Morsi's support for Palestinian cause "fuelled coup"

The Vice President of Egypt’s Al-Wasat Party has claimed that President Morsi’s support for the Palestinian cause “fuelled” the coup against him. The result, said Dr Essam Sultan, is that he has been accused of “extreme conspiracy”.

In an exclusive interview with Alresalah, Sultan confirmed that despite the wishes of many of his enemies, President Morsi did not communicate with any Israeli officials. “Egypt has always been and will continue to be the Arab world’s gateway to Palestinian liberation,” he added. “Victory and revolution will happen. It’s just a matter of time.”

Regarding the crisis in Egypt, the official said that the current events have paved the way for the start of a real revolution, which he expects to engulf the entire region. He pointed out that the Egyptian people will not back down until they are given their constitutional rights regardless of what conspiracies the country is currently facing. “The coup went against the Egyptian people in order to thwart the democratic experience and Islamic rule in the country, and those behind it did this with the help of the old regime whose influence is deep-rooted in every institution of the Republic.”

In Sultan’s opinion, the military coup was not a spontaneous event. He believes that it was in the planning stage for more than a year, as evidenced by the fabrication of political and economic crises and the heightening of sectarian differences, all of which was hyped up by privately-owned media outlets.

He pointed out that Minister of Defence Abdel-Fatah Al-Sisi was among the biggest coup conspirators by making the army a means through which to run the country. “Al-Sisi needed the blessing of Al-Azhar’s Grand Shaikh, the Nour Party’s Islamists and Aboul Fotouh’s politics in order to close the curtain on the dramatic play that was the coup against President Morsi.”

The former Member of Parliament went on to claim that Al-Sisi’s actions were not well-calculated: “It is inevitable that he will need to escape from Egypt. That is the only way he will be able to solve the current crises that the country is facing.”

The Vice President of Al-Wasat said that the majority of the Egyptian people reject the coup. This includes “many leaders” of the military establishment who have vowed to stay on the streets until political legitimacy and constitutional legality return to Egypt.

Sultan warned Al-Sisi’s co-conspirators about committing crimes against Morsi’s supporters and the protesters, referring to the shootings by the Republican Guards in Cairo. “If Al-Sisi chooses more bloodshed this well not save him when facing a peaceful revolution led by people who would prefer to face death rather than tread the path of dishonour.”

The promotion of political divisions should be avoided, he said, whether this meant the continued targeting of the Islamic model of governance or if the opposition want to remove it from the political scene altogether.

In the same context, Dr Sultan explained that the current situation differs from the Algerian military coup against the Islamic movement in the 1990s. He emphasised the depth of popular solidarity with the Islamic movement in Egypt, in addition to the fact that it is the basis of a wide range of institutions and receives a lot of support from various organisations.

Sultan rejected accusations that the Islamist attempt at governance had failed, asking instead whether a legitimate opportunity was given for the Islamic movement to take over the reins of power and govern. He pointed out that President Morsi approached all political factions to form partnerships but they refused. Accusations directed towards him to the contrary are merely attempts to justify the coup by his political opponents, he stressed.

Calling for a comprehensive re-evaluation of all governing philosophies in light of the dictatorship that is currently entrenched deep within Egypt’s state institutions, Dr Sultan insisted that the Egyptians will overcome this dictatorship and will set an example of how best to confront all dictators in the Arab world.

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.