Israel’s latest campaign in Gaza against Hamas has left Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi in a bind. His rivals, both on the left and more significantly those on the right, the Salafis, have taken to the streets to protest Operation Pillar of Defense. Morsi has recalled Egypt’s ambassador to Israel, and now the Egyptian prime minister, Hisham Qandil, is reportedly traveling to Gaza tomorrow, protected by a special unit from the Egyptian army, to lend moral support. But it’s not clear how much further the Cairo government can push the issue without finding itself in hot water.
Morsi’s attention is now focused on securing loans and aid packages from Western states and institutions—$6.4 billion from the EU and another $4.8 from the IMF—that in effect are contingent on Egypt’s stability, which in large part means keeping the peace with Israel.
