The Egypt-Hamas question

Peloni:  It does seem that Egypt does not fear Hamas as has been claimed, so much as it fears the elimination of Hamas.  In fact, Sisi’s decided pronouncement that Hamas must be preserved demonstrates even greater clarity of their opposing position to Israel in this war, even more so than did their facilitating the transfer of thousands of rockets to Hamas.

Some of you may wonder, “How can an Egyptian writer write this article?” I say, being a man advocating peace, I dream of the entire Middle East region being peaceful, and I know what’s going on like the back of my hand.

By  Mohamed Saad Khiralla | Israel Hayom | May 16, 2024

Before the terrorist events carried out by Hamas on October 7, Egypt’s economic situation was extremely deteriorated, unlike anything seen before. But now, things have changed drastically. It may seem puzzling to some, but with a simple review, anyone interested will immediately discover the vast difference and the massive influx of billions of dollars that entered the “Republic of the Military” treasury in Egypt after the war in Gaza several months later.

The Egyptian regime aided Hamas by the smuggling of weapons and equipment through tunnels (denying it is childish). Many Israeli newspapers and opinion writers have discussed this support, which was openly acknowledged by President Hosni Mubarak several times during his tenure, most notably in February 2009 during the police holiday, stating, “The smuggling of weapons and goods is a result of the siege,” emphasizing that, “the Israeli-American agreement to monitor weapon smuggling does not concern us at all.” The quote ends here.

So, what I’m talking about in this regard is as clear as the August sun in the sky of the Israeli city of Jaffa. After the aid and assistance in Hamas readiness, Egypt informed the Americans seriously and the Israelis less seriously about what the movement would do to gain legitimacy later on. The day after the terrorist events in the Gaza Strip, Egypt’s administration internally (with an unprecedented battle of hatred and incitement against Israel, not seen since the signing of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty on March 26, 1979, through all readable/audible/visible means, official religious institutions like Al-Azhar and the Ministry of Awqaf, political parties, unions, civil society institutions, journalism, and media, all structures moved by Egyptian agencies) worked tirelessly around the clock. The shipment reached the point where the Egyptian state organized protests indirectly and protests through its proxies dressed as opposition in the Egyptian Journalists Syndicate in Cairo. The result was that the Egyptian regime succeeded in proving to the whole world that any power vacuum in Cairo means an “ISIS-flavored president in the Presidential Palace,” necessitating support and overlooking many previous conditions, albeit temporarily, which required restructuring the Egyptian army’s exit from the economy. For the record and attention, President Joe Biden did not call President General Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi except for (Gaza) after Egypt’s neutral stance on (Sudan and Libya) to conspire against them and ignite internal disputes among warring factions, confirming that only Gaza remains “the golden magic card” that ensures Cairo’s influence and sustainable international role.

And Gaza means the inevitability of Hamas’s existence. President el-Sissi previously expressed, months after the war began, when he frankly told William Burns, the director of the CIA, that he did not want to eliminate the Hamas movement, citing excuses and reasons that did not convince anyone at the time. I clearly emphasize that Egypt has prepared alternative numbers to fill the void that would result from Hamas’ absence if Israel succeeds in eliminating it. The alternative I mean is the Arab tribes’ union, led by Ibrahim Al-Arjani, the former criminal prisoner and its spokesperson Mustafa Bakri, one of the fiercest opponents of Israel day and night. Simultaneously with the inauguration of the tribes’ union, a group called “Vanguards of Liberation – Martyr Mohamed Salah Group” emerged, claiming responsibility for the “killing of Israeli businessman”, and the way the issue was handled smells of Egyptian security agencies. In conclusion, Gaza’s card, which is considered the perennial magical card for the military authoritarian regime in Egypt, will not be abandoned, and they will persist in keeping it.

Someone might ask, “What’s the solution?” So, I’ll answer, simultaneously responding to a question from an Israeli friend who asked me, “What would you do now in such an atmosphere if you were an Israeli citizen?” (I would declare a hunger strike until the closure and reengineering of the Philadelphi Axis management, the heart of hell).

Some of you may wonder, “How can an Egyptian writer write this article?” I say, being a man advocating peace, I dream of the entire Middle East region being peaceful, and I know what’s going on like the back of my hand. Knowledge is responsibility, and it’s my moral and humanitarian duty to record everything in my article. Perhaps the preceding lines will help, even to a small extent, to move away from the heart of the infernal circle towards more open, coexisting, and peaceful horizons.