Will Israel rue the day Morsi left town?
It was the coup they counted down to, writes Stephen Oryszczuk.
Bizarre events in Egypt have left the world – not to mention Mohamed Morsi – dazed and confused.
TV’s have been beaming images of crowds cheering the military overthrow of a democratically elected leader, a year after hundreds died overthrowing a commander-turned-dictator.
Pinch yourself, by all means, but yes – this is really happening.
How Israel analyses all this is anyone’s guess, but here, the community’s first reaction was one of relief.
Few in the Jewish world ever trusted the Muslim Brotherhood to be the ‘mild’ Islamists they purported to be. Few believed those who pointed to Turkey and said: ‘Look, it can work.’ And few ever thought that Israel’s most important relationship would come through anything other than the Egyptian army. We assume it was with no great sadness that Israel bid farewell to Morsi and Co.
But things are never that black and white, especially in the Middle East, and indeed, the same applies here. Morsi had actually proved himself to be quite the pragmatist. He had resisted the demands of the street to rip up the 1979 Peace Treaty. He had been pressuring Hamas into months of quiet after last November’s conflict. And – perhaps most memorably – he had enforced the closure of lucrative arms channels by emptying tonnes of sewage into Gaza’s tunnels. None of this is popular stuff for an Islamist president to do.
He had also, lest we forget, been voted in. His claims – that he was fairly elected and that he’d had nowhere near enough time to sort all the country’s problems – evoke a strained element of sympathy. In a democracy, the people vote you out if you’re not performing. The army should not be giving you 48 hours notice because those who lost the election are upset.
Will Israel rue the day? It’s highly unlikely. Morsi was no angel, despite the aforementioned. He seemed set on embarrassing Israel in international forums such as the United Nations, and – given time – may well have sought to coax the Jewish state into an Islamist snare.
But all that is academic. Morsi is no more, the army is back and the problems of yesterday remain ever-present today.
A languishing economy, stratospheric youth unemployment and an over-reliance on American aid will all be items on the newcomer’s agenda, just as they were Mr Morsi’s.
And whilst we haven’t seen the last of the Muslim Brotherhood, they’re back in their Egyptian box for the time being.
Thank you for helping to make Jewish News the leading source of news and opinion for the UK Jewish community. Today we're asking for your invaluable help to continue putting our community first in everything we do.
For as little as £5 a month you can help sustain the vital work we do in celebrating and standing up for Jewish life in Britain.
Jewish News holds our community together and keeps us connected. Like a synagogue, it’s where people turn to feel part of something bigger. It also proudly shows the rest of Britain the vibrancy and rich culture of modern Jewish life.
You can make a quick and easy one-off or monthly contribution of £5, £10, £20 or any other sum you’re comfortable with.
100% of your donation will help us continue celebrating our community, in all its dynamic diversity...
Engaging
Being a community platform means so much more than producing a newspaper and website. One of our proudest roles is media partnering with our invaluable charities to amplify the outstanding work they do to help us all.
Celebrating
There’s no shortage of oys in the world but Jewish News takes every opportunity to celebrate the joys too, through projects like Night of Heroes, 40 Under 40 and other compelling countdowns that make the community kvell with pride.
Pioneering
In the first collaboration between media outlets from different faiths, Jewish News worked with British Muslim TV and Church Times to produce a list of young activists leading the way on interfaith understanding.
Campaigning
Royal Mail issued a stamp honouring Holocaust hero Sir Nicholas Winton after a Jewish News campaign attracted more than 100,000 backers. Jewish Newsalso produces special editions of the paper highlighting pressing issues including mental health and Holocaust remembrance.
Easy access
In an age when news is readily accessible, Jewish News provides high-quality content free online and offline, removing any financial barriers to connecting people.
Voice of our community to wider society
The Jewish News team regularly appears on TV, radio and on the pages of the national press to comment on stories about the Jewish community. Easy access to the paper on the streets of London also means Jewish News provides an invaluable window into the community for the country at large.
We hope you agree all this is worth preserving.
