To help Israel, Washington needs to get tougher on Cairo

Excerpt

Cairo is becoming a spoiler in the current Israel-Hamas war, and the U.S. must take action to reverse Egypt’s posture. 

The Egyptian government prevented humanitarian aid from entering Gaza, denied displaced Palestinians temporary refuge in Sinai and blew a hostage deal. Apparently, the Egyptians think U.S.-Israeli tensions over Israel’s Rafah offensive and top U.S. policymakers’ difficult relationship with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu will provide cover for Cairo’s actions.

Washington must make clear to Cairo that such thinking is wrong.

Washington should instead stress that Cairo’s current policies toward Gaza are making it an unconstructive player in regional peace talks. Cruel policies that increase the suffering of Palestinians, just so they can be used for aggressive media campaigns against Jerusalem, are not what is expected of a meditator in times of crisis. A more balanced approach is needed to address Israeli security concerns and ease the humanitarian situation. 

Haisam Hassanein is an adjunct fellow at the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, where he’s analyzing Israel’s relations with Arab states and Muslim countries.