by Dr. Reuven Berko
The attempt by a
suicide bomber -- probably from Sinai -- to blow up a car targeting the
Egyptian interior minister's convoy last week miraculously failed. Add
to that a deadly terrorist attack and the unending series of protests,
and you can see what sort of chaos the Muslim Brotherhood aspires
towards -- chaos with the goal of precipitating a deterioration in Egypt
that would facilitate the reinstallation of deposed President Mohammed
Morsi.
Despite Muslim
Brotherhood leaders' proclamations that they oppose violence or using
weapons, their activities have significantly worsened, leading the
Egyptian armed forces to respond to the active threat leveled against
them. During heightened security operations, the Egyptian army has
arrested several Brotherhood leaders. Many worshippers were imprisoned
while completing Friday prayers at a central mosque in Asyut, a city
located in central mainland Egypt. Inspired by Al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed
el-Tayeb, who is acting in understanding and in concert with the new
government, several imams were fired and replaced with Al-Azhar
graduates, those faithful to the regime. The government is mulling
whether to outlaw the Brotherhood entirely.
This thorough crackdown
against Muslim Brotherhood collaborators also includes a sweep of
outlying areas in Sinai, which has transformed into separatist enclaves
for the Islamic terrorism behind the attacks against military and
strategic targets in Egypt. Some of the government's measures were also
directed against Hamas in Gaza because the Islamist group could be
linked with the subversive terrorist attacks in Egypt, assisting their
cousin group, the Muslim Brotherhood.
Hamas is suffering from
King Midas syndrome. The group had accumulated vast riches from the
smuggling-tunnel industry until it was ruined. Because of the
destruction and strangulation at the Rafah border, the movement's
leadership has nothing to buy with all the money. Meanwhile, the
infrastructural, medical and economic systems are crashing, and protest
groups such as Tamarod are preparing for mass marches against Hamas
throughout the Strip.
According to the weekly
Watan magazine, which is based on the Arab Secrets website, Fatah is
forming a militia in Sinai under the leadership of Mohammed Dahlan. The
goal of this militia is to break into the Gaza Strip, with Egyptian
assistance, and terminate the Hamas government. Even if the development
is merely a smokescreen, it appears that Hamas is actually afraid of the
possibility that Fatah would spark flames in its backyard.
Fatah was exiled from
Gaza following the 2006 Palestinian elections. But the Palestinian
Authority never abandoned its desire to return to power in Gaza and
function as the leader of the Palestinian nation. Hamas, which enjoyed
an improving diplomatic situation toward the end of Egyptian President
Hosni Mubarak's rein and especially during Morsi's time, felt it was the
Palestinians' exclusive ruler, ignoring PA President Mahmoud Abbas'
attempts at reconciliation. However, once allegations were raised over
the schism among Palestinians, Hamas understood it had a problem.
Bridges needed to be mended to form a cohesive Palestinian entity, so
several meetings were held to reconcile the two parties. But Hamas
Political Bureau chief Khaled Mashaal and Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh
systematically thwarted such efforts. Now, because of Morsi's overthrow
and the loss of its support centers in Iran, Lebanon and Syria, Hamas
has become isolated.
There are persistent rumors on
the ground that Fatah has not given up on renewing its control of the
Strip and is going to reinstate itself with operative assistance from
the Egyptians. Signs indicating the eradication of Hamas infrastructure
in Rafah and in Sinai, expanding intelligence activities and the further
deployment of Egyptian security personnel on the border with Gaza and
shared interests with Fatah all attest to the Egyptian refusal to sit
idly by, even with what has been happening inside the Strip itself.
Dr. Reuven Berko
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=5645
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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