Not merely a border clash

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Attacking Egypt has become almost mandatory for opportunists in this region and beyond. The zeal with which Egypt's detractors twist facts is often mind boggling. Indeed, the practice of Egypt bashing seems to have grown into a lucrative industry in its own right -- a booming business of lies and deceit.

Hate campaigns are not just about damaging the reputation of the country. Those who orchestrate such campaigns want to push Egypt to the point where it reneges on its ideals and stops playing its stabilising role in the region. They want Egypt to beat a retreat from the regional scene, so they may achieve their goals. Sadly much of the attack on Egypt focuses on the Palestinian question, the one Arab question dearest to the Egyptian people and for which generations of Egyptians have sacrificed their lives.

The Egyptian army fought bravely in every Arab-Israeli war from 1948 to 1973, wars in which tens of thousands of Egyptians gave their lives on the battlefield. Later on, when Egypt opted for peace as a means to restoring Arab land and rights, its detractors claimed that it sold out, abandoning the Palestinian cause. And yet Egypt went on defending Arab and Palestinian rights. Warmongers and racketeers did not prevent it from doing so.

Now that Egypt is engaging in negotiations to revive the peace process and promote national reconciliation in the ranks of the Palestinians, its critics continue their attack, claiming that Egypt is imposing a siege on the Palestinians and preventing relief convoys from reaching Gaza.

The latest clashes on Egypt's borders is one example of fact-twisting. Instead of appreciating the restraint the Egyptian forces showed following the shooting and killing of an Egyptian soldier, those detractors claim that it is the Egyptian side that is to blame for instigating the clashes and that the Egyptian soldier was killed by friendly fire.

But no matter how unjust or ill intentioned such accusations, Egypt will not renege on its quest for a just and comprehensive settlement for the Palestinian question. This quest is pivotal to Egypt's regional role, a role determined by history and geography, Egypt being the largest Arab country and being strategically located in the region, which no other power in the region can play.

Those who believe that Egypt can shun its obligations as the key power at the centre of the Arab world are mistaken. For Israel is not only a threat to Palestinian security, but first and foremost a threat to Egyptian national security and national aspirations. And in defending the Palestinians against Israeli expansionist policies, Egypt is also defending itself and its national borders.

It is well for Egypt's critics to remember that statements by President Gamal Abdel-Nasser to the effect that the struggle with Israel -- far from a mere struggle over borders -- is primarily a struggle for existence, continue to inform not only Egyptian public opinion but the country's entire approach to its national identity and its role in the region.