Reality check: Egypt - New reality, old dilemma
For Egypt to secure a prompt and legal operation of the borders it would need to either secure the consent of Hamas for the re-instatement of the borders agreement suspended by the Hamas control of Gaza or alternatively to introduce a new agreement acceptable to both sides and passable by Israel and the international community. Either scenarios, however, would require a Hamas-Fatah agreement, if not full reconciliation.
Speaking to reporters in Cairo on Wednesday following a 60- minute meeting with President Mubarak, Abbas announced no break through on Palestinian national reconciliation. He rather seemed inexplicably arrogant and firm in his rejection of Egyptian efforts to by-pass his demand of Hamas to “give Gaza back” before the beginning of any reconciliation dialogue. Indeed, Abbas was not short on harsh loaded criticism on Hamas and was not covert in his incitement of Egypt against the Islamist militant Palestinian faction whose leaders in Gaza were expected to arrive in Cairo late Wednesday for talks with Egyptian officials on possible scenarios of handling the Israeli siege, the Palestinian dialogue and on finding “new” ways to operate the Rafah crossing point and the intractable relationship between Gaza and Egypt.
Egyptian officials were alerted by Abbas that he has “no intention” of meeting up with the visiting leaders of Hamas coming from Gaza or for that matter for Hamas Damascus-based leader Khaled Meshaal who is arriving today from the Syrian capital. These officials say that they are not unaware, nor unappreciative, of Abbas’s resentment of Hamas. However, they hasten to add, that in view of his inability to weaken Hamas, Abbas needs to learn how to live with Hamas. The least Abbas could do, they say, is to talk directly or indirectly with his Islamist political rivals on ways to manage daily concerns — the Rafah crossing point on top.
Cairo is greatly concerned that in the case of continued lack of Hamas-Palestinian Authority coordination, Gaza will be left for Egypt to worry about.