An Egyptian diplomat in Gaza was kidnapped and then released. Magda El-Ghitany explores the ramifications on Egyptian-Palestinian relations The kidnapping and subsequent release of Egyptian military attaché Hossam El-Musli by a previously unknown Palestinian militant group has further complicated an increasingly difficult situation in Gaza. El-Musli -- the first diplomat to be kidnapped in the Gaza Strip -- was on his way to work when the incident occurred. Al-Ahrar Brigades -- the militant group that carried out the crime -- said it would only release El-Musli if Egypt freed all Palestinians being held in Egyptian jails: "If Egypt does not heed this demand," the group's statement said, "it will bear sole responsibility for the tragic consequences." Although Cairo did not respond, El-Musli was released less than 48 hours later. According to statements made by Ashraf Aql, who heads Egypt's diplomatic delegation in Gaza, the military attaché "was treated well and unharmed". The timing of the kidnapping -- just 24 hours after Palestinian factions were holding talks in Cairo -- was significant. "Despite the happy ending, there are legitimate questions Egypt needs answered," Presidential Spokesman Suleiman Awad told reporters on Saturday. Awad said the answers were especially crucial in light of the fact that the kidnapping was not "the first such attack to be carried out against Egypt by a Palestinian group, despite Egypt's continuing dedication to strongly supporting its Palestinian brethren." Several Palestinian groups were quick to condemn the kidnapping as a "cowardly act". Hamas, for one, expressed its "extreme indignation at this crime". Islamic Jihad also denounced the kidnapping, calling for "the end of lawlessness and the kidnapping of Arab friends". The Palestinian Interior Ministry also stressed that the kidnappers would "be punished... and strong measures... taken to prevent similar acts from recurring". Palestinian Police Chief Alaa Hosny said the kidnappers would "pay a heavy price," and that the incident had "harmed the reputation of the Palestinians, before it even harmed Egyptians". After freeing El-Musli, the militant group released another statement. While denying any intentions to harm their "Egyptian brethren," the group underlined their "determination to attain justice and freedom," and said they would continue to "exert every possible effort that would ultimately lead to the release of Palestinian prisoners in Cairo". The incident, said Emad Gad, the editor of Al-Ahram 's Israeli Selections magazine, was just "one episode amongst a chain of aggressive Palestinian actions against Egypt," such as last month's attack on the Rafah crossing at the Egyptian-Gaza border -- carried out by 30 members of the Al-Aqsa Martyrs' Brigade -- which killed two Egyptian soldiers and injured 30. Gad told Al-Ahram Weekly that these incidents were not only facilitated by the growing turmoil in the Gaza Strip and the apparent weakness of Palestinian security forces, but could also be attributed to "dissatisfaction regarding the mediating role Egypt plays in solving the Palestinian question, [including things] like Egypt's attempts to persuade Hamas to adopt a more lenient position on issues like recognition of Israel, condemnation of violence, and disarmament." For Mohamed El-Sayed Said, deputy director of Al-Ahram's Centre for Political and Strategic Studies, the kidnapping was "meant to highlight Palestinian opposition towards what appears to be Egyptian efforts to implement US policies vis-à-vis the Palestinian question". The dichotomy, however, in Gad's view, was that the small, de-centralised groups behind such moves were pursuing "limited goals" like the release of Palestinian prisoners in Cairo, rather than a "major goal like changing Egypt's strategic policies towards the Palestinian cause". According to former ambassador Fakhri Osman, the kidnapping was "indirectly powered by Israel," which, he suggests, has infiltrated groups like Al-Ahrar. Osman thinks there are Israeli elements that are angry at Egypt's efforts to organise Palestinian affairs. "This Israeli anger is driving Israel to indirectly work on souring Egyptian-Palestinian ties," Osman said, which explains why the kidnapping took place only 24 hours after the Palestinian factions convened in Cairo. In any case, "Egypt will continue to pursue its commitment to lend support to the Palestinians, and to work closely with the new Palestinian government," Osman said. Egypt's diplomatic and security roles -- which include the training of Palestinian security forces -- are now vital for maintaining stability in Gaza and solving the Palestinian question. At the same time, the kidnapping will definitely "undermine Egyptian public sympathy with the Palestinians," Gad said. Last July, Ihab El-Sherif -- who was the head of Egypt's diplomatic delegation in Iraq -- was kidnapped and assassinated in Baghdad. With El-Musli's kidnapping, questions are now being asked about whether kidnapping Egyptian diplomats is becoming a tool used by various groups to attempt to blackmail Egypt into modifying its regional policies. Said said that although both cases "reflected dissatisfaction with Egypt's policies in the region, which are viewed as tools to implement the West's goals," the motives were different. In El-Sherif's case, Gad said, it was clear that "the kidnappers would kill him because they violently oppose any Arab diplomatic presence that might support the invading forces in Iraq." The Palestinian group, however, clearly only wanted to voice their opposition to the jailing of Palestinians in Cairo. "They were not as bloody as the Iraqi group," Gad said, because "their initial intention was not to kill El-Musli."
