The decision to “strengthen ties with Hamas” bears troubling implications despite the “anti-Islamic State campaign” excuse, particularly regarding Egypt’s relations with Israel. Egypt’s strengthening of relations with Hamas suggests that Egypt is heading in a direction opposite to the one that President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi indicated when he called for Islamic reform. It is also significant to note that al-Sisi once suggested that “the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood could again play a role in public life if Egyptians wanted a return of the grouping he currently classifies as terrorist.” Hamas styles itself as the Muslim Brotherhood for Palestine.
Three years ago, the Egyptian media linked Hamas to the Arab Spring:
Egypt’s former interior minister floated the suggestion that Hamas had a hand in fomenting unrest during the revolution, which saw the overthrow of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and the subsequent election of a Muslim Brotherhood-linked government.
The new Egyptian-Hamas rapprochement is bad news for the West.
“EXCLUSIVE – Source: Egypt Strengthens Ties with Hamas Following Terror Group’s Anti-Islamic State Campaign”, by Ali Waked, Breitbart News, December 19, 2016:
Relations between Egypt and Hamas are on track to go back to normal as the movement complied with Cairo’s demands to clamp down on Salafi jihadists, a senior official in Gaza told Breitbart Jerusalem.
Egypt has been warming to Hamas over the last few weeks as details of intense military action against Sinai-bound Islamic subversion have emerged, including many arrests.
In return, Egyptian authorities have started renovating the Rafah border crossing for reopening and allowed limited access for several days.
On Saturday, Egypt allowed 40 vehicles into the Gaza Strip. The official said that Egypt and Hamas have agreed on a large-scale development plan for the crossing, which will include the construction of commercial and industrial sections on both sides of the border. He added that at Egypt’s behest, several private businessmen are involved in the project.
The official added that a joint Egypt-Hamas committee has started debating a gradual alleviation of the siege on Gaza which, according to the official, signals a strategic overhaul in Cairo.
“Surprisingly, unlike in previous rounds, we weren’t under the impression that the Egyptians insist on including the Palestinian Authority and [President] Mahmoud Abbas in the process,” he said. “They probably realize that it’s futile to try to impose large-scale and far-reaching diplomatic measures on Hamas while the siege plays into the hands of Islamic State and its loyalists.”
As part of the thaw between Cairo and Gaza, Hamas has arrested 480 jihadists, a Salafi source said.
Despite the PA’s absence from the discussions, the official said, “We are convinced that Israel is in the loop and hope that Egypt’s efforts will affect the siege imposed by Israel too……

Angemon says
Someone is being taken for a ride here…
DFD says
Angemon says: “…Someone is being taken for a ride here…”
Yes, we (the west) are. Doesn’t all that sound familiar, like, say, Erdogan? Erdogan the reformer who will take Turkey forward. Well, he has. It’s just that his sense of direction differs from ours.
Oh well
LB says
If anyone is still dumb enough to believe that al-Sisi is “moderate and reformist”, this should prove them wrong. Egypt is a country where Christians (Copts) are persecuted and their settlements and places of worship vandalized, looted and torched without a single hint of provocation, ON A DAILY BASIS! And what does Egypt’s high council do? IT AGREES THAT EVERYTHING IS ACCORDING TO THE QURAN!! “Nothing out of the order here, moving along.”
https://www.jihadwatch.org/2016/12/egypt-christians-still-denied-churches-while-government-opens-10-mosques-every-week
Mindless idiots who desperately want believe that Egypt was the only successful US “democracy intervention” in the Middle East should get a fucking clue and realize that THERE ARE NO MODERATE MUSLIM COUNTRIES, regardless of which muslim takes charge of the country. As long as the country is ISLAMIC, it is HELL ON EARTH for any non-muslims living in it!
All the US managed to do was stir the pot a bit and say “we have successfully introduced democracy by removing this “bad” muslim and replaced him with a “good” muslim.” IT’S THE SAME FUCKING THING!! This would be prime comedy-worthy material if only countless lives and $$$billions weren’t lost in the process.
I sincerely hope that Trump is smart enough to see exactly what I’m talking about and withdraws all troops and resources from ME. It’s a pure WASTE OF TIME, MONEY AND SOLDIERS’ LIVES trying to set islamic countries “on a right path”, when the core of islamic teachings is wrong to begin with.
Rob Porter says
LB, this is going to prove highly disappointing to Copts I know. They, like me, were under the impression that in al-Sisi we had a different breed of Muslim, but put to the test this proves that one simply cannot trust most Muslims. Meanwhile once again Copts are coming under attack in Egypt – and this after all of al-Sisi’s statements and promises. Expediency is winning the day. Islam causes a form of mental disorder in which honour and a sense of duty does not exist.
ElderlyZionist says
President al-Sissi saved Egypt from the Muslim Brotherhood, very much against the will of our own President and Secretary of State. I don’t know if he’s a reformer, but he’s a pragmatist, who knows that the Salafis will drag Egypt down into a terrible Dark Age of violence, chaos and famine. Egyptian Christians are better off with al-Sissi in charge than with Morsi. Morsi is effectively partnering with Israel against the mujahidin. It may be that he is the man who can put Hamas on a leash. Maybe not, but I wish him success.
ElderlyZionist says
Rather *al-Siss* is effectively partnering… An edit function would be helpful.
Mimosa says
Mr.Sissy is behaving exactly as what a true muslim does.
The Westerners usually don’t quite understand the nature of TRUE Islam and end up in extreme polarization. What I mean by this Westerners often perceive ISIS,Boko Haram and Al-Qaeda to be radical while Afghan,Turkey and Egyptian government are not, this perception is absolutely wrong. There are stages of radicalism, the difference between Egyptian Government with Boko Haram is not one is moderate while the other isn’t but rather one is LESS radical compares to the other.
Everybody should listen carefully to what a True muslim says , ‘ “˜There is no moderate or immoderate Islam. Islam is Islam and that’s it.” ( Turkish President Erdogan )
gravenimage says
Egypt strengthens ties with Hamas
…………………
Sadly, this should surprise no one. Al Sisi is not as bad as the Muslim Brotherhood would have been, but he is no “moderate”, nor is he a “reformer”.