Though Egypt has publicly condemned US recognition of Jerusalem as Israel’s capital, and even sponsored a UN resolution rejecting the move, a new report indicates Cairo has quietly sought to convince the Egyptian public to accept it.
The New York Times revealed that a high ranking Egyptian security official said during an interview, “In what way is Ramallah different from Jerusalem (for a capital)?”
This report come one month after it was reported Saudi Arabia told PA President Mahmoud Abbas that he should declare Abu Dis (a city just east of Jerusalem) as the Palestinian capital. These conversations show the real position of the Arab countries that neighbor Israel.
Shortly after U.S. President Donald Trump declared that the U.S. recognizes Jerusalem as Israel’s captial, the Egyptian official, Captain Ashraf al-Koli told talk shows in Egypt that “Like all other Arab states we are publicly condemning the move by the U.S.”. But al-Koli also added that a conflict with Israel at this time is not in Egypt’s interest.
He told the presenters that instead of condemning the decision, they should convince the public to accept it. The Palestinians should accept Ramallah as an adequate capital, he suggested. “How is Ramallah different from Jerusalem?”
The Egyptian media reported that Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi called President Trump to protest the decision. Additionally, Egyptian Religious leaders refused to meet with Vice President Mike Pence and Egypt filed a proposal with the U.N. security council to have Trump’s decision revoked. But the conversation’s reveal Egypt’s true position on the matter.
(YWN Israel Desk – Jerusalem)
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One Response
Let’s see how long it takes for Captain Ashraf al-Koli to lose his position and then his life. It may well be the position of the Egyptians that the Pals should back off, because the Egyptians are very pragmatic, but they will never admit it publicly.