Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi (right) during a swearing in of cabinet members. Photo: LA Times.

One of the most fascinating developments pertaining to the recent Hamas, Israel conflict in Southern Israel is the change of attitude from the political leadership in Egypt.
The Egyptian government is presently concerned by the Hamas instigation of increased attacks against Israel. The Egyptian government is trying hard to calm the belligerence of the terror group, as it is becoming an internal Egyptian concern.

The salafist movement in Egypt which is more radical than the Muslim Brotherhood is pressuring the government of President Morsi to radicalize its upcoming constitution by instating the very strict sharia law which would fundamentally alter the dynamic of Egyptian politics. The salafists are presently even suggesting that the Pyramids in Egypt must be destroyed, taking their cues from the Taliban of Afghanistan, who destroyed any historic vestiges not related to Islam.

Egyptian society is under threat of becoming even more extreme while Morsi seeks to establish internal stability in the country to cater to his 80 million constituents many of which live on less that 5 dollars a day.

The fundamentals of the Middle East are changing rapidly and the Muslim Brotherhood’s immediate need is to solidify its government’s control. The salafists who represent 20 % of the Egyptian vote are aggressively demonstrating their power in Cairo’s streets today and represent a significant threat to Morsi and his associates. He therefore does not like to see Hamas using its popular appeal in Egypt’s streets to boost the salafists who will use an Israeli-Hamas conflict to their advantage.