Egypt’s decision to cut off the tunnels signalled it was now aiming straight at the heart of Hamas, which began life as the Palestinian branch of the Brotherhood. “You cannot really detach Hamas from the Muslim Brotherhood,” says Mkhaimar Abusada, associate professor of Political Science at al-Azhar University in Gaza. “When you look at the last six months since the ouster of [Egyptian President Mohamed] Mursi … I believe the relationship between Hamas and the Egyptian authorities has reached the point of no return.” Last week there were rumours circulating that Egyptian authorities had frozen the assets of Moussa Abu Marzouk, Hamas’s deputy leader, who currently resides in Cairo. Fairfax Media was unable to confirm this information. “As deputy to leader Khaled Mishal, Abu Marzouk is the only channel of contact between Hamas and the Egyptian intelligence – it would be devastating for Hamas if they have cut communications with him,” Professor Abusada says. The Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt is now open only one or two days every few weeks. Combined with the destruction of the tunnels and the severe restrictions Israel imposes on imports and exports, the crossings closure has crippled Gaza’s already struggling economy. Read more: smh.au/world/egypt-upheavals-threaten-to-suffocate-gaza-20140117-hv8uw.html#ixzz2qdQ3Kw8L
Posted on: Fri, 17 Jan 2014 06:31:48 +0000
Trending Topics
Recently Viewed Topics
© 2015