By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
A ranking Egyptian official lashed out at Hamas on Wednesday, saying that the Palestinian group won't be allowed to set up an "Islamic emirate" in the Gaza Strip which it controls.
Mustafa el-Fiqi, who heads Parliament's foreign relations committee, said that Egypt wouldn't tolerate an Islamic state on its eastern border.
Egypt is increasingly displeased with Hamas - especially after it boycotted Egypt-mediated Palestinian reconciliation talks in Cairo last month.
El-Fiqi's comments Wednesday indicate that Egypt plans to continue efforts to isolate the narrow coastal strip.