CAIRO – The Israeli Embassy, which occupies a flat in a high-rise apartment block overlooking the River Nile in Giza has recently become – perhaps for the first time in years – a site of wide public furore caused by Israeli transgressions on the Egyptian borders. The air of freedom allowed in the wake of the January revolution has prompted scores of patriotic Egyptians to protest and to vent their anger openly in a way that the former Mubarak regime never permitted. The message being conveyed by the gathered crowd was very clear; they simply wanted a more assertive policy towards Israel, which would reflect a new Egyptian approach to its relation with what they consider a ‘hostile neighbour'. With the withdrawal of protesters from the location in the hope of a decisive stand on the part of the cabinet and the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, workers have been seen building a fence right in front of the block where the embassy is located. The Governor of Giza Ali Abdel Rahman has said that this is a protective measure to spare residents of the building and adjacent blocks from any future trouble caused by demonstrations. But the general impression the public has been given is that the fence is to protect the embassy premises against protesters. The speed with which the fence has been accomplished in fact implies that the purpose is mainly for security reasons more or less related to the embassy staff not for other residents of the neighbourhood. The fact is that the official response to public demands regarding safety, services and protection has usually been slow in pace. Why have matters changed this time? The people are frustrated by this fence which is a reminder of the security wall in the West Bank, fencing off the Palestinians; they believe it's a reflection of what may be described as the Israeli protective mentality. The Egyptians expect the military rulers of this country and the interim government to be no less decisive and assertive than the Turkish government that has taken measures to show that nothing less than a candid apology can be accepted.
