A war of words has been escalating between Cairo and Lebanese Hezbollah after Hezbollah Secretary General Hassan Nasrallah sharply criticized Egypt and condemned its role towards the Israeli aggression on Gaza. In a televised speech, Nasrallah described the Egyptian situation as the "cornerstone" of what is going on in Gaza. He added: "No one is asking Egypt to open a front line or fight, but we call on it to open the border crossing so that medicines, water, food and even weapons can reach our brothers in Gaza". He incited the Egyptian armed forces not to respond to the will of the public opinion to open Rafah border crossing by force.
At a press conference yesterday in Ankara with his Turkish counterpart Ali Babacan, the Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit commented on Nasrallah's statements saying: "There is a war on Egypt on the part of some satellite channels, states and individuals. This is tantamount to a declaration of war on Egypt's people and they will face it."
"This person – meaning Nasrallah –doesn't understand anything, as the Egyptian armed forces defend Egypt against persons like him," the Egyptian minister added.
In a mass demonstration yesterday, Nasrallah called for a "third uprising" in Palestine and many uprisings in the Arab and Islamic worlds in response to the attack on Gaza. He beseeched the Lebanese President Michel Suleiman to "make more efforts" to hold an emergency Arab summit. "Some people are working to thwart it," he added
