widespread protest in the Arab and Muslim world since the Israeli-Hezbollah conflict began on July 12.

Some Egyptians have taken to the streets for several times to express outrage over Israel's carnage in Lebanon and the American administration's refusal to call for an immediate ceasefire,allowing the Jewish state more time to eliminate Hezbollah's threat.

Lebanese Prime Minister Fouad Siniora said Thursday that some 900 Lebanese, mostly civilians, had been killed, 3,000 wounded and a million, a quarter of the population, displaced and the country's infrastructure devastated since the conflict began over three weeks ago.