Muslim Brotherhood Statement on Egyptian Gaza Initiative

The Muslim Brotherhood was appalled at the Zionist killing of innocent civilian women, children and elderly in Gaza. This happens amidst the silence, collusion of the international community, the inability and failure of the Arab governments to carry out any decisive action against this carnage. Despite the fact that the Muslim Brotherhood has previously demanded prompt action to save the Palestinian cause, Gazans and the valiant resistance, yet we are worried about the recent Egyptian initiative for the following reasons:

First: the timing of the initiative coincided with the official Arab efforts seeking to pass a Security Council resolution. Though we expect nothing out of this Council that speaks only for the unjust Zionist American intentions, unfortunately, the Egyptian initiative is a lot less than the Arab bill proposed to the Security Council. It aims at saving the repulsive American face.

Second:  The initiative only demands a ceasefire and reciprocal calm, which suggests clear evenness of the criminal extortionists and the victims who have every right to resist but are abandoned by everyone. The Zionist enemy has welcomed the initiative and demanded the disarmament of resistance.

Third: It has been introduced individually; such an action had destroyed the remarkable Arab efforts in the 6^th October War which led to the retreat of Egypt"s natural position as a leader of the Arab world. Moreover, the initiative is very ambiguous regarding the Palestinian party in the framework of the initiative.

The American administration has welcomed the initiative in a quick and suspicious response and called for a Security Council statement supporting it without passing a binding resolution. Furthermore, the American secretary of state refused to receive the Arab League Secretary General among the Arab delegation.

The Muslim Brotherhood stresses that the Egyptian President, government and people are required to do whatever it takes to force the Zionist enemy to stop the offensive and pull out its forces immediately from Gaza, and return to the borders before 27/12. They should bring about an Arab unity in order to achieve this.

Egypt should sever its relations with the enemy that humiliated Egypt and its president by putting it in the face of accusations. It should break all economic relations and start with freezing all agreements with the enemy especially Camp David Accords, QIZ and gas export agreements.

Egypt should start getting all the doctors stuck at the Rafah Crossing into Gaza. The doctors have been insisting on entering Gaza to carry out their humanitarian missions bearing personal responsibility for their demand. Egypt should revise its strange position that adopts a legally and strategically false viewpoint regarding the normal opening of the crossing for humanitarian reasons constantly during the aggression.

The Egyptian authorities should allow, as it says, all forms of public anger, be it strikes, demonstrations or donations to help our people in Gaza. Authorities should release those arrested in connection with the peaceful solidarity with Gaza and Palestine.

What is required is to back the Palestinian people"s steadfastness, support the valiant resistance, and reject all the pressures that contradict these demands whether closure of the crossing, the existence of international forces along the borders, any inspection of American observers to the borders or the destruction of the tunnels that constitute the main source of life in Gaza under the three-year unjust blockade.

The Muslim Brotherhood

Cairo