(AP) Hamza Hendawi - Egypt's Islamist president may hail from the fiercely anti-Israeli Muslim Brotherhood, an ally of Gaza's Hamas rulers. But in his first major crisis over Israel, he is adopting a stance not unlike that of his ousted predecessor Hosni Mubarak. Morsi is facing calls at home to take stronger action. But he is just as wary as Mubarak about straining ties with the U.S. Moreover, powerful parts of the Egyptian ruling establishment - particularly in the military and the security forces - deeply oppose Hamas. In his first public comments on the crisis, Morsi on Thursday was subdued and avoided sharp condemnations of Israel. He expressed support for Palestinians in Gaza, but made no reference to Hamas. Morsi also said he spoke Thursday with President Barack Obama on how "peace and security could be achieved for everyone."
2012-11-16 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive