CAIRO: It is very easy for the international media to condemn the actions of Egyptians protesters at the Israeli Embassy in Giza on Friday. Many can, and will, argue that it was counterproductive to the future of Egypt and the gains made in the January 25 revolution, the activists should focus on other issues and bring order and stability back to the country. I have argued this on a number of occasions, but the reality of what we saw today, and could see into Saturday, was that the Israeli issue is far greater than any other issue in the region and has powerful emotional responses, even subconsciously. Look at the past 8 months in Egypt. For some five months, the country appeared ready to move on, move forward in a post Hosni Mubarak era that would bring about democracy, freedom and social justice for its 80 million people. It was an optimistic time and there was little reason to think we would get to a point where thousands of Egyptians would have no other outlet than to attack the Israeli embassy to express their anger. It was the two-fold result of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) apparent desire to maintain a stranglehold on power and Israel's continued flouting of international law, boundaries and dignity. In July, bloggers, journalists and activists began to be “summoned” by the military over criticism. Thousands of civilians have been tried and sentenced in military courts and the ruling junta appears to have let the country cool from the revolution and revert back to how the country was run, and importantly seen by Egyptians, on January 24, 2011. It is easy to condemn what happened on Friday in Egypt. Western media will certainly have a field day with this, arguably calling Egyptians not prepared for democracy, anti-Semitic and all those fun name-callings that we have learned to enjoy by our great Western journalists and commentators. However, looking more closely at the reasons behind the attack on the embassy reveals two important localized issues at hand. First, Egyptians are no longer afraid to confront the police or the military when they are frustrated. The uprising changed the idea that going to the streets would be suicide. Second, the “Israel issue” – note: Western media so often refers to this as the “Palestinian issue” – is an integral point that almost all Egyptian and Arab activists feel strongly about. Egypt sells natural gas to Israel at a rate noticeably lower than international standards. This has frustrated and angered Egyptians, and not just the political activists of Tahrir, for years. As Egyptians suffer, struggle to make ends meet and lose hope, they see the military buttressing a foreign entity that has done little to treat the country it has a peace deal with with equity. Second, Egyptians have long been angered at the manner in which Israel flouts international law, borders and social justice. In August, following an attack on southern Israel, a cross-border raid on Egyptian soil left five Egyptian soldiers and police guards in the Sinai Peninsula dead. The result were large protests in front of the embassy calling for the ambassador to be expelled. Apparently the interim government was listening and issued a statement less than two days in to the protests that the ambassador had been sent packing. However, only a few hours later, the statement was retracted on orders by those who really do rule the country: the military. The ambassador would not be booted out. Whether or not Egyptian demonstrators consciously thought of this fact, that the military tacitly supports and upholds Israel's misconduct toward Palestinians and Egyptians, or simply were angry and thought of nowhere else to express their anger, the attack on the Israeli Embassy may have been the only place that would truly send a signal to the ruling military that their actions will not go unpunished. Hours after the embassy complex had been stormed, US President Barack Obama issued yet another empty statement on the region from Washington, calling on Egypt's military to protect the Israeli embassy. Again, this shows the disconnect between Washington, the military and the Israeli government in the region. Across the Middle East, there is anger at Israel and their continued disregard for dignity and justice. At the end of the day, it is not important to criticize the actions of Egyptian protesters, but it is important to understand the root cause of their anger: Israel. When the ruling military junta sits idly by and does not exert its pressure over Israeli actions that left Egyptians dead, it is not surprising where Egyptian anger will go. While the focus will be on the embassy attack, the Giza security headquarters was also attacked. This might be the bigger story. As one Egyptian protester told me today, somewhat sardonically, but possibly spot on: “The military and Israel are one hand.” All roads to a better Middle East, one with democracy and social justice lead through Jerusalem. It's not a Palestinian problem, or an Egyptian one, but it is, like much of the political situation in the region, an Israeli problem. It can be solved, but only if Obama and others in the international community demand the same protection for Palestinians, Egyptians, Lebanese, Syrians as they do Israelis. BM
