Egyptian media is reporting the details of meeting on the Gaza crisis that reportedly took place on Friday and which included key Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood figures. According to a summary of the Arabic-lanugage report provided to the GMBDW:
The Egyptian daily Al-Ahram is reporting from a Muslim Brotherhood source the details of an urgent meeting which reportedly took place on Friday. Present at the meeting were Khairat Al-Shater, the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood’s ‘iron man’, Essam El-Haddad (President Mursi’s adviser) and other leading Muslim Brotherhood and Freedom and Justice Party figures. According to the report, it was suggested that the smuggling of arms into Gaza should be ignored, and that the resistance [muqawamah]factions should be assisted with funding and arming. This suggestion was strongly rejected by Khairat Al-Shater, who asserted that recalling the Egyptian ambassador from Israel brought dignity to the Egyptians, who do not wish to enter into a war with Israel. Al-Shater fears that assisting the resistance factions may trigger an open war between Egypt and Israel — adding that those who are close to President Mursi reject such a move at the moment, since the Egyptian army is not sufficiently prepared and is preoccupied with security issues following the 25th January revolution. Al-Shater further claimed that Egyptian assistance for the resistance factions may lead Israel, following its current action in Gaza, to interfere with Sinai’s security, whose security situation is currently ‘uncontrollable’. According to Al-Shater, the economic situation prevents Egypt from going to war, which would negatively affect the country and the Muslim Brotherhood. The meeting ended with a decision to allow the Presidency to follow developments on the ground, while assisting Gaza with essential requirements such as food and fuel.