Egypt slams Dichter's criticism of Gaza border monitoring

Egypt strongly rejected Public Security Minister Avi Dichter's criticism of its handling of the Gaza border, Israel Radio reported Tuesday. On Monday, Dichter said that "any rational person - Israeli or Palestinian - who witnesses the Egyptians' failure to act against arms smuggling can see that it is in their interest to strengthen Hamas." A statement by the Egyptian Foreign Ministry on Tuesday said that the country was not supportive of Hamas and that Dichter's comments reflected "genuine ignorance" and constituted "an attempt to weaken Egypt's standing in the region."