So far the new Muslim Brotherhood regime in Egypt has withdrawn its ambassador, sent its Prime Minister into Gaza, apparently accompanied by a special Egyptian army unit, to show solidarity with Hamas. And President Morsi has begun threatening Israel in increasingly blunt terms.
Egypt will continue to support Gaza against continued attacks from Israeli armed forces, President Mohamed Morsi reiterated on Friday.
That’s the equivalent of German soccer fans chanting, “Auschwitz, Auschwitz.” It’s a reference to the historical Muslim ethnic cleansing, enslavement and massacre of Jews.“The price will be high if the aggression continues,” Morsi said after he performed Friday prayers in Fatma Al-Sharbatly Mosque in Cairo’s Fifth Settlement.“Egypt is different from yesterday,” he added. “We assure them [Israel] that the price will be high for continued aggression, and [we tell them] you have to bear the responsibility.”
During Morsi’s speech, worshipers chanted: “Khaybar, Khaybar, Oh Jews, the army of Mohamed will return,”
That was followed by this love note on Twitter
Morsi tweeted on his Twitter page: “We have the power to uproot the aggressiveness just like it uprooted exploitation. I don’t want to take unusual steps but if I see that the homeland is in danger, I won’t hesitate.”
And just in case there was any ambiguityMorsi said earlier that “Gaza will not remain alone as it was,” adding that the aggressors “know they will pay a heavy price is they continue their aggression.” He also said that “the Egyptians throughout their history were not an aggressive people, but they are capable of stopping any attack.”
Morsi is talking as if Gaza is part of Egypt, which from his standpoint and that of the Muslim Brotherhood it is, but at the same time refusing to take responsibility for it. It’s contradictory and hypocritical. Gaza is part of Egypt when it comes to threatening Israel, but not part of Egypt when it comes to providing social services and law enforcement. It’s an independent territory, but Egypt is now obligated to defend it, but bears no responsibility for its aggression.
Meanwhile the Muslim Brotherhood party is drafting an amendment to allow the Egyptian military to take over the Sinai, which amounts to an end to the Camp David Accords and the beginning of a slide into war.
But let’s pull back for a moment and ask a small question.
Did the Hamas war begin because of the Israeli election or because of Morsi’s own growing political difficulties. The consensus in the media is the former, but in Egypt, it would seem to be the latter. Unable to make any traction at home, Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood appear to be very ready to loudly posture on Gaza to distract their own people from their economic failures.
Comment: Starting a war is not prudent 2 months before an Israeli election. The downside is huge, upside doesn't add much for Bibi. Egypt is a "player" but Morsi only benefits using rhetoric-he cannot afford mistakes from a war with Israel-too soon for his government. However, Iran benefits by shifting focus off of themselves onto Hamas.
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