Egypt is not free of responsibility for Monday’s attack (October 8) in Alexandria. The Egyptian policeman who murdered two Israeli tourists and wounded a third operated in a toxic public atmosphere. In the first two days of the war, known as “Swords of Iron,” official and semi-official Egypt expressed almost overwhelming support for the barbaric terror attack by Hamas. It did not treat Israel as a friendly neighbor, which during the decade of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's rule helped it in the fight against terrorism in Sinai and was its partner in strategic political, security, and economic interests.
Since the outbreak of the war, the message by spokespersons and those close to the government in Cairo, including TV anchors, newspaper editors, and politicians, is that Israel is the aggressor and Hamas is the victim. Speakers have backed the right of the Palestinian resistance to fight the Israeli occupation, praised the blow that Hamas inflicted on Israel, and compared it to the surprise of October 1973. While the United Arab Emirates condemned the abduction of innocent Israeli citizens from their homes, Egypt chose to condemn Israeli provocations against the Palestinian people.
It should come as no surprise that those who annually celebrate the October 6 war find it difficult to recoil from a war breaking out against the same historical enemy on October 7, 50 years later. The Egyptian Journalists Syndicate praised the Palestinian resistance that scheduled the operational action for the anniversary celebrations of the "October victories,” and expressed support for the right of the Palestinian people to "retaliate against the Zionist entity for its crimes.”
The al-Azhar Institute, which claims to represent moderate Islam and is considered a source of authority in Sunni Islam, mourned the Palestinian martyrs who fell “in defense of their homeland and nation” and decried the world's silence in the face of "Zionist terrorism.” After the attack, al-Azhar was reminded to issue a fatwa that forbids harming tourists, but that too without explicitly linking it to the murder of the Israeli tourists in Alexandria or condemning it.
This is the second time since June 2023 that an Egyptian policeman has harmed Israelis but is not denounced in his country as a terrorist. After the shooting attack on the Sinai border a few months ago, it was claimed in Egypt that the killer of the three Israeli soldiers was chasing smugglers. Initial indications suggest that this time as well, a way will be found in Egypt to cover up the true nature of the event. Therefore, even if currently the attack in Alexandria is overshadowed by the war in Gaza, Israel must subsequently demand that Egypt take account of the discourse and terrorism flourishing in its back yard and address this disturbing phenomenon.
Egypt is not free of responsibility for Monday’s attack (October 8) in Alexandria. The Egyptian policeman who murdered two Israeli tourists and wounded a third operated in a toxic public atmosphere. In the first two days of the war, known as “Swords of Iron,” official and semi-official Egypt expressed almost overwhelming support for the barbaric terror attack by Hamas. It did not treat Israel as a friendly neighbor, which during the decade of Abdel Fattah el-Sisi's rule helped it in the fight against terrorism in Sinai and was its partner in strategic political, security, and economic interests.
Since the outbreak of the war, the message by spokespersons and those close to the government in Cairo, including TV anchors, newspaper editors, and politicians, is that Israel is the aggressor and Hamas is the victim. Speakers have backed the right of the Palestinian resistance to fight the Israeli occupation, praised the blow that Hamas inflicted on Israel, and compared it to the surprise of October 1973. While the United Arab Emirates condemned the abduction of innocent Israeli citizens from their homes, Egypt chose to condemn Israeli provocations against the Palestinian people.
It should come as no surprise that those who annually celebrate the October 6 war find it difficult to recoil from a war breaking out against the same historical enemy on October 7, 50 years later. The Egyptian Journalists Syndicate praised the Palestinian resistance that scheduled the operational action for the anniversary celebrations of the "October victories,” and expressed support for the right of the Palestinian people to "retaliate against the Zionist entity for its crimes.”
The al-Azhar Institute, which claims to represent moderate Islam and is considered a source of authority in Sunni Islam, mourned the Palestinian martyrs who fell “in defense of their homeland and nation” and decried the world's silence in the face of "Zionist terrorism.” After the attack, al-Azhar was reminded to issue a fatwa that forbids harming tourists, but that too without explicitly linking it to the murder of the Israeli tourists in Alexandria or condemning it.
This is the second time since June 2023 that an Egyptian policeman has harmed Israelis but is not denounced in his country as a terrorist. After the shooting attack on the Sinai border a few months ago, it was claimed in Egypt that the killer of the three Israeli soldiers was chasing smugglers. Initial indications suggest that this time as well, a way will be found in Egypt to cover up the true nature of the event. Therefore, even if currently the attack in Alexandria is overshadowed by the war in Gaza, Israel must subsequently demand that Egypt take account of the discourse and terrorism flourishing in its back yard and address this disturbing phenomenon.