CAIRO: Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) will not participate in demonstrations calling for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador to Egypt, the party announced today. A demonstration has been called for tomorrow outside the Israeli Embassy in Cairo. Dozens of political forces and groups are calling for the demonstration to put pressure on the Egyptian government to expel Israel's ambassador. They are also calling for Egypt to recall the Egyptian ambassador to Tel-Aviv. The call comes after Israeli gunmen killed five Egyptian soldiers on the Egypt-Israel border last Thursday. The Muslim Brotherhood has declined to state whether it will participate in or boycott the demonstration. The group has left the decision to the Brotherhood's administrative offices in Egypt's various governorates. According to Dr. Mahmoud Hussein, Secretary General of the Brotherhood, the group will not participate officially but may participate in other similar events with other political parties. The reaction of both the Brotherhood and the FJP come as a surprise after their initial response to the attacks on the Israeli border, which Israel has called a “mistake.” The groups initially released lengthy statements calling for decisive action – including the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador and recalling of the Egyptian ambassador. The groups also called for imposition of full Egyptian sovereignty in the Sinai Peninsula and review of the Camp David agreement. The FJP, created in the wake of Egypt's January 25 Revolution, is affiliated with the Brotherhood but is not directly controlled by it. It is the first legally recognized political wing of the Brotherhood.
