Free Preview of Members-Only Content
To view the requested intelligence, you must be a Stratfor.com member.
Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said on state television Feb. 7 that, “Anyone who violates Egypt’s borders will get his legs broken.” Gheit went on to rebuke both Israel and Hamas for instigating chaos along the Egyptian-Gazan border, citing Israel’s severe economic blockades and Hamas’ continued rocket attacks against Israel, which he referred to as a “laughable caricature” that only damages Hamas.
Gheit’s blunt remarks are very much out of character. While Egypt typically employs a great deal of restraint in dealing with the Israeli-Palestinian issue, Gheit is clearly signaling that Egypt is utterly fed up with the border crisis. Not only does Egypt need Israel to understand that it is completely unwilling to shoulder the burden of Gaza security on its own, it also has to keep a lid on Hamas in Gaza. In Egypt’s eyes, an empowered Hamas could create the conditions for cooperation between Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt’s largest and most influential opposition group. To keep Hamas contained in Gaza, Egypt must force Hamas and Fatah into another tenuous power-sharing agreement while also maintaining its close relationship with Hamas to avoid a potential Islamist uprising within its own borders.
| Stratfor Members, please log in at the top left hand corner |
