Middle-east Arab News Opinion | Asharq Al-awsat

Egypt: The Red Line | ASHARQ AL-AWSAT English Archive 2005 -2017
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It is important that the Egyptians themselves, before anybody else, realize that Egypt is a red line and that endangering its security and borders, which are exposed to the regional game currently taking place, should not be tolerated.

Egypt is an influential country, both in times of peace and war. Moreover, its cultural influence on the Arab world cannot be ignored.

Egypt is a red line of which the Hamas leadership should be aware and should understand both in words and in practice.

What Egypt is facing today has confused the observer resulting from the overlapping of domestic and foreign issues that clearly aim to perturb Egypt’s stability.

The high cost of living and inflation is not exclusive to Egypt as these crises are afflicting nearly 33 countries around the world so why is Egypt burning as a result of the costly price of living? Why should the battle for democracy turn into a funeral in Egypt whenever events occur in the region?

As well as having carried out military training in Egypt, which was referred to as nothing but “child’s play” and as well as preparing a draft constitutional reform that intends to burn Egypt from within, it should suffice to look at the Muslim Brotherhood’s statement about the Arab Summit in Damascus, which was disseminated by the Islamic Republic News Agency (IRNA).

What was most prominent from the Muslim Brotherhood’s statement to Arab leaders was the following: “The addressing of Arab issues requires uniting all efforts and forces. It also calls for firm determination from Arab leadership and support for resistance as a legal right against the occupation in Palestine, Iraq and Afghanistan. Moreover, it requires lifting the siege and relieving the suffering of the Palestinian people; these require a serious stance.”

This is general talk and the most important part of it relates to ending the siege in Gaza, which the Brotherhood and Hamas want to turn into a siege on Egypt and its leadership.

This [statement] is what the Brotherhood accomplished instead of asking the Hamas leadership, which is evading confrontation with the Israeli enemy, about the objective behind Operation “Field of Death” near to the fuel pipelines on the border that coincided with the announcement permitting the transportation of fuel into Gaza. Was it to prolong Gaza’s suffering and to cast blame on Egypt for the Gaza siege?

The meaning behind the idea that Egypt is a red line is that all concerned Arab and western countries should realize what is being put together in order to destabilize Egypt as Syrian- and Iranian-affiliated media in Lebanon is spreading rumors about a split in the Egyptian leadership over Hamas.

Hamas continues to mislead public opinion instead of fulfilling its duties towards the people of Gaza, avoiding the woes of war so that they could celebrate the wedding of the daughter of Khalid Mishal, their leader, in Damascus, whilst they face death at the hands of the Israeli enemy.

Egypt has a critical role [to play] and it stands side by side with Saudi Arabia against the Arab world being transformed into a playfield for Syrian and Iranian futility. Therefore, some are trying to afflict Egypt with internal and foreign crises and unfortunately some of what is being concocted against Cairo is taking place from within under slogans that are socially acceptable. However, the goal is completely different to what it seems.