The Enemy of My Enemy Is My Friend

A war of words between the Egyptian government and the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah has escalated after Egypt's public prosecutor recently ordered 49 people held for plotting attacks on behalf of Hezbollah be kept in custody for an additional 15 days.

The 49 suspects include Egyptians, Palestinians, and Lebanese. They were reportedly arrested six months ago. According to a statement released by prosecutor Abdel Meguid Mahmoud, Hezbollah leader Seyyed Hassan Nasrallah is directly implicated in the case and accused of ordering his group to carry out "hostile operations" inside Egypt after his call to both the Egyptian people and the army to turn against the ruling regime.

Meanwhile, an Egyptian newspaper editor-in-chief (known to be a mouthpiece for the Egyptian government) dubbed Nasrallah an "Iranian agent", "funeral profiteer", and even "Dracula".

In an editorial published in the Egyptian daily El Gomhoria, Ali Ibrahim wrote that "Nasrallah is worse than Israel since he is trying to hurt the livelihood of the same Egyptians who supported him during the Second Lebanon War."

But many Egyptians are not buying it.

"Hassan Nasrallah is a hero. He is the only Arab leader who stood up against Israel. Hosni Mubarak is a corrupt U.S. puppet," I was told by a Cairo-based journalist on condition of anonymity.

During a recent demonstration in Cairo, several people carried Nasrallah's pictures. His pictures can also be seen in coffee shops, stores and on car windows in Egypt. His name is chanted during anti-Israeli protests.

During the Israeli Operation Cast Lead on Gaza, Hezbollah's leader called on the Egyptian people and armed forces to compel their leaders and open the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt. His statement drew a fierce response from Cairo.

"You are a man who used to enjoy respect, but you have insulted the Egyptian people," responded Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit.

Egypt-Hezbollah relations have deteriorated since Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak criticized the movement for recklessness at the outset of the 2006 war with Israel.

Why the arrests now?

The announcement of the arrests comes at a time of regional polarization between Egypt and Saudi Arabia on the one hand, and Syria and Shiite Iran on the other. The "crackdown" on Hezbollah appears to tie into Saudi Arabia's concerted effort to raise the specter of the Iranian-Shiite threat to the Arab world. The real target in the arrests is Iran.

Both Hezbollah and the Gaza-based Hamas are supported by Iran, which has a longstanding dispute with Egypt. Egypt and Iran have not had full diplomatic relations since Iran's 1979 Islamic Revolution, when Iran cut ties after former president Anwar Sadat hosted the deposed Shah in Cairo.

Meanwhile, a couple of weeks ago, Amos Gilad, a top Israeli Defense Ministry official speaking at a ceremony marking 30 years for Israel-Egypt peace deal, said that Egypt was Israel's "partner" in the struggle against Iran's nuclear program, adding that President Hosni Mubarak has made it clear that Cairo would not accept a nuclear Iran.

As the old saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend.
Hosni Mubarak & Benjamin Netanyahu vs. Ahmadinejad & Hassan Nasrallah.

Could it be?

Everything is possible in the Middle East.

Update: I've just finished watching a televised rebuttal by Hassan Nasrallah to the Egyptian accusations. He said that (my quick translation from Arabic) "If helping the Palestinian people is considered a crime... I confess to committing this crime... it is the Egyptian regime that must be condemned today". He also denied a conspiracy against Egypt and said that the prosecutor should "join the cinema after he retires...I'd like to deny that Hezbollah has any intent in committing any attacks or creating any instabilities or attacking anyone in Egypt"

Jamal Dajani produces the Mosaic Intelligence Report on Link TV.

Comments

[justice2008]

Solaris has a wrong read on this report. Mr. Dajani is in no ones corner, he is just stating the fact!

[Solaris123]

Note how concerned Hezbullah appears ( in Mr. Dajani's selection of quotes) of Palestinian well being.

In astonishing irony, Palestinains under Hezbullah's control are oppressed, impoverished and depraved of minimal human rights!!!

shhhh... let's not talk about this embarrassing point.

Remember the enemy of my enemy is my friend.

[Solaris123]

Mr. Dajani, who seems to be in Hezbollah's corner here ( on the same enemy of my enemy is my friend premise) is unwilling to accept the fact that the Shia- Sunni fault line is starting to create sizable earthquakes of its own.
Irrespective of Israeli-Palestinian conflict.

Of course, Palestinians would prefer that the Muslim world stay obsessively focused on the Israel. Sorry, no such luck. Pan-Arabic Nasserism is long gone. And it's every despot for himself now.

[Solaris123]

Re.Hosni Mubarak & Benjamin Netanyahu vs. Ahmadinejad & Hassan Nasrallah. "

I understand if Mr. Dajani would've listed Supreme Leader Khamenei, who actually controls foreign policy in Iran.. But listing Ahmadinejad devalues the whole premise.

[Solaris123]

Re Mr. Dajani's statement:" Hosni Mubarak & Benjamin Netanyahu vs. Ahmadinejad & Hassan Nasrallah. Could it be? "
Correction:
It is:
Saudi Arabia, Kuwait, Egypt, Jordan, Israel, European Union, U.S.and most of the civilized world.
versus
Ali Khamenei, Hamas, Nassrallah and Bashar al-Assad.

[leonardox1]

The civilized world? --Saudi Arabia? Egypt? Israel? --Right where human rights are never usurped!

[Solaris123]

re."As the old saying goes, the enemy of my enemy is my friend."

Isn't this why Palestinains supported every kind of despot who was even remotely Judeophobic, from WW2 Germany to Soviet Russia, Saddam Hussein, and now Iranian Ayatollahs and Al Qaeda?

[research]

"the enemy of my enemy is my friend. "

Is false.

The enemy of my enemy can be

a temporary ally,

a greater enemy,

OR possibly,,

a friend.

This error in logic has cost us dearly over the years.

[Rog49Thomas]

The Pharoah is scared.

Secret police and torture only work so long.

[newsjunkie5]

one can only hope...

[Rog49Thomas]

Truth Freedom Justice - as a wise man once said long ago

[newsjunkie5]

picture this...

Hosni Mubarak & Benjamin Netanyahu vs. Ahmadinejad & Hassan Nasrallah...

in lights on a billboard...

that would be the ultimate wrestling match...the organizers would make a fortune.

souvenir shirts, cups, programs, etc...

fortune needing to be tapped into...what are you waiting for entrepeneurs out there?

[jad114]

If Egyptians were asked to vote and Nasrallah's name was put on the ballot (without secrect police watching). Who do you think they will elect?

I'm willing to bet my tax refund check. It will be Nasrallah!

[almazza98]

I agree with you. The same goes in Saudi Arabia (Sunni Capital). This whole Shia and Sunni conflict is Bull.

[Rog49Thomas]

Shaikh Shaltuth Former Head of AlAzhar issued a famous fatwah that said that there was nothing to prevent a good Muslim from adhering to the Ja'afari mathab. It was just as valid as the Maliki, Shafa'i, etc.

[newsjunkie5]

I'm willing to bet my own tax refund check that they would vote for Nasrallah or anyone else on that ballot OTHER than Mubarak!

I couldn't agree with you more jad114!

VIVA DEMOCRACY in EGYPT!

[Rog49Thomas]

Hope you've got a big check and get good odds on the bet - cause you could easily make a lot of money.

The only trick is gettiing the Pharoah's hand out of the elections.

[joz22]

Nasrallah is supposed to make a speech tonight and respond to Egyptian accusations!

[Rog49Thomas]

It will be a good one.

He's a very good speaker.

[Rog49Thomas]

http://www.almanar.com.lb/NewsSite/NewsDetails.aspx?id=81168&language=ar

here's an account (not literal text) of his speech

major points
(1) Sami Shihab - the rep of Hizb who the Egyptians arrested more than 1 month ago was in Egypt to arrange logistics to resupply Hamas during the Gaza incursion. No more than 10 people working with him.
(2) Hizb has strict policy of non interference in other Arab countries. Said that opposition groups in
several countries had asked for Hizb's help and they had turned them down even though these groups sent help to Hizb during 2006.
(3) Hizb is purely a Lebanese party and has no branches in any other Arab country.
(4) Then some stuff about the upcoming elections in Lebanon.

Hopefully, they'll post a video of the speech. Or maybe they're be a replay on AlManar at news time.
If' I'm still up maybe I'll catch it.

[Rog49Thomas]

AlManar showed clips from the speech at the 1030 PM news..

He had a great line. "If helping the Palestinians is a crime, then I accept responsibility for this crime". He then went on to mention that the "AnNitham alMasri" (roughly Egyptian Regime - and that is less flattering in Arabic than it sounds in English) was still blockading the Palestinians in Gaza.

On the Lebanese scene, he denied that if the Opposition won that it planned to vote out Michel Suleiman as President and elect General Aoun saying that Suleiman was working for the good of Lebanon and that the relations between Hizb and the President were good as they were between Hizb and the army. Also denied any differences - even at the level of small details - with Amal or the FPM. The other two major parties in the Opposition coaltion.

As usual, he gave the "what are they smoking smile" a couple of times when he denied accusations against Hizb.

[leonardox1]

Mubarak is paranoid. This is nothing but a distraction from the poverty and unrest in the country and the recent demonstrations. Mubarak wants to project an external danger!

[newsjunkie5]

I completely agree with you leonardox1. Mubarak reminds me very much of George Bush. Inciting fear among the public and blowing smoke in their eyes so they are blinded from the truth of what "his" governemnt is doing to its own people.

[joz22]

What Mubarak cares about is his pocket and getting to handover the chair to his son Gamal.

[cohen238765]

Isn't this the case in all Arab countries?

[justice2008]

What about the reported fear of the spread of Shiism into young Egyptians? this is what the King of Morocco complained about when he expelled Iran's ambassador from his country.

[newsjunkie5]

The spread of Shiism to young Egyptians comes from many other places...not just Iran. many young Arabs, Egyptians and others, lean towards extremism of all forms when they feel frustrated by their own situation/­circumstan­ce in their own country. If Mubarak was a leader that actually cared about improving the livelihood of Egyptians, I honestly believe that young Egyptians would be less susceptible to the influence of extremist groups.

[Rog49Thomas]

A lot of this imagined conversion is merely political identification with Hizbullah which unlike the Arab regimes actually has stood up against Israel in fierce battles and not crumbled like the proverbial house of cards.

Most Arabs and many foreign observers credit Hizb with two significant victories.
The liberation of Lebanon in May 2000. And the July war 2006.

[Rog49Thomas]

The canard about Iranians converting Sunnis to Shi'ism is as believable as the one about the CRA and the subprime crisis.

Two kleptocrats - one a monarch, the other a sham "elected" dictator - are scared witless that their subjects will come for them in the night.

So they invent the foreign bogeyman. Iran!

Because political opposition in these countries is suppressed or co-opted, it finds its way into religion which is difficult for these two fine "leaders" to oppress without setting off a real firestorm.
But it won't be until after all the Southern Baptists join the Roman Catholic Church that the Sunnis of these two countries become Shi'ah.