Egypt MP: We won't let Hamas form an Islamic emirate in Gaza

[Behind the Aegis]

Source: News Agencies

A ranking Egyptian official on Wednesday lashed out at Hamas, saying the militant Palestinian group won't be allowed to set up an Islamic emirate in the Gaza Strip, the coastal territory which it controls.

Mustafa el-Fiqi, who heads the Egyptian Parliament's foreign relations committee, said 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 Gaza Strip.

Hamas security frees three reporters in Gaza
Hamas security forces freed three Palestinian journalists on Wednesday whom they had arrested last month under accusations that they had fabricated news critical of the Islamist group, officials said.


Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1043355.html

[JonQ]

1. Good

better them than Israel saying this.

[High Plains]

2. Wow, who does Egypt think it is? Israel? The United States?

Egypt might want to take care of Egypt, and let the Palestinians decide for themselves what kind of state they want.

[Igel]

3. A culturally aware state, that's who Egypt thinks it is.

Unlike the US, or, often enough, Israel. Although Israel has the US beat on that score hands down.

An emirate on its border headed by Hamas would probably create a few problems with its cousin organization, in Egypt, which renounced violence because, well, a caliph has to approve and call for the violence.

The difference between an emirate and caliphate might not be all that crucial to many, which could lead to dead Egyptians and non-Egyptians inside Egypt. That would be bad for Egypt's government and economy.

Even if the problem doesn't arise in that particular way, it does possibly give rise to additional problems in Egypt.

Now, if the Palestinian state were an Islamic emirate and that had no ramifications beyond its border, I'd probably think that Egypt was sticking its nose where it didn't belong. But I think Egypt's right: It would have ramifications, can be easily predicted (given an appropriate "cultural calculus"), and those ramifications are properly Egypt's business.

In other words, Egypt *is* taking care of Egypt.

[amdezurik]

5. I would go even broader

ANY religious-based "state" is dangerous no matter the set of rituals used...

[aquart]

7. Cute.

Really. Simply adorable. Another vote for the non-existence of Israel. Who did you think you were kidding?

[amdezurik]

8. wow way to twist stuff around

or perhaps you are just ingnorant of what the word "any" means and unable to use dictionary.com? In any case YOU brought israel into it, not me. I said ANY and stand by that. I don't a shit if it is Hindu, buddist, christian, or any of the others. As long as the ones across the border think they are the only ones with the ONLY correct set of mumbles in the dark and feel if I don't yammer the same way then it is OK to kill me and my family for the sake of their psychosis, then yeah, hell, fuck yeah they are a bunch of dangerous people.

[Xithras]

4. Egypt doesn't recognize the Hamas government

let the Palestinians decide for themselves what kind of state they want.

The problem with that statement, of course, is that Palestine is no longer one nation-state. The West Bank is controlled by Fatah, which is recognized by most nations (including Egypt and most middle eastern nations) as the legitimate government of Palestine. Gaza is controlled by Hamas and is only recognized as legitimate by Syria and Iran. It's kind of an odd situation since Hamas actually won the election. The problem, of course, is that they celebrated by promising to make war on their neighbors, to turn Palestine into a launching pad to create a new Islamic supernation, and by imprisoning the people they'd just defeated in the election.

The difference between the two is stark. Fatah wants to make peace with Israel and create a workable modern nation. Hamas wants to defeat Israel militarily and then spread war to its non-fundamentalist neighbor nations. It's pretty obvious why Egypt (and pretty much every other government on the planet) refuses to deal with Hamas.

[ohio2007]

6. Thats why they need to keep that "wall" under constant repair and inspected

Hamas doesn't recognize Israel but why do the Israelis one side bargain ?

Oil revenue dropping so rapidly that the Arab doners will become even more stingy feeding their red headed step child in the month/years to come.

Hamas will only have Iran and Syria standing in its corner. and the southern Lebanon no go zones