Egypt Trying to Find Balance through Anti-Liberman Stance

 
Source: Al-Manar TV, 17-4-2009

The Egyptian regime is embarrassed by "Israel's" recent remarks that it provided Cairo with intelligence about the so called "Hizbullah network" in Egypt. Foreign Minister Ahmad Abul Gheit has been seeking to establish a sort of balance in the Egyptian stance regarding the assault on Hizbullah and cut the road for any Egyptian and Arab public speculation that would put his country under suspicion of collusion with "Israel".

According to "Israeli" analysts and commentators, Abul Gheit's window was his "Israeli" counterpart Avigdor Liberman whom he declared persona non grata in Egypt.

Lieberman had insulted President Hosni Mubarak and threatened to destroy the High Dam in Aswan, however the "Israeli" daily Maariv said that after the "Israel" Beitunu leader assumed the post of "Israeli" FM, Egypt's regime turned a blind eye on his offenses; something that establishes a frivolous "Israeli" handling of Abul Gheit's position regarding Lieberman.

"The Egyptians are embarrassed and they want to shoot at all directions to cover their assault on Hizbullah. And I want to say that FM Lieberman and I are holding meetings with senior Egyptian officials and I promise that Lieberman will not only visit Egypt but he will receive Egyptian officials in the near future," MK Dany Ayalon said.

For his part, Eli Shakid, "Israel's" former Ambassador to Egypt explained that the Egyptian position on Lieberman was to ease down the Arab popular outrage on the campaign against Hizbullah and to insinuate the Egyptian regime is not colluding with the Zionist state. "The Egyptian pledge to continue working with the "Israeli" government opens a big window on the track of settlement with Lieberman. Lieberman will set foot in Egypt very soon and the Egyptians are trying to establish some kind of balance in front of the Arab world so that it can face accusations that the Egyptian regime is a US-"Israeli" agent."

"Israeli" observes have revealed that Egypt's next step, after Hizbullah, will be campaigning against Hamas. Ephraim Kam, deputy head of the "Israeli" institute for national security studies said that the Egyptian position bore two significant aspects for "Israel". "It is necessary that Egypt take radical steps against terror groups that are seeking to attack "Israel".

It is also in "Israel's" interest that an Arab country openly challenges the extremist tripartite Iran, Hamas and Hizbullah and portray them as enemies to Arab moderates," Kam said. He expressed belief that Egypt will be ready to accept intelligence from "Israel" against this "axis" in a covert manner given the "sensitivity of cooperating" with "Israel" that would expose Egypt to Arab criticism.

"Egypt's next step will be aiming at Hamas and Cairo will give the movement the choice to either be with it or be dealt with as an enemy, like Hizbullah," Ehud Yaari, an "Israeli" journalist specializing in Arab affairs, said.

"Mutual interests on the strategic level between us and Egypt are stronger than they used to be two decades ago. We have a mutual enemy that is Iran, Hamas and Hizbullah," Eli Shakid said.

"Israeli" observers have warned against showing satisfaction at the ongoing "struggle" between Egypt and Hizbullah, "because eventually the bayonets will be aimed against "Israel"."