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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 2 - 8 November 2000 Issue No. 506 
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Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Al-Ahram Weekly On-line 2 - 8 November 2000 Issue No. 506
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| Published in Cairo by AL-AHRAM established in 1875 |
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Egypt Region Interview International Economy Opinion Culture Features Travel Living Sports Profile People Time Out Chronicles Cartoons Letters Part of us
The link between Egypt and Palestine is beyond friendship; and, unlike friendship, it is not the kind of link that flourishes at one time only to fade at another. Rather, Palestine is Egypt's eastern gateway, and thereby constitutes, as has been the case through the ages, an inseparable part of Egyptian national security.
Ancient Egyptian troops were sent to Palestine with the object not of invading it but of protecting Egyptian national security. And in the modern era, Mohamed Ali too sent his son Ibrahim to Palestine. Regardless of the predominant political orientation, in fact, Palestine has been one of Egypt's perennial concerns.
This is why when I now encounter the naive notion that Egypt has the right to let the Palestinians down, I do not take it very seriously, although I am nonetheless profoundly disturbed by it. Egypt cannot abdicate responsibility towards its own national security in response to emotional displays of discontent by people who are under enormous pressure, being killed and oppressed by the Israelis as we speak.
And this is not to say that supporting the Palestinians is motivated solely by the desire to protect Egyptian interests -- the fact that it is not was sufficiently evidenced by the Arab outrage that arose in response to Israeli violence.
Based on an interview by Mohamed Salmawy.© Copyright Al-Ahram Weekly. All rights reserved
