Egyptians say better to warn Israel than fight it

The weekend Summit of Arab leaders in Cairo scathingly criticised Israel for using lethal force against Palestinians, but did not back their rage with sweeping punitive action.

The Summit resolutions fell short of demands by some Arab leaders and street protesters for a holy war’ against Israel, but many Egyptians said they were relieved they would not have to fight their militarily-superior neighbour again.

“Israel is a maggot eating the flesh of the Arabs but if we try to get it out, we will all die,” said an elderly government clerk. “When our land was occupied, nobody fought with us to liberate it. The Palestinians are in a fix, but I am not willing to give up my children to help them.”

For days before the Summit, Egypt’s state-owned media ran interviews with President Hosni Mubarak in which he stressed his commitment to peace and dismissed those who spoke of war, saying they seemed unaware of the devastation it would cause.

Newspapers ran editorials on the same theme on Monday, in what seemed to be a concerted, and apparently successful, campaign to cool popular outrage.

“The most important decision these leaders took was not to start another war, as we really can’t bear one,” said Ibrahim, a taxi driver.

“We can’t fight Israel without destroying our own country. Israel is now backed by the United States, the biggest country in the world. We can’t stand against them this way.”

Egypt became the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979 after fighting four wars against it.

Egyptian protesters and some Arab governments urged the Summit to scrap all ties with Israel, but Arab leaders finally opted only to halt new steps towards normalisation and shun all forms of economic or regional cooperation with the Jewish state.

Samir Ragab, Chief editor of the state-owned Gomhoria

daily, stood by Egypt’s decision to maintain ties with Israel.

“Which is better, to cut relations and remain, as Arabs, absent from what is going on around us politically, economically and socially, or to remain close to the decision-making circles, while not giving up on one (Arab) right?” he asked.

Israel criticised the Summit’s harsh language, but lauded Mubarak for reining in hardliners who wanted to boycott Israel.

Egypt’s state-owned Al-Ahram daily argued that the Summit had taken a judicious approach to a difficult situation.

“The Summit chose the most balanced means to manage the conflict at its most difficult and sensitive moment, although there are millions of protesters inside Palestine and outside still criticising the fact that the more belligerent alternatives were not followed,” it said in an editorial.

Not all Egyptians were satisfied with the Summit’s declarations, particularly after Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Barak responded by declaring a pause in West Asian peacemaking.

“Israel obviously does not want peace and hates all Arabs, so why are we treating it so lightly?” asked Najiah Mustafa, a student at the American University in Cairo.

“I don’t think we should send in troops to fight for the Palestinians but we must find find a way to wipe Israel off the face of this earth. Then all our problems will be solved.”

Hassan Khalil, who owns a sandwich stall, also believed the West Asian woes would end with the annihilation of Israel.

“If we can’t fight it, then we should all pray to Allah to send down a storm or a plague or an earthquake that can deliver us from this evil,” he said. “It’s been done before.”