In response to the vicious military operations by the Israeli military on the Gaza Strip Wednesday, taking the life of Hamas top commander Ahmed Al-Jaabari and 13 others, Egypt's political forces and public figures are reacting in condemnation. Egypt's Salafist El-Nour Party stated in a press release that as part of the Arab and Islamic body, "if a part of that body falters, all other organs will suffer as a result." The party further said it is to support the Palestinians of Gaza financially and with the necessary manpower needed until all their rights are achieved. The party offered its condolences to the Palestinian people for the deaths of Al-Jaabari and others, expressing hope that they rest in peace. The Muslim Brotherhood, from which President Mohamed Morsi hails, called for mass protests Thursday and Friday in response to the Israeli assault. It stated that Israel's "criminal aggression" poses a serious threat to stability in the region. Chairman Saad Al-Katatni of the Brotherhood's political wing, the Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), posted Wednesday on his Twitter account that the Israeli attack on Gaza means that Israel has not yet realised that Egypt has changed and that the Egyptian people who revolted against injustice will not accept the aggression against Gaza. Essam El-Erian, vice-chairman of the FJP, was however criticised for his comment on Twitter: "How can it be that our eastern borders are witnessing the start of a war and yet we do not have a parliament?" Some saw the comment as opportunist and disrespectful to those killed in Gaza. "This is a brutal escalation of the persistence of the Zionists in their assaults against the Palestinian people," stated former presidential candidate and founder of the Strong Egypt Party Abdel Moneim Aboul-Fotouh. He added that standing up to the occupier is a right guaranteed by international conventions, and it is the moral duty of all to support the Palestinian resistance and stand strongly against Israel's aggression. Liberal figures and parties echoed widespread condemnations of the Israeli aggression and emphasised the latter's breaches of international human rights conventions. The Constitution Party, founded by reform campaigner and Nobel Prize laureate Mohamed ElBaradei, issued in a statement released late Wednesday that condemns the "barbaric attacks carried out by Israel, which outrightly breach the international conventions and humanitarian law to which it is a signatory." "Following the 25 January Revolution, the Egyptian state cannot act in the same way it used to in the past," the statement added. It commended the decision by the Egyptian government to recall Egypt's ambassador to Israel, Atef Mohamed Salam, as an important move, yet stressed the need for the government to put in place a clear policy towards stopping such attacks taking place in the future. Former foreign minister and secretary general of the Arab League Amr Moussa called on the League to take all necessary measures in standing up to the gravity of the Israeli aggression. Commenting on Twitter, Moussa also commended the decision by the government to recall Egypt's ambassador to Israel. Prominent political analyst and former MP Amr Hamzawy gave his assessment of the timing of Israel's aggression: "Israeli presidential contenders are set to present Palestinian blood as a prize on the election altar," Hamzawy said, referring to upcoming Israeli general elections. Hamzawy also commended Egypt's decision to recall its ambassador, adding it is Egypt's responsibility to protect the Palestinian people from Binyamin Netanyahu's aggressions. Nasserist leader of the Egyptian Popular Current, Hamdeen Sabbahi, who significantly stood out for his strong anti-Israel platform during the 2012 presidential elections, asserted: "Glory to the Palestinian resistance and victory to Gaza!" The Revolutionary Socialists movement in a statement titled "When will the time come that you cut all ties with the enemy if it is not now?" asserted that all forms of political and economic normalisation with the Zionist entity must be severed. The group further asserted that the Camp David Accords should be terminated; that Egypt should regain full and sovereign control of Sinai in addition to the opening the Rafah border crossing permanently.
