Egypt lost no time in adopting a number of retaliatory measures following the
killing of Ahmed Jabari, the strongman of Gaza. The Egyptian ambassador was
recalled to Cairo – either for consultation or for an unlimited period – and
Israel’s ambassador was called to the Foreign Affairs Ministry to receive an
official protest. The Egyptian president turned to the secretary-general of the
Arab League and demanded an urgent meeting of Arab foreign ministers to discuss
what he calls the “criminal Israeli aggression” on Gaza, while instructing his
ambassador to the United Nations to demand an immediate reunion of the Security
Council.
Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has taken all commonly used
diplomatic steps to demonstrate his anger at Israel’s actions, while being
careful not to go further – for the moment. There has been no attempt to sever
diplomatic relations and no threat to the peace treaty. He did call on the
United States to pressure Israel to “stop its aggression;” however, America had
made it clear that it supported Israeli’s right to defend itself.
Egypt
has no valid reason for initiating a further deterioration of its relations with
Israel, which have nearly reached rock-bottom since the election of a president
who cannot bring himself to utter the name “Israel.” There is today no dispute
between the two countries and nothing to explain this state of affairs except
for Muslim fanaticism and blind support for the Palestinians. Morsi knows well
enough who started the present round of fighting – as well as the previous ones
– but feels that Muslim/Arab solidarity demands a “suitable Egyptian response”
to demonstrate to the Egyptian and Arab public that the Muslim Brothers stand by
their traditional hostility toward Israel.
The Egyptian president must be
seen as doing more than his predecessor, Hosni Mubarak, who recalled his
ambassador a number of times – from Operation Peace for the Galilee through the
second intifada and more. Recalling the ambassador is becoming routine and is
losing its effectiveness.
Yet unless something dramatic happens, one can
cautiously predict that Egypt will not take further steps to endanger even more
the relations between the two countries. Cooperation on issues having to do with
terror – the only field in which the countries are still cooperating – will go
on. At the same time, inflammatory rhetoric against Israel and Zionism will rise
and mass demonstrations in Tahrir Square can be expected. The Supreme Guide of
the Brotherhood has already called for a “million man march” after Friday’s
prayers in the mosques. Not to be outdone, Sheikh Al-Azhar has added his voice
to the chorus to show that he hates Israel as much as the Brothers
do.
However, on the face of it, Morsi has no reason to encourage
extremism – unless he intends to mortgage Egypt’s future to Islamic fanaticism.
The country has never been in such dire straits and people are fast losing hope.
Morsi can’t seem to find a way to deal with the economy and has not been able to
bring the ongoing doctors’ strike – something unheard of before – to an end. In
spite of his efforts, the draft of the constitution is still not ready. After
five months in office, it is painfully clear that the president – and the
Brotherhood – have no clue and no program to deal with burning economic
issues.
Morsi is fighting blind, suggesting one scheme after another –
such as early closure of shops and coffee houses to save electricity, which
triggered an uproar among shopkeepers and customers alike.
There are
dozens of strikes further weakening the economy and the country’s leaders don’t
seem to know what to do. People are demanding the government be dismissed;
liberal and secular forces are fighting the attempted Islamic takeover of the
draft constitution and the imposition of Shari’a law.
Respected figures
such as Mohamed ElBaradei and Amr Moussa have resigned from the constituent
assembly.
The fact is that Morsi needs a peaceful border with Israel and
continuing security cooperation in order to tackle terror in Sinai as well as the economy. It seems that he has had
failed to come to an understanding with Hamas that would have put an end to the
encroachment of jihadist militants in the peninsula. The army cannot seem to
find a way to fight Islamic terror in Sinai and is itself under attack; there
are almost daily assaults on police stations, road blocks and even army patrols.
Morsi is now trying to open a dialogue with the jihadists in Gaza in order to
find a compromise.
The present crisis comes at a very awkward time for
the Egyptian president, who is desperately seeking to restore order in the
peninsula. He cannot yet force Hamas – a movement which is, after all, an
offshoot of the Muslim Brothers – to accept a compromise and yet must find a way
to bring the shooting to an end without losing face. While violent diatribes are
directed at Israel, furious negotiations are probably going on with Hamas, which
has come to understand that it has gone too far this time and is paying the
price. Morsi has recalled his chief of intelligence, who was in Turkey, and
tasked him with shuttling between Hamas and Israel.
One hopes a solution
will be found sooner than later, with Hamas proclaiming that it has made Israel
suffer enough to leave with its pride intact. One hopes – since when tempers are
so frayed and tension is so high, there is always the risk that reason will be
thrown overboard and passion will take over.
The writer, a Fellow of The
Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs, is a former ambassador to Romania, Egypt
and Sweden. •