Al-Jazeera Satellite Channel — no friend of Egypt by any measure — aired a very regrettable documentary on the Egyptian army last weekend that caused great dismay and anger among Egyptians. The channel claimed that the documentary was filmed from inside army units that showed how conscripts are treated within the army. The documentary aimed at disparaging not only the army, but the country as a whole by alleging that military conscription is one form of repression among other forms prevalent in Egypt. By sheer sad coincidence, the airing of the documentary came two days after a deadly attack on an army outpost in Al-Arish in which 12 Egyptian soldiers lost their lives in a terrorist attack later claimed by an Egyptian affiliate of the terrorist organisation known as the “Islamic State”. The airing of the documentary mobilised Egyptians — particularly on social media — behind the army in a show of solidarity. Talk shows on private channels covered the story, and some of them went to a great length to attack the Qatari government, including the Emir of Qatar himself, something that was unwarranted, frankly speaking. Outside observers will be hard put to find an answer to why the Qatari channel aired such a documentary. Was the Qatari government unaware of the documentary? If not, why would it venture to give a green light to air such a documentary, fully aware of the repercussions such a move would entail? It is uncustomary in the Arab world to attack Arab armies even in situations where there are political differences between two or three Arab governments. However, it seems that after what is termed “the Arab Spring” it has become easier to target armies as a means to discredit their higher echelons of command, or to discredit concerned governments outright. In this respect, we could cite two cases where it has become routine to attack the professional image of armies and demoralise troops. The first Arab army to suffer such an attack was the Libyan army under Colonel Gaddafi. The second has been the Syrian army. In these two cases, it is not a big surprise to learn that the Qatari government was deeply involved in toppling the Libyan regime of Colonel Gaddafi, on the one hand, and in funding, arming and providing political cover for armed groups fighting the Syrian army, on the other. Needless to say, Al-Jazeera's coverage of military and political developments in Syria is heavily biased against the Syrian government and flagrantly in favour of armed groups that are mainly extremist and terrorist groups. A case in point is “Fateh Al-Sham,” formerly “Al-Nusra Front,” which is an affiliate of Al-Qaeda. The airing of the documentary on the Egyptian army adds the latter to the list, which means there is no end in sight for the poor state of relations between Cairo and Doha. In fact, for some Egyptians what the Qatari channel has done means that Qatar has almost declared war on Egypt. For sure it is an exaggeration, but it is difficult to convince Egyptians otherwise. For them, the army is untouchable. Many Egyptians believe that the army is theirs, an indispensable and much respected institution that has guaranteed the territorial integrity and independence of Egypt throughout the ages. Add the fact that it fought five wars, beginning with the Palestine War in 1948, for Arab and Palestinian causes. An Egyptian lady tweeted the day after the documentary was broadcast that no single Arab country condemned the film. One can see where this could go. It seems to me that the Qatari government, after Egyptian-Saudi relations took a nosedive, felt emboldened enough to go on overdrive in attacking Egypt in an unprecedented way. Besides, disparaging the Egyptian army the way Al-Jazeera did helps energise the Muslim Brotherhood within Egypt. It is an open secret that the Qataris are supporting the Muslim Brotherhood energetically, hand-in-hand with the Turkish government. The two countries have become strategic allies, working in tandem to install pro-Muslim Brotherhood regimes in Syria, Egypt and Libya. The two governments were ardent supporters of the Brotherhood's one-year rule in Cairo, from 2012 to 2013. While relations between Cairo and Doha have not reached the point of no return, yet, what Al-Jazeera has done will not facilitate any dialogue between the two countries soon, assuming that there has been will on the part of the Qataris in the first place. Seemingly, enmity is here to stay for some time. Besides, no room has existed for intermediaries to try to play a role in shielding bilateral relations between the two from reaching a new low. It is disheartening to note that overall relations between Egypt and the Gulf Cooperation Council have become deadlocked. Of course, this is not the first time. The previous time occurred simultaneously with the establishment of the council back in 1981. The reason was the peace treaty that Egypt signed with Israel in 1979. This time around things have gotten very messy, not only with Qatar, but also with Saudi Arabia. I doubt if all sides, including Egypt, can afford the political cost of such rifts in relations that are supposed to be a cornerstone of their stability and security. These are very difficult times for Egypt and, unsurprisingly, for most countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council — a state of affairs that calls for cooler heads to think how to chart a positive path forward in the months ahead. It goes without saying that our interests lie in doing our best to contain present rifts with both Qatar and Saudi Arabia, to prevent them from distancing Cairo from other member countries in the Gulf Cooperation Council. As far as Qatar is concerned, I believe that Egypt is such an Arab power, historically, politically and militarily, that our reactions to Qatari provocations should not be measured by their enormity, but rather against the historical status and weight of Egypt as an Arab and regional power par excellence. After all, Al-Jazeera is nothing but a TV channel, notwithstanding the fact that the Qatari government and Al-Jazeera, when it comes to post-30 June Egypt, are on the same wavelength. Still, Egypt has to be restrained in its reactions to the never-ending and deliberate provocations of the rulers of Qatar. The writer is former assistant to the foreign minister.
