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EgyptiansHopingIsraelWillDestroyHamas

EgyptiansHopingIsraelWillDestroyHamas
byKhaledAbuToameh
July13,2014at12:30am
http://www.gatestoneinstitute.org/4401/egyptisraelhamas
OverthepastweektherearevoicescomingoutofEgyptandsomeArabcountriesvoices
thatpubliclysupporttheIsraelimilitaryoperationagainstHamasintheGazaStrip.
TheyseetheatrocitiesandmassacrescommittedbyIslamistsonadailybasisinIraqand
SyriaandarebeginningtoaskthemselvesiftheseservetheinterestsoftheArabsand
Muslims.
"ThankyouNetanyahuandmayGodgiveusmore[people]likeyoutodestroyHamas!"
AzzaSamioftheEgyptiannewspaperAlAhram.
Isolatedandunderattack,Hamasnowrealizesthatithaslostthesympathyofmany
EgyptiansandArabs.
EgyptianPresidentAbdelFattahSisihasthusfarturneddownappealsfromPalestiniansandotherArabsto
worktowardachievinganewceasefirebetweenIsraelandHamas.
PalestinianAuthority[PA]PresidentMahmoudAbbastelephonedSisiandurgedhimtointerveneto
achievean"immediateceasefire"betweenIsraelandHamas.AbbaslateradmittedthathisappealtoSisi
and(otherArableaders)hadfallenondeafears.
Sisi'sdecisionnottointerveneinthecurrentcrisisdidnotcomeasasurprise.Infact,Sisiandmany
EgyptiansseemtobedelightedthatHamasisbeingbadlyhurt.

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EgyptiansHopingIsraelWillDestroyHamas

AnuncomfortablemomentduringanApril2014meetingbetweenPAPresidentAbbas
andEgyptianPresidentSisi.(Imagesource:VideofromPresidentAbbas'Office)

SomeEgyptiansareevenopenlyexpressinghopethatIsraelwillcompletelydestroyHamas,whichthey
regardasthe"armedbranchoftheMuslimBrotherhoodterroristorganization."
Sisi'sEgypthasnotforgivenHamasforitsalliancewithMuslimBrotherhoodanditsinvolvementin
terroristattacksagainstEgyptianciviliansandsoldiersoverthepastyear.
TheEgyptianstodayunderstandthatHamasandotherradicalIslamistgroupsposeaseriousthreattotheir
nationalsecurity.ThatiswhytheEgyptianauthoritieshave,overthepastyear,beentakingtoughsecurity
measuresnotonlyagainstHamas,butalsotheentirepopulationoftheGazaStrip.
ThesemeasuresincludethedestructionofdozensofsmugglingtunnelsalongtheborderbetweentheGaza
StripandEgyptandthedesignationofHamasasaterroristorganization.
True,therearestillmanyEgyptiansandArabswhosympathizewithHamas,mainlybecauseitisbeing
targetedbyIsrael.Butoverthepastweek,therearealsodifferentvoicescomingoutofEgyptandsome
otherArabcountriesvoicesthatpubliclysupporttheIsraelimilitaryoperationagainsttheIslamist
movementintheGazaStrip.
ThisisperhapsbecauseagrowingnumberofArabsandMuslimsarefedupwiththeIslamistterroristswho
areimposingareignofterrorandintimidationintheArabworld,particularlyinIraqandSyria.Theysee
theatrocitiesandmassacrescommittedbyIslamistsonadailybasisinIraqandSyriaandarebeginningto
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EgyptiansHopingIsraelWillDestroyHamas

askthemselvesiftheseservetheinterestsoftheArabsandMuslims.
SisiandotherArableadersarenowsittingonthefenceandhopingthatthistimeIsraelwillcompletethe
jobandgetridofHamasonceandforall.PalestinianAuthorityofficialsinRamallaharecertainlynot
goingtoshedatearifHamasiscrushedandremovedfrompowerintheGazaStrip.
ThereactionofsomeEgyptianstotheIsraelimilitaryoperationhasshockedHamasandotherPalestinians.
AsoneHamasspokesmannoted:"It'sdisgracefultoseethatsomeEgyptiansarepubliclysupportingthe
IsraeliaggressionontheGazaStripwhileWesternersareexpressingsolidaritywiththePalestiniansand
condemningIsrael."
AddressingthePalestiniansintheGazaStrip,EgyptianactorAmrMustafasaidthattheyshouldnotexpect
anyhelpfromtheEgyptians."YoumustgetridofHamasandwewillhelpyou,"hesaid.Healsocalledon
HamastostopmeddlingintheinternalaffairsofArabcountries."PullyourmenoutofEgypt,Syriaand
Libya,"Mustafademanded."InEgypt,wearetodayfightingpovertythatwascausedbywars.Wehave
enoughofourownproblems.Don'texpecttheEgyptianstogivemorethanwhattheyhavealreadygiven.
We'vehadenoughofwhatyoudidtoourcountry."
InresponsetoEgyptianDefenseMinisterSedkiSobhi'sdecisiontodispatch500tonsoffoodandmedical
aidtothePalestiniansintheGazaStrip,theEgyptiannewspaperElBashayerremarked:"Thestandardof
livingforaGazancitizenismuchhigherthanthatofanEgyptiancitizen.ThepoorinEgyptaremorein
needthanthepoorintheGazaStrip.LetQatarspendasmuchasitwantsontheGazaStrip.Weshouldnot
sendanythingthatEgyptiansareinneedof."
FamousEgyptianTVpresenterandjournalistAmrAdeebhasbeentoldbymanyEgyptiansto"shutup"
afterhiscriticismofSisi's"silence"towardthewarintheGazaStrip.
OneEgyptianremindedAdeebthat"HamasisresponsibleforthekillingofEgyptiansoldiers."
EgyptianexgeneralHamdiBakhitwasquotedasexpressinghopethatIsraelwouldreoccupytheGaza
Strip."ThiswouldbebetterthantheHamasrule,"hesaid.
EgyptianTVpresenterAmanyalKhayatlaunchedascathingattackonHamas.
ShepointedoutthatHamasagreedtothereconciliationpactwithFatahonlyinordertogetsalariesforits
employeesintheGazaStrip.
AlKhayatsaidthatHamaswasseekingtodepictitselfasavictimofanIsraeliattackonlyinordertoget
theEgyptianauthoritiestoreopentheRafahbordercrossingwiththeGazaStrip."Theyjustwantusto
opentheRafahbordercrossing,"shesaidonhershow."Hamasispreparedtomakealltheresidentsofthe
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GazaStrippayaheavypriceinordertoriditselfofitscrisis.WemustnotforgetthatHamasisthearmed
branchoftheMuslimBrotherhoodterroristmovement."
Hercolleague,AzzaSamiofthenewspaperAlAhram,wentasfarasthankingPrimeMinisterBinyamin
NetanyahufororderingtheattackonHamas."ThankyouNetanyahuandmayGodgiveusmore[people]
likeyoutodestroyHamas,"shewrote.
WhatisalsoremarkableisEgyptiancriticismofHamasforlaunchingrocketsatthenuclearfacilityin
DimonainsouthernIsrael.AhmedQandeel,headoftheEnergyStudiesProgramattheAlAhramStrategic
Studiesthinktank,denouncedthetargetingofDimonaas"idiotic."Hewarnedthatthiswouldhavea
negativeimpactontheentireregionandendangerthelivesofmanyEgyptiansandArabs."Egyptmusttake
precautionarymeasures,"headvised.
Inresponse,anEgyptianwrote:"MayGodmaketheStateofIsraelvictoriousinitswaragainsttheterrorist
movementHamasduringthisholymonthofRamadan."
EchoingthewidespreadsentimentamongEgyptians,journalistMustafaShardisaid:"NoArabcountryhas
doneforthePalestiniansasEgyptdid.Whydoesn'tHamasgoto(TurkishPrimeMinisterRecepTayyip)
Erdogan?WhereisErdoganwhenyouneedhim?Whyishesilent?Ifheopenshismouththey(Israeland
theUS)willhithimwithashoe.TheEgyptianpeopleareasking:Whereareourpeoplewhowere
kidnappedandtakentotheGazaStrip?Hamasshouldapologizeforthe1000tunnelsthatwereusedto
smuggletheresourcesofEgypt.TheyallhavetheirownplanesandaccountsinSwissbanks."
Isolatedandunderattack,HamasnowrealizesthatithaslostthesympathyofmanyEgyptiansandArabs.
SomeHamasleadersarenowtalkingaboutthe"betrayal"and"collusion"oftheirArabbrethren,especially
Egypt.
WhentheEgyptianauthoritiesreluctantlyandbrieflyreopenedtheRafahbordercrossingafewdaysago,
HamasspokesmanFawziBarhoumrushedtodeclare:"TheEgyptianauthoritiesopenedtheRafahborder
crossingonlytoreceivebodies.EgyptisimposingablockadeontheGazaStripandhasdestroyedthe
tunnels."
FormerPalestinianAuthoritysecuritycommanderMohamedDahlanpredictedthattheEgyptianswillnot
doanythingtosaveHamas."Egyptwon'tintervenetostopthewarontheGazaStripbecauseHamaswas
conspiringwiththeMuslimBrotherhoodagainstEgypt,"hesaid."HamaswasworkingwithMuslim
BrotherhoodagainsttheEgyptianarmy."
HamasispayingaheavypriceformeddlingintheinternalaffairsofEgyptandsomeotherArabcountries.
ButthePalestinianslivingunderHamasintheGazaStriparepayingaheavierprice,largelyduetotheir
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EgyptiansHopingIsraelWillDestroyHamas

failuretoriseupagainsttheIslamistmovementanddemandtherighttolivebetterlives.
RelatedTopics:Egypt,Israel,PalestinianAuthority|KhaledAbuToameh
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