On whose behalf is Egypt savaging the people of Gaza

BY KHALID AMAYREH IN OCCUPIED PALESTINE An influx  of  hair-raising stories keeps coming from the Egyptian side of the Rafah border terminal. Nearly all these stories underscore the degrading treatment meted out to Gazans, already thoroughly savaged by the manifestly criminal siege imposed by Israel on the coastal enclave in coordination with several regional and international players, including Egypt itself. In fact, according to testimonies collected from Gazans who have been in the "Egyptian hell," the Egyptian treatment of some Gazans is far worse than that which is accorded to them by the Israel. This is more than disgraceful. It is criminal. A few weeks ago, a Gazan woman died while waiting on the Egyptian border. True, death is an act of God, but it can also be the result of criminal negligence and degrading treatment, especially if the dead was ill and required special care. A reliable Gaza journalist told this writer that his brother, who had been to Egypt, was left without food for four days. The Egyptians normally give no explanation why they behave toward the people of Gaza they way they do. More to the point, it seems that the Egyptian authorities are generally treating all Palestinians visiting or traveling through Egypt as guilty until proven otherwise. This insolent and brutal policy is pursued under the pretext security. Well, we don't dispute Egypt's rights to protect its security. Egypt 's security is our security and Palestinians are the last people on earth who would think of undermining the security of an Arab-Muslim  country, let alone Egypt. However, torturing Palestinians, occasionally to death, in no way serves the security of Egypt. On the contrary, it seriously undermines the trust and  good-will of a neighboring and brotherly people, without which no security precautions can be effective. We know that the Egyptian regime despises Hamas because of the latter's Islamic ideology. We also know that the regime in Cairo is worried that Hamas's successes in the Gaza Strip could have a positive impact on the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's main opposition group. Having said that, there still is no justification for incriminating and savaging all Gazans since the only benefitor of this stupid and unnecessary  discourse is Israel , the enemy of both Egypt and the Palestinians.   More to the point, far from seeking to justify Egypt's degrading treatment of a people thoroughly tormented by Israel's Nazi-like oppression, Egypt has a legal, moral and religious duty to facilitate Gazans' movement through its territory. Since God in His infinite wisdom willed that Gaza would be bordering Egypt, who does the Egyptian regime think it is to savage the people of Gaza when ever they need to travel abroad to Egypt or through Egypt for reasons of study, medical treatment or business. So, what are these oppressed people supposed to do to satisfy the morbid whims of the Egyptian regime?  Fly to another galaxy? Commit collective suicide? Or become cheap informers and spies for Israel just to survive? We realize that Egypt is having a deep security coordination with Israel, the very entity that makes every effort to undermine Egyptian security, economy and strength.  This coordination is a scandalous reality just as the PA-Israeli security coordination with Israel is a scandalous reality, even to pornographic proportions. A security coordination between Egypt and racist entity means one thing, that Egypt views Israel as a friend and ally while viewing the people of Gaza, and probably Palestinians in general, as enemies or at least potential enemies. In the final analysis, the Egyptian-Israeli security coordination, and whatever other tacit understandings the two sides might have,  are not directed against Ivory Coast or Columbia , but against the Palestinian people, especially the Islamic camp. Such a poisoned discourse can only be the result of moral blindness on the part of the Egyptian regime, which is probably the worst and most corrupt Egypt has had since the great Pharaohs. As to Hamas, the Egyptian regime should realize that Hamas is a democratically-elected movement whose legitimacy stems, not from foreign bribes and handouts in order to protect foreign interests, but rather from the popular support it enjoys which manifested itself through ballot boxes. Whether the Egyptian regime likes it or not, Hamas is the choice of a huge number of Palestinians, and plots, whether coming from Ramallah, or Cairo, or Washington, won't succeed in marginalizing Hamas. Indeed, there can be no real and durable peace in occupied Palestine without Hamas and other like-minded Palestinian groups which insist on and strive for the restoration of Palestinian rights and preservation of Palestinian national dignity. It is probably our destiny as a people to endure and withstand, not only the crimes of the enemy, but also the betrayal, stupidity and conspiracies of our supposed brothers and friends. We will not flee from our fate. However, the traitors and hypocrites who have chosen to be cheap slaves serving the interests of foreign powers in exchange for a few million dollars paid by the evil empire of our time must know that their place in history will be no better than that of the worse traitors and quislings, like Abi Rughal, Iban al Alqami, and Abdullah al Saghir.   Hence, savaging and torturing innocent Palestinians on Israel's behalf will not bring any glory for Egypt, nor endear the Egyptian regime to its own masses. The opposite is quite true. It will generate contempt for the regime and nothing but contempt.   Mubarak and his regime will go away, sooner or later. He will be remembered as the leader of the largest and most powerful Arab country, who has helped Israel starve, torment, savage and kill his fellow Muslims across the border. History will not show mercy to a tyrant who has not shown the slightest mercy even toward his own people, let alone the Palestinians. But history's treatment of tyrants and evil dictators, though important and serves as a lesson for later generations, is nothing compared to what is awaiting these scoundrels on the Day of Judgment. In surat Ibrahim (Abraham), the Almighty shows us what will be awaiting oppressors:   "Think not that God  does not heed the deeds of those who do wrong. He but gives them respite against a Day when their eyes will fixedly stare in horror.    They will be running forward with necks outstretched, their heads uplifted, their gaze returning not towards them, and their hearts a (gaping) void! So warn mankind of the Day when the Wrath will reach them: then will the wrong-doers say: "Our Lord! Give us a respite (if only) for a short term: we will answer Thy call, and follow the apostles!" "What! were ye not wont to swear aforetime that ye should suffer no decline? " Ibrahim, 42-45)   "One day the earth will be changed to a different earth, and so will be the heavens, and (men) will be marshaled forth, before God, the One, the Irresistible;    And you will  see the sinners that day bound together in fetters;   Their garments of liquid pitch, and their faces covered with Fire."(Ibrahim, 48-51)

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