Hosni Mubarak told Ha’aretz that Hamas will never make peace with Israel, and that Egypt is working to end Hamas’ control over the Palestinian Authority.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak expressed great concern over the increasing strength of Hamas in talks with senior diplomatic officials on Wednesday, declaring that the organization will never sign a peace agreement with Israel, Haaretz has learned.
He said that the Egyptian government is at a loss regarding the future of the Gaza Strip. However, he also proclaimed that Egypt is making great efforts to end the Hamas government and support Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
“With Hamas no way,” he reportedly said.
And it looks like he’s serious about it.
Mubarak painted a dark picture of the situation with Hamas and said there was no chance for peace with the organization. “Hamas will never sign a peace agreement with Israel if it stays in power,” the Egyptian president said.
Mubarak also said that Egypt did not accept Hamas in power, especially in light of its growing ties with the Muslim Brotherhood, which leads the opposition in Egypt. Mubarak sees the Brotherhood, which gained considerable power in Egypt’s last parliamentary elections, as a threat to secular power.
Egypt has begun barring senior Hamas leaders from entering Egypt due to concerns over their contacts with the Muslim Brotherhood.
Meantime, a Saudi diplomat actually said the Palestinians need to stop attacking Israel. (Yeah, I did a double-take, too, when I first read that.)
Saudi diplomat Turki Al-Faisal Al-Saud on Saturday urged Palestinians to stop shedding each other’s blood, and also called on them to stop directing their weapons towards Israel.
“Our Palestinian brothers have to stop fighting not just with each other,” al-Saud told reporters at the Jordan-based World Economic Forum.
“I would also call them to stop fighting Israel with military methods.”
Put me in the “Not buying it” category over this one. And the “I’ll Believe It When I See It In Arabic.”
Wow. I think I just saw a pig fly by the window.
The Egyptian Ambassador to Israel too.
I saw that pig fly, too. He was on his way to Mecca for the banquet.
“I would also call them to stop fighting Israel with military methods.â€
In other words, the Pal’s can achieve diplomatically that which cannot be achieved militarily, if only they will behave…for a little while.
Not that it is likely that the Pal’s will do so, but I don’t see the flying pig moment here. Can you say hudna?