The Arab world, as a default, rallies around Hamas against Israel on any and all issues. Muslim countries in conflict, such as Saudi Arabia and Iran, as well as other Muslim countries came together last week at the UN in attempt to have Israel condemned for their so-called aggression in Gaza.
However, in wake of the ever evolving geo-political reality in the Middle East, this seems to be only lip service, and the Arab World is actually interested in the IDF seriously hindering Hamas’ terror activities.
They see the atrocities and massacres committed by Islamists on a daily basis in Iraq and Syria and are beginning to ask themselves if these serve the interests of the Arabs and Muslims. A growing number of Arabs and Muslims are fed up with the Islamist terrorists who are imposing a reign of terror and intimidation in the Arab world.
Senior journalist Khaled Abu-Toameh, writing for Gatestone, reports that over the past week there are voices coming out of Egypt and some Arab countries, voices that publicly support the Israeli military operation against Hamas in the Gaza Strip. Isolated and under attack, Hamas now realizes that it has lost the sympathy of many Egyptians and Arabs.
Egypt’s Prime Minister announced this morning that Israel is insistent on continuing what he defined as aggression, and is waiting for Israel’s willingness for a cease fire. However, President Abdel Fattah Sisi has thus far turned down appeals from Palestinians and other Arabs to work toward achieving a new ceasefire between Israel and Hamas. Palestinian Authority [PA] President Mahmoud Abbas telephoned Sisi and urged him to intervene to achieve an “immediate ceasefire” between Israel and Hamas. Abbas later admitted that his appeal to Sisi and, other Arab leaders, had fallen on deaf ears.
Sisi’s decision not to intervene in the current crisis did not come as a surprise. In fact, Sisi and many Egyptians seem to be delighted that Hamas is being badly hurt. Some Egyptians are even openly expressing hope that Israel will completely destroy Hamas, which they regard as the “armed branch of the Muslim Brotherhood terrorist organization.”
“Thank you Netanyahu and may God give us more [people] like you to destroy Hamas!” Wrote Azza Sami, of the Egyptian newspaper Al-Ahram. Sisi’s Egypt has not forgiven Hamas for its alliance with Muslim Brotherhood and its involvement in terrorist attacks against Egyptian civilians and soldiers over the past year. The Egyptians today understand that Hamas and other radical Islamist groups pose a serious threat to their national security.
That is why the Egyptian authorities have, over the past year, been taking tough security measures not only against Hamas, but also the entire population of the Gaza Strip. These measures include the destruction of dozens of smuggling tunnels along the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt and the designation of Hamas as a terrorist organization.
Sisi and other Arab leaders are now sitting on the fence and hoping that this time Israel will complete the job and get rid of Hamas once and for all. Palestinian Authority officials in Ramallah are certainly not going to shed a tear if Hamas is crushed and removed from power in the Gaza Strip, writes Abu-Toameh.
The reaction of some Egyptians to the Israeli military operation has shocked Hamas and other Palestinians. As one Hamas spokesman noted: “It’s disgraceful to see that some Egyptians are publicly supporting the Israeli aggression on the Gaza Strip while Westerners are expressing solidarity with the Palestinians and condemning Israel.”
Addressing the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, Egyptian actor Amr Mustafa said that they should not expect any help from the Egyptians. “You must get rid of Hamas and we will help you,” he said. He also called on Hamas to stop meddling in the internal affairs of Arab countries. “Pull your men out of Egypt, Syria and Libya,” Mustafa demanded. “In Egypt, we are today fighting poverty that was caused by wars. We have enough of our own problems. Don’t expect the Egyptians to give more than what they have already given. We’ve had enough of what you did to our country.”