Riddle of the Sphynx: Egypt and Hamas

Headline: 'Egypt's failure to prevent arms flow equates to supporting Hamas'

Text:

 

Egypt's failure to prevent the smuggling of weapons from the Sinai Peninsula into the Gaza Strip is a message that the country wants Hamas to succeed, Public Security Minister Avi Dichter told Army Radio on Monday.

"Any rational person - Israel or Palestinian - who witnesses the Egyptians' failure to act against arms smuggling can see that it is in their interest to strengthen Hamas."

The deputy head of the Shin Bet (Israel Security Service) told the cabinet on Sunday that 40 tons of explosives had been smuggled into Gaza since Hamas seized control in June. 13 of the 40 tons were smuggled since the beginning of August.

Dichter claimed that although Egypt had the capability to prevent the continued smuggling of weapons, it had not done so for seven years. "I assess the steps taken by the Egyptians as well as their available
[intelligence] in the same way that I assess Israel's abilities....It is obvious that the Egyptians can make a more meaningful effort to put an end to this."

 

The riddle:

 

Is Egypt failing to stop arms smuggling because of incompetence, internal subversion, or a desire to help Hamas? 

 

What is not a riddle, is why Israel doesn't do anything about it. Egypt is a top client state of You-Know-Who, and the Great White Father would not like it if Israel did not support its client state. 

 

As for:

"Any rational person - Israel or Palestinian - who witnesses the Egyptians' failure to act against arms smuggling can see that it is in their interest to strengthen Hamas."

Remember Lawrence? "I'm not any man Ali...?" "I'm not any rational person, I'm Moubarak, of Egypt."

 

 

Ami Isseroff