Egypt and Hamas Try to Resolve Differences
Relations between Hamas and Egypt are far from perfect, writes Omar Shaban.
Egypt’s relations with Hamas are tense. Some Egyptian and Arab papers have accused Hamas members of participating in the Sinai terrorist attack on the Egyptian soldiers in Rafah on Aug. 5, 2012, in which 16 Egyptian soldiers were killed. Hamas completely denied its involvement in that attack. Also, there was news that a large shipment of military clothing similar to those used by the Egyptian military tried to enter Gaza. Some Egyptian analysts interpreted that to mean that Hamas may be trying to infiltrate the Egyptian army.
So Egypt’s relations with Hamas are determined by:
1. The “dictatorship of geography”
Hamas has controlled the Gaza Strip since June 2007 and Israel has blockaded the Gaza Strip since then. The Rafah crossing is the sole outlet to Hamas leaders and most of Gaza’s population. The Rafah crossing is governed by an international agreement reached in 2005, which requires that international observers and Palestinian Authority (PA) employees be present at the Rafah crossing.
