Morsi: Cairo stands by Gaza's side

Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh tells Egyptian president that Hamas wants to cooperate with Egypt in combating terrorism in Sinai, emphasizing it does not want to be a force of instability in the region, but that the cooperation does not extend to "the Zionist enemy."
Daniel Siryoti, Mati Tuchfeld and Israel Hayom Staff

Hamas wants to cooperate with Egypt in combating terror in Sinai, Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi and Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh.

Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi told Hamas Prime Minister in Gaza Ismail Haniyeh that "Egypt's support is unwavering, Cairo stands by Gaza's side." Morsi telephoned Haniyeh on the occasion of Eid al-Fitr, the end of the holy month of Ramadan. Israel Radio reported that Haniyeh told Morsi that Hamas wants to cooperate with Egypt in combating terrorism in Sinai, and stressed that Hamas does not want to be a force of instability in the region. Haniyeh, however, noted that he has no intention of cooperating with the "Zionist enemy."

Meanwhile Egyptian Chief of Staff Gen. Sidki Sobhi, accompanied by senior officers, arrived in El-Arish in northern Sinai for a situational update on the current counterterrorism operations.

The Sinai region has been the scene of harsh fighting between the Egyptian armed forces and various terrorist groups that have used the ouster of former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to turn the region into a planning ground for terrorist attacks. Following a brazen attack by militants on an Egyptian outpost that killed 16 Egyptian soldiers, the Egyptian army stepped up its counterterrorism campaign and deployed additional forces to Sinai.

Meanwhile, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu issued a holiday greeting to Jordanian King Abdullah on Sunday for Eid al-Fitr. "Relations between the Hashemite Kingdom and Israel are crucial for peace and stability in the region," Netanyahu said. Opposition Chairman MK Shaul Mofaz called Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas for the holiday as well, and told him that the peace process must be renewed.



Israel Hayom