We can't forget that all muslims are not created equally. We can't forget that there are muslim countries just as concerned about Iran's rise to power as Israel and the West are. And we can't forget that Arabs don't like Persians and vice versa.
At MEMRI, we see how Egyptian journalists have literally lost in when it comes to the tactics of Hamas in the region and more directly, as to the influence of Iran over the area. And they are not pulling any punches. Look at a bit from the article:
The editor of Al-Gumhouriyya, Shura Council member Muhammad 'Ali Ibrahim, wrote in his weekly column: "The Iranian gang that rules Gaza according to Tehran's instructions [i.e. Hamas] has no Arab agenda whatsoever. Their goals, strategy, and funds are Persian, and that is why Egypt does not interest them in the slightest. Harming our interests and economy and threatening our national security have become a fundamental goal for [Hamas Political Bureau head] Khaled Mash'al and for [Hamas leader in Gaza] Isma'il Haniya and their friends...
"We managed to achieve a document of reconciliation [between Fatah and Hamas] that satisfied all the [Palestinian] factions, who wanted to end the division and strife within the Palestinian ranks. But Hamas refused to sign it, evoking a series of pretexts and excuses, because it did not receive an order from its Iranian patron [to sign the document]. The Palestinians are starving and sleep in tents, and [suffer from] unemployment – but none of that interests the members of Hamas as long as their [own] pockets are full, their [own] beds are comfortable, and their foreign bank accounts are swollen [with money]...
"However, we Egyptians will never allow Hamas to infiltrate our territory in order to fire rockets at Israel on orders from [Hamas'] Iranian masters... Whoever strikes at us, we shall strike back at him with redoubled force. Enough of this disregard for our interests and national security. The attempt to infiltrate Sinai in order to fire rockets at Israel is a blatant attack on Egypt's sovereignty... We have the right to employ an iron fist against these depraved [criminals], who were brought up to perform acts of betrayal and back-stabbing..."[7]
And now, look at this direct assault by these Egyptians on Iran:
All the forces active in our Arab political arena must wake up and [start] acting diligently to stop the Iranian aggression [that is threatening] our interests. [They must] stop [the policy of] hitching the Islamic faith to the political [wagon] and wreaking havoc in the internal [Arab] arena... Throughout their history, the Arabs refrained from placing their problems in the hands of others... To all those who spoke with us – whether from Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Iraq, or Yemen – and [expressed] fear for their future and for the future of Arabness, identity and religion I say openly: We are with you and will not abandon you to the Iranian octopus in Muslim garb..."[11]
You gotta love it! This is the kind of reaction from Arab countries towards Iran and its proxies that has led me to say this: If America, along with other western countries, decided to attack Iran and obliterate their nuclear weapons capabilities, there would be NO voice of disapproval from the rest of the world. And I'm serious about that - whatever outcry there was in the world over America's operation in Iraq would be 100 fold more than if we glassed over the Iranian nuke facilities.
In fact, it's my estimation that as first photos came out of Iran showing nuclear sites smoldering from multiple bombings, there would be a celebration in the likes of Egypt and Saudi Arabia.
Rage in Egypt at Hamas and Iran following Rocket Attacks on Eilat, Aqaba
Al-Gumhouriyya Editor: We Have the Right to Employ an Iron Fist against Hamas
The editor of Al-Gumhouriyya, Shura Council member Muhammad 'Ali Ibrahim, wrote in his weekly column: "The Iranian gang that rules Gaza according to Tehran's instructions [i.e. Hamas] has no Arab agenda whatsoever. Their goals, strategy, and funds are Persian, and that is why Egypt does not interest them in the slightest. Harming our interests and economy and threatening our national security have become a fundamental goal for [Hamas Political Bureau head] Khaled Mash'al and for [Hamas leader in Gaza] Isma'il Haniya and their friends...
"We managed to achieve a document of reconciliation [between Fatah and Hamas] that satisfied all the [Palestinian] factions, who wanted to end the division and strife within the Palestinian ranks. But Hamas refused to sign it, evoking a series of pretexts and excuses, because it did not receive an order from its Iranian patron [to sign the document]. The Palestinians are starving and sleep in tents, and [suffer from] unemployment – but none of that interests the members of Hamas as long as their [own] pockets are full, their [own] beds are comfortable, and their foreign bank accounts are swollen [with money]...
"However, we Egyptians will never allow Hamas to infiltrate our territory in order to fire rockets at Israel on orders from [Hamas'] Iranian masters... Whoever strikes at us, we shall strike back at him with redoubled force. Enough of this disregard for our interests and national security. The attempt to infiltrate Sinai in order to fire rockets at Israel is a blatant attack on Egypt's sovereignty... We have the right to employ an iron fist against these depraved [criminals], who were brought up to perform acts of betrayal and back-stabbing..."[7]
Al-Ahram Editor: The Rocket Attack Will Mark a Turning Point in Egypt's Attitude towards Hamas
In his weekly article, the editor of the Egyptian government daily Al-Ahram, Osama Saraya, attacked Iran's policy of spreading its influence in the Arab world: "What is happening in Gaza is nothing less than a defeat. Hamas has taken over the Palestinians, deprived them of freedom, placed them under siege... It has [also] kept them, and is still keeping them, from performing the pilgrimage [to Mecca] and visiting the Ka'ba. Hamas is neither carrying out resistance nor holding negotiations or anything [else]. It has left special gangs [in Gaza] to plunder the town and seize the donations given to the Palestinians. It is opposing the rebuilding of Gaza, and is actually supporting the Israeli siege, because it suits its interests...
"Hamas is also standing in the way of Palestinian national unity, because it knows the Palestinian public has discovered its great fraud. What Hamas does not realize, and must internalize, is that the Palestinian state has not yet been established. There is only a Palestinian Authority, [which exists] under occupation. This obligates Hamas to use a different language and employ different political methods... The most crucial [step] in this direction is to prevent outsiders from interfering in Palestinian affairs... Iran's interventions are all reprehensible, and are aimed at holding the Palestinian cause hostage until [the matter of Iran's] nuclear dossier is resolved with the West and the U.S. Delaying the Palestinian reconciliation and [the achievement] of Palestinian unity runs counter to all Palestinian interests, and may affect the future of the Palestinian state.
"[Their] new game of allowing outside groups to fire missiles from Egyptian territory at Eilat and Aqaba is not fooling anyone. It is a great crime, which will necessarily cause Egypt to change its way of dealing with Hamas in Gaza. Until now, Egypt has treated Hamas as a Palestinian faction that represents the Palestinian liberation movement as a whole, and which has the right to employ religion in rallying the Palestinians to [the cause of] establishing a state. But Hamas has no right to embroil Egypt in a military confrontation with Israel, to betray principles or to overstep boundaries that were laid out and agreed upon in advance... Hamas has embarked... upon a dangerous path, whose impact on the future relations between Egypt and the Palestinians is even more dangerous. Hamas and its allies must know that they have violated the ground rules and the agree-upon principles, and that the moment of reckoning has come, and it will be harsh.
"The situation in the region is unfortunate [because] Iran is losing its head, pressured [both] by domestic [problems] and by the international sanctions, whose impact cannot be denied. The situation in Iran [results] in crises in the neighboring countries, because Iran sees Palestine, Lebanon, and Iraq as its first line of defense in its confrontation with the West and the U.S...
"Operations like these cannot be classified as resistance. They are political moves designed to create tension between Egypt and Israel and drag them into a confrontation, and thus to convey a message of ongoing opposition to negotiations, to show that [Hamas] exists, and to gain recognition or involvement – especially since lately the international community has been ignoring [Hamas]..."[10]
When Iran Is Pressured by the West, It Increases Its Pressure on Its Arab Proxies
In another article, Saraya wrote: "When the Iranians [find themselves] hurrying to succumb to the Americans and the West, and when the pressure of the international community upon them increases and the international sanctions [begin to] impact their nuclear program, they increase their pressure on their Arab agents, and take over the Palestinian problem... All the forces active in our Arab political arena must wake up and [start] acting diligently to stop the Iranian aggression [that is threatening] our interests. [They must] stop [the policy of] hitching the Islamic faith to the political [wagon] and wreaking havoc in the internal [Arab] arena... Throughout their history, the Arabs refrained from placing their problems in the hands of others... To all those who spoke with us – whether from Gaza, the West Bank, Lebanon, Iraq, or Yemen – and [expressed] fear for their future and for the future of Arabness, identity and religion I say openly: We are with you and will not abandon you to the Iranian octopus in Muslim garb..."[11]
Roz Al-Yousef Editor: Hamas – A Strategic Danger to Egypt's Interests
Roz Al-Yousef editor 'Abdallah Kamal wrote: 'Hamas is one of the causes of the Palestinian problem. In my assessment, it is the most prominent factor – after the occupation – endangering the Palestinian interests. Even if we have no choice but to deal with this illegitimate group [called] Hamas, because it rules Gaza and holds its residents by the throat, we must recognize with complete clarity that Hamas poses a strategic threat to Egypt's interests, and that its presence on [our] border is at odds with Egypt's stability and constitutes a real and ongoing threat to its national security.
"This analysis and this conclusion are not based only on the rockets fired at Israel and Jordan from Egypt's territory, but also on many other considerations. Ideologically, Hamas advocates a notion of a religious state [whose characteristics] stand in contradiction to those of the civilian state of Egypt... [Moreover,] Hamas is linked to a web of interests and parties that are openly hostile to Egypt, on the Arab and regional level. The chief of these alliances is its close [alliance] with Iran, [reflected in] funding, training, political ties and coordination of political goals and moves. Despite being Sunni, [Hamas] is perfectly willing to realize the Shi'ite religious goals and the Persian national goals, especially when they clash with Egypt's interests and undermine them, even if it is just by harming [Egypt's] image in the media and the political [arena]...
"Hamas does not make its own decisions, but is wholly [controlled] by others. It is a tool for others to use and an agent performing missions for those who are paying it. These characteristics and others call into question Hamas' legitimacy and the degree to which it represents the honest Palestinian struggle..."[12]
1 comment:
great! thanks for this. Encouraging to hear some voices of reason from the Arab world.
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