Throughout the different stages of their relations with Egypt, Palestinians have always respected and abided by Egypt’s policies. Even when Palestinian and Egyptian interests are in conflict, the Palestinians, in their various political orientations, are accustomed to addressing Cairo with courtesy.

Recently, however, senior leaders of the Fatah political party, part of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in Ramallah in the West Bank, disregarded this well-established pattern by issuing a statement packed with accusations and attacks on Cairo.

Mohammad Shtayyeh, a former labor minister and a member of Fatah’s Central Committee, said in a July 9 interview on Palestine TV that Fatah is unhappy about Egypt's measures to alleviate the arduous living conditions in the Gaza Strip. Those measures, he said, work against the PA’s efforts to increase pressure on the rival Hamas party in Gaza. The PA wants Egypt to coordinate with Ramallah before taking any action in this regard.

On July 3, Maj. Gen. Jibril Rajoub, secretary of Fatah’s Central Committee and former commander of the Preventive Security Service in the West Bank, had accused certain unnamed parties in Egypt of acting improperly in Gaza. Hamas had reached understandings June 13 with dismissed Fatah leader Mohammed Dahlan that focused on alleviating Palestinians' suffering in Gaza by resolving the electricity crisis, opening the Rafah border crossing and resuming the Gaza reconstruction process.