CAIRO: The United Nations Security Council’s failure to even word a statement on the current resurgence of violence comes as no surprise to Egyptians who have grown pessimistic about the outcome of the conflict.
Daily News Egypt has conducted several interviews downtown Cairo asking people about their opinion on what’s happening in Gaza and the UN Security Council’s failure to act.
Some blamed the Security Council’s permanent members, namely the United States, for the UN organization’s refusal to intervene.
Egyptians are losing confidence, if they haven’t lost it already, in the UN’s role as a diplomatic mediator.
“All I know is that the United States and Europe will always serve Israeli interests, said 31-year old Hossam Khalil, a storage supervisor at the American University in Cairo’s Tahrir Campus. “They will not let the UN take an active role unless they give it the green light.
Some were less critical of the UN, saying it was limited in its ability to resolve a political conflict that has been raging between Palestinians and Israelis since 1948.
“I think the situation is beyond any help that the UN can provide, said Hashem Galal, a 23-year old banker. “It is too deep rooted and ancient. It is no use trying to compromise with either side.
“Only when the Palestinians and Israelis change their view of each other that any sign of cooperation will appear.
A silent UN was not the only center of focus for Egyptians. Many believe that the infighting between Hamas and Fatah is what fuels the current turmoil in Gaza. For them, the offensive on Gaza is just another attempt by Israel to cooperate with Fatah to cleanse the densely populated strip of Hamas rule.
Others have blamed Hamas’ continued rocket fire into southern Israeli cities as the main culprit for Israel’s aggression. For Marwan Mostafa, a 19-year-old musician, Hamas has nobody else to blame but themselves.
“They deserve it as they brought this on themselves and should handle this responsibility themselves without other nations spoon feeding the answers to all their problems, said Mostafa. “It’s about time they stood up for themselves and stopped acting like savage fools.
Political loyalties to Hamas, for some, were completely out of the equation. Some Egyptians are worried that Israel may have a political agenda that extends beyond the Palestinian Territories to reach other Arab countries. “I believe that there is a hidden [Israeli] agenda that the Arab countries are not aware of, said a 30-year-old psychologist who asked to be referred to by her initials, A.A.
“It’s going to happen in other countries. I believe that these [Arab] countries have to collectively think outside the box.
