The most interesting development in the Middle East after Israel first declared war on Hamas and carried out hundreds of attacks against Hamas targets in Gaza is the attitude of Egypt’s leaders to Hamas and the war: although the Egyptian government officially declared that Israel was using disproportionate force it convinced its Arab friends to delay the emergency meeting about the recent outbreak of hostilities and Cairo made clear that it believed Hamas to be responsible for the attacks rather than Israel.

The reasoning of Cairo was and is as follows: Hamas refused to extend the ceasefire agreement with Israel while Egypt and other Arab states were negotiating with Israel about a lasting peace plan. Hamas refusal to play ball with the Arab states (and Israel) would, Egypt warned the terrorist organization beforehand, undoubtedly result in massive Israeli strikes against Hamas targets in Palestine which would result in collateral damage (civilian casualties).

Hamas basically told Egypt to bugger off, informed Israel that it would no longer support a ceasefire and started firing hundreds of rockets at Israel. Egypt’s view is that Israel’s violent response was expected and, dare I say it, even logical considering the threat posed by Hamas(‘ rockets).

Today, Egypt stepped up its criticism of Hamas after the terrorist group’s leader, Ismail Haniyeh, was quoted as saying that Arabs proved once again that they support the group and Palestinians in general. Muhammad Bassiouny, the head of the parliament’s foreign affairs and defense committee responded angrily to Haniyeh’s words during a TV interview saying: “No one cares if all of the Palestinians are destroyed, what kind of talk is this?”

He also lambasted Hamas for its cowardly behavior. “Where are the
Hamas leaders now, when the residents of Gaza are getting killed? All of Hamas’s leadership are in bunkers,” Bassiouny said.

Egyptians are not the only nominal allies of the Palestinians who have criticized Hamas recently. An Iranian reformist newspaper also criticized the group for its willingness to sacrifice civilians in order to save its own leadership: the newspaper said that Hamas’ decision to hide its militants in hospitals and mosques would undoubtedly lead to more civilian casualties because Israel cannot be expected to refrain from attacking Hamas because its members are hiding behind a human shield: these deaths are the responsibility of Hamas not Israel.

The Egyptian response to the crisis is fascinating for a variety of reasons: first, it could very well be for the first time that Egyptian leaders publicly insult and distance themselves from Palestinians and their leaders and tell them in clear words that they do not care about their fate. Another aspect of it is that Egypt is one of the Arab world’s main leaders: if Palestinians lose the public support (this support has been more in words than in deeds) of Egypt, other Arab countries could follow suit. Lastly, the Egyptian condemnation of Hamas makes clear that Egypt, and other Sunni Arab countries, have had enough of Hamas, consider it a tool of Shiite Iran, and are more than willing to let Israel destroy the group altogether.