Foreign Minister Mohamed Kamel Amr held a press conference on 12 May to condemn attacks on Al-Aqsa Mosque by Jewish settlers and Israeli forces. On 8 May, Israeli soldiers raided the house of Grand Mufti of Jerusalem Mohamed Hussein and arrested him. Hussein was released a few hours later after his detention, which the Israelis said was for allegedly causing disturbances at the mosque. “Egypt remains committed to the Palestinian cause and the aspirations of Palestinians to establish an independent country with East Jerusalem as its capital,” said Amr. During the conference Amr condemned “illegal Israeli practices that aim to change the identity of Jerusalem”. Amr accused Israel of seeking to eradicate the Islamic and Arabic identity of the mosque. “These provocations must come to an end, even if it means we resort to international courts. These continuous violations can lead to non-stop bloodshed,” he said. On 10 May hundreds of Muslim Brotherhood protesters gathered in front of Al-Azhar Mosque in Cairo to condemn Israeli violations in Syria as well as the detention of Jerusalem's grand mufti. The protesters chanted slogans against the Israeli occupation and demanded the expuslion of the Israeli ambassador. “Out… out with the Zionist ambassador”, “Down with the Israeli occupation” and “Long live Palestine and Palestinian martyrs” were among the most popular chants. The Nour Party refused to participate in the protest, claiming that the demonstrators had no specific goals. “They are just protesting for the sake of protesting. They want to express their anger, fine let them do it. But what we want are deeds. We are fed up of words, condemnation and denunciation,” said the Nour's Secretary-General Galal Al-Murra. The Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) issued a statement denouncing the arrest of Jerusalem's mufti. “Israeli attacks on Al-Aqsa violate all laws guaranteeing the freedom of belief and worship,” said the statement. It also denounced recent Israeli attacks on Syrian territory. “There has not been a single serious step taken on behalf of the Arabs to halt Israeli assaults on them and their holy buildings. Rulers should exert more efforts in order not to undermine the ongoing peace process,” argued the statement. The Arab League (AL) held an urgent meeting on 12 May to discuss its response to Israeli attacks on Al-Aqsa mosque. AL members agreed to provide moral and financial support to Jerusalem and to hold an emergency summit to further debate the situation. They condemned the closure of Palestinian institutions and the confiscation of Palestinian land. The Shura Council also called for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador to Egypt and the recall of Egypt's ambassador to Israel. The request was supported by many Muslim Brotherhood members. Shura Council speaker Ahmed Fahmi told the press that while “it is not the council's prerogative to decide such a matter I will hand the request to the concerned authorities.” Cairo University professor of political science Hassan Nafaa expressed astonishment at Egypt's reaction to the attacks, as well as the response of Washington at a time when the US is exploring the possibility of Arab-Israeli negotiations resuming. “Israel took advantage of the deteriorating situation in the Middle East to initiate these attacks. Israel is piling up its violations against Arabs, including its Syria attack,” said Nafaa. Nafaa believes that dialogue between Arabs and Palestinians on one hand and the international community on the other is urgently needed. “The Arab world must firmly resist Israel's policies against the Palestinians and Arabs. Arab rulers must take a solid stand against Israel's expansion plans if Jerusalem's Arab identity is to be saved.” American University in Cairo professor of political science Mustafa Al-Sayed criticised the government's position on the attacks. “Egypt's current rulers used to blame Hosni Mubarak for not taking a stout attitude towards Israel. But what is the Islamists' stance now? The government did nothing beyond issue a condemnation. President Mohamed Morsi all but disappeared. ”
