Several Egyptian analysts have said that documents released on Sunday by online whistle-blower Wikileaks effectively strengthen Egypt's position and serve its national interests. Earlier reports suggested the disclosure of the Egyptian-US alliance through the leaks could be an embarrassment to Cairo. The releases show that both Egypt and the Palestinian Authority rebuffed an Israeli request for support during its military offensive against the besieged, Hamas-governed Gaza Strip in late 2008. The documents also highlight Egypt's reluctance to address democratic reform during meetings with US officials. One release also quotes President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt as calling Iranians "liars." The head of the political sceince department at the Suez Canal University, Gamal Salama, rejected the allegation that Egypt knew the precise date of the Israeli strike on Gaza in advance but declined to intervene. "Everybody was aware of the time for the attack, even Hamas," Salama argued. "Israel publicly girded its forces weeks before the offensive, but nobody knew when was the zero hour exactly." "Egypt is in no need for online documents to be be believed," said Ahmed Abdel Halim, undersecretary for the Shura Council's Arab and Foreign Affairs Committee. Wikileaks's founder and chief editor is Australian Julian Assange. Translated from the Arabic Edition.
