Egypt attacks Iran, allies in Arab world

Egypt aired its grievances against Iran, the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas and the Lebanese Shi’ite group Hezbollah, saying they worked together in the fighting over Gaza to provoke conflict in West Asia.

“(They tried) to turn the region to confrontation in the interest of Iran, which is trying to use its cards to escape Western pressure... on the nuclear file,” Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said in an interview with Orbit satellite channel broadcast on Wednesday.

Aboul Gheit also said that Egypt undermined Qatar’s attempts to arrange a formal Arab summit on Gaza earlier this month, arguing that it would have damaged “joint Arab action”.

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Arabs throughout Middle East protest Israel airstrikes

Angry demonstrations broke out across the Arab world on Saturday and diplomats in the region called for emergency measures in the aftermath of Israel’s deadly air attacks against Hamas security strongholds in the Gaza Strip.

But few expect the uproar to do more than reinforce regional trends: Pro-US Arab governments continue to alienate large portions of their populations despite statements of protest against Israel, analysts said, while Iran and Syria score propaganda points for their continuing patronage of Islamic militant groups such as Hamas that fight Israel.

“It will give Iran and Syria a boost,” said Sarkis Naoum, a columnist for the pro-Western Lebanese daily An Nahar. “They will use it to say to the Arab people, ‘Your regimes, presidents and kings won’t help. They turn a blind eye to what is happening.’

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