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Egypt, Syria Spar over Palestinian Conflict

By The Media Line news agency

Egypt and Syria are currently at loggerheads over accusations that Egypt is siding with Fatah in its mediation efforts to end the internal Palestinian conflict.

The Syrian ambassador to Cairo, Yousuf Ahmad, left the country last Wednesday with his wife and five large suitcases, sparking speculation that he had been officially recalled.

Ahmad insisted he was departing for Syria on a private vacation for 'Id Al-A'dha.

Hamas took over the Gaza Strip in an armed coup in June 2007, creating a de facto separation between the Gaza Strip, which is governed by an internationally isolated Hamas government, and the West Bank, which has a government supported by Fatah.

Egypt has been playing the role of mediator, in order to bring about reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas, and claims it is taking an even-handed approach to the conflict.

But Syria says Egypt is not being an honest broker and is biased against Hamas.

Such accusations are not necessarily unfounded, Prof. Walid Kazziha, a political scientist from the American University in Cairo, said.

Egypt has a stronger relationship with Fatah than with Hamas, especially since Hamas is on the Egyptian border in the Gaza Strip and poses more of a threat to Egypt, Kazziha told The Media Line.

It is, therefore, not implausible to presume that Egypt is biased in favor of Fatah.

Egypt wants to resume a role of leadership of the Arab world like the one it enjoyed in the past, but circumstances have changed, Kazziha said.

"Since Egypt made peace with Israel, and since the economic situation in Egypt has deteriorated, Egypt's ability to project its power outside its own borders has been limited," he explained.

"But there's an ambition to continue to be the leader of the Arab world, and in that context, when there are outstanding problems between Hamas and Fatah, Egypt does try to play the role of the honest broker. However, its own interests, especially vis-à-vis Gaza, does not allow it to play that role to its ultimate conclusion. Often I think it does fall short of doing that."

Syria's criticism of Egypt in this respect stems partly from Egypt's close relationship with another Middle Eastern superpower - Saudi Arabia.

Syria and Saudi Arabia are at odds over the situation in Lebanon, where Saudi Arabia supports the influential Al-Hariri family, which holds anti-Syrian positions.

"As a result of this falling out between Syria and Saudi Arabia, Egypt ultimately had to take sides," Kazziha said.

Because Egypt and Saudi Arabia share similar views on the Arab Israeli conflict, and Egypt is dependent on the Saudis financially and economically, Cairo sided with Riyadh, leaving Syria out in the cold.

"The weight of Saudi Arabia, added to that of Egypt, does have a lot of significance on a pan-Arab level which is why Syria seems to be in the corner with little support from the rest of the Arab world," Kazziha added.

The fact that Syria is hosting exiled Hamas leaders on its soil is also a fact to be reckoned with.

As much as Syria is criticizing Egypt for taking pro-Fatah positions, Arab critics accuse Damascus of siding with Hamas.

The Egyptian daily Al-Gumhouriyya, which toes the government line, carried a scathing criticism of the Syrian regime on November 28, in which it accused Syria of aiding Hamas on Fatah's account and foiling the Palestinian dialogue.

But Syria's harboring of Hamas members is considered more of an irritant towards the Israelis, the United States and the West than it is to the rest of the Arab world, Kazziha said.

While on the official level Arab governments are falling in line with the American outlook, on the popular level Hamas enjoys a lot of support and is seen by the Arab public as carrying the banner of resistance, he said.

(c) 2008. The Media Line Ltd. All Rights Reserved.