How things have changed: it wasn’t all that long ago that Hamas’s Ismail Haniyeh was meeting with Muslim Brotherhood Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi in Cairo (as pictured). Hamas-linked groups in the U.S. such as the Council on American-Islamic Relations (CAIR) will be hardest hit by this news — ironically, now they have a freer hand to operate in the United States than they do in Egypt, despite the Muslim Brotherhood’s stated goal (according to a captured internal document) of “eliminating and destroying Western civilization from within.” (Hamas styles itself as the Muslim Brotherhood in “Palestine.”)
“Egyptian Court Bans Hamas Activities in the Country,” by Maya Yarowsky for Jerusalem Online, March 4 (thanks to Pamela Geller):
Egypt has banned Hamas activities in the country: the court in Cairo ruled that all Hamas activities in Egypt are officially illegal. Communications media in Egypt report that the decision was made as part of efforts to control the Muslim Brotherhood, Hamas’s sister movement and greatest supporter, whose activities in the country were also banned, with Former President Mohamed Morsi, the Muslim Brotherhood leader who was ousted last year, currently facing trial.
The judge asserted in the ruling that Hamas is a security threat to Egypt, blaming members of the organization for terror attacks and activities, along with a connection to Al-Qaeda operatives in the Sinai peninsula. According to reports in the country, Hamas’s offices and bases throughout the country will be closed in light of the ruling.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri condemned the decision, stating that the court is ruling against the Palestinian nation, “This act harms Egypt’s image and the country’s position in realizing Palestinian goals. The decision constitutes a new front against the Palestinian resistance”.
The decision by the court is Cairo will mostly hurt the Hamas government in Gaza economically, limiting the activities of the organization and resulting in economic pressure on the regime, which taxes the goods smuggled through the tunnels between Egypt and Gaza….