It was only natural for news of the magnitude of Turkey expelling the Israeli ambassador to attract considerable interest at various levels in different countries all over the world. And it seemed only logical for the media to be interested in the issue and for television news networks to comment on it, go over its reasons and search for its repercussions. It has also become customary for Egyptian talk shows to spend a long time on the news to “chew it over”, and for every channel to make use of it according to the interests of its owner or of those in charge of it. Nevertheless, spontaneous reactions remain the most expressive of people's opinions, feelings, desires and frustration, in addition to being far from the fabricated, artificial and preplanned “phone calls” on television shows. On social media websites, the news had a broad impact among Egyptians, who had not yet finished with their campaign to have the ambassador of the Hebrew state expelled from Cairo, in response to the “martyrdom” of a number of Egyptian soldiers and officers at the border under fire from the Israeli army, regardless of the circumstances, reasons and details. The majority of Egyptian comments tended towards lament mixed with sarcasm at the fact that Turkey could while Egypt could not! And this is despite the fact that neither country obtained an apology from the Israelis, but rather mere regret, which Egyptian media outlets close to the government promoted, considering it to be a victory, while all Turkish circles rejected it, considering it to be unacceptable jesting. It is true that there is a great deal of difference between the reasons for anger in each of Egypt and Turkey. Indeed, the Israeli assault against Egyptian soldiers took place by mistake (at least according to the information available so far), while the attack against the Turkish flotilla took place after being planned, arranged and prepared by the Israelis, purposely and in a premeditated manner. This does not negate the fact that Egyptians every now and then express their appreciation and admiration of, and perhaps also their amazement at, official Turkish stances under Erdoğan. They believe that the decision to expel the ambassador is consistent with the standing at which Erdoğan has placed his country among the countries of the world, while they view the Egyptian reaction as reflecting feelings of weakness, powerlessness and yielding to a status quo now rejected by the Egyptian people, who no longer accept to be insulted and humiliated, as they do not accept the political conspiracies which Mubarak had always made sure to maintain, using them to promote his “wisdom”, his “piercing vision”, his concern for his country's interests, and his ability to see what his people did not! These are the thing the Egyptian media under Mubarak used to promote every time an Israeli assault against Egyptian lives and sovereignty would take place. Egyptians now believe that times have changed, after the fall of the Mubarak regime as a result of the January 25 Revolution, and that what used to happen in the past must not be repeated! Among the comments written in Egyptian colloquial Arabic about the stance taken by Turkey is the following: “Had Mubarak still been in power, he would have expelled the Turkish Ambassador in response to Ankara's actions”; another comment states “What does Coca Zero mean? It means that we bring down the flag from the Israeli embassy and Turkey expels the ambassador”; a third one brings back the chant that had spread during the days of the Revolution, “raise your head high, you are Egyptian”, but with a modification: “raise your head high… grandpa is Turkish”. Sarcasm aside, it is unfair to compare the situation of Egypt with that of Turkey. Indeed, the latter has a powerful army which Erdoğan has successfully kept away, over stages and in calculated steps, from delving into politics, while Egypt has a powerful army, but one the leaders of which are drowning in politics as a result of managing the transitional period following the Revolution. Moreover, the Turkish army is present at the border or in its barracks, while Egyptian soldiers and officers are scattered and spread in Egyptian streets, neighborhoods and alleyways, as well as in the middle of Tahrir Square. More importantly, Turkey is a stable country with a well-entrenched system of government, a President, a government cabinet and a parliament, while Egypt at this stage does not yet have a President, has a caretaker government cabinet managing only matters that are “necessary” from its point of view, in the absence of capability or vision, while the parliament awaits to be elected, and the remaining branches of government are nearly paralyzed. Furthermore, Turkey has a strong economy while Egypt suffers from a decaying economy, before and after the Revolution. And while people in Turkish cities head to work every morning, millions of Egyptians suffer from unemployment – with not a small numbers of them having solved their own problems, finding solutions in baltaga (paid bullying), robbery or corruption, thus worsening the security breakdown. The considerations of those currently in power in Egypt are extremely complicated. And if the Military Council has refused to bear responsibility for cancelling the 50 percent quota for workers and farmers in parliamentary representation, despite demands from all political forces urging it to do so, will it then accept to bear responsibility for a decision that could have repercussions reaching the extent of nearing an atmosphere of war? In less than six months, Egypt should have a President and a government cabinet formed by an elected parliament, without having other problems restricting it. Then the choice will be a difficult one to make, if another Israeli attack were to take place.
