CAIRO: The Muslim Brotherhood met with officials from Hamas on Saturday in Gaza to congratulate them for their role in the recent prisoner swap deal, which released 1,027 Palestinian prisoners from Israeli jails in exchange for former Israeli Defense Soldier Gilad Shalit. It was the first meeting of its kind between the two parties. MB chief Goma Amin met with Hamas officials at the Council of Ministers in Gaza. They then went to the Parliament building, where many of the freed Palestinian prisoners were present with a number of members of parliament. Amin praised the Palestinians for their efforts and reaffirmed the party's support for the Palestinian cause. “We came to participate in the joy at the release of brothers. We are proud of them,” Amin said. The Muslim Brotherhood is contesting for about 50 percent of seats in upcoming Parliamentary elections, slated to begin at the end of November. It is considered the largest and most politically organized party in Egypt, wielding a significant grassroots capacity. Israel fears that a Muslim Brotherhood-led government would be more sympathetic to Palestinian interests in the region. Relations between Egypt and Israel have cooled since the fall of former President Hosni Mubarak last February. The Mubarak government was a guardian of Israeli interests for decades. BM
