New Israeli-Egyptian intelligence cooperation 

-DR. ABDUL RUFF COLACHAL 

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The abrupt exit of Brotherhood leader and first ever elected president of Egypt Mohamed Morsi, ousted in a coup by the military, has given rise to extra mileage for the Egypt- Israeli military-intelligence ties.

Israeli-Egyptian intelligence cooperation is unprecedented and strongest since the exit of Mubarak. In fact, today Israel and Egypt have rapidly increased their strategic tiers much more than that existed during the reign of Mubarak.

So, Egyptian military is interested in the Israeli regime, its promotion and fascist existence and operation in the region.

First, Egypt and Israel jointly created hurdles for the Gaza strip and Palestinians. They want to topple the Hamas government and replace Hamas by the Fatah party regime.

Second, they coordinate their military-intelligence operations against Muslims in Sinai, the hottest arena of deadly conflict in Mideast now, where Muslims are fighting for their existence and survival against the brutality of tio- terrocracies- Lebanon, Egypt and Israel.

Israel and Egypt have cooperated in unprecedented ways on both issues and they do so bypassing their own treaty restrictions on the battlefield deployment of Egyptian military forces and arms. Apaches and F-16s, albeit inferior to Israeli models, do battle against local and foreign fighters in Sinai. Informed Israelis also speak of unprecedented Israeli-Egyptian intelligence cooperation in the area beyond anything dreamed of during Mubarak's rule.

Hamas party has taken greatest advantage of the opportunities created in the years since Ariel Sharon's 2004 announcement of the departure of permanently stationed Israeli security forces and settlers from Gaza which led to an elected government in Gaza strip. . Israel and Hamas have engaged in an often violent contest over "rules of the game" since then, but they have also established an inherently unstable but nonetheless reasonably successful security dialogue. Israeli concerns include that in the wake of Hamas' collapse in Gaza its successors would be the jihadists who are challenging Egypt's rule in Sinai and beyond. Hamas is viewed by Israel as being much better than the so-called Jihadists. 

Both Egypt and Israel are military driven terrocracies. Mutual agreement between Egypt and Israel -now one year old “Pillar of Cloud” - on the challenge presented by Hamas/Gaza may have hidden clauses too.  But even that has not erased the still real and potentially deadly differences of views regarding who will lose most in the event that the understandings of “Pillar of Cloud” fall apart.

Neither Israel nor Egypt is interested and hence not serious about either a Unity government in Palestine or Fatah rule permanently. They seek only the removal of Hamas and end of freedom struggle.

They jointly played the coup drama to remove pro-Hamas Morsi and Brotherhood from Cairo after their legal elections to rule for full term. .

But before that the military did not let Morsi to do away with Rafah blockade gate to Gaza strip by offering bogus threat perceptions.

The military regime in Cairo is more hostile than it has been in recent memory to Hamas, and its “concern” about the national security challenge posed to Egypt by Islamists there and more broadly throughout Sinai is most keenly felt.

Both Israel and Egypt oppose establishing regular trade relations with Gaza via the border at Rafah.

Enemies of Islam and Palestine are eager to see a war by an outside military to remove the Hamas rule., although much worse type of war took place  in 2008-2009 when Olmert sent military to attack Gaza , killing thousands of Palestine, including women and children0 but the Hamas rule  has stayed.

Fatah, from Gaza in June 2007 by Hamas government following a US-Israel backed civil war, hopes that the return of the Egyptian military to unchallenged power after the removal of President Mohammed Morsi offers the latest and perhaps best chance to return to Gaza in triumph



Egypt, however, is in no mood for anything Palestinian, either of the Hamas or the Fatah party. Cairo has no interest in mediating Palestinian reconciliation after years in which this dialogue was lead by Egypt's security service. Nor will it respond to Fatah's hopes that Sisi's antipathy towards Hamas could be turned to its favor.

Military in Egypt continues to call all shots in this most populated nation of Mideast. . Meanwhile, Hamas government in Gaza, for its part, reiterates that Tel Aviv, Jerusalem and beyond are within its missile range.