Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit on Monday harshly criticized Hezbollah chief Hassan Nasrallah for calling for mass demonstrations in Egypt to force the government to open the country's border with Gaza. “Someone yesterday called on the Egyptian people to take to the streets and create an atmosphere of anarchy. In other words, they want an atmosphere of anarchy similar to the one they created in their own country,” Gheit told a press conference here, without naming Nasrallah. “This person also called on the Egyptian armed forces, but he is not aware of the situation,” Gheit said after talks with his Turkish counterpart Ali Babacan. “If you do not know, let me tell you that the Egyptian armed forces are tasked with defending Egypt. If need be, they will also protect Egypt against people like you,” he added. Gheit also underlined that the Rafah crossing point between Egypt and Gaza was open for dispatching humanitarian supplies and receiving wounded Palestinians. In a televised address on Sunday, Nasrallah urged Egyptians to take to the streets “in millions” to force the government to open the Rafah crossing to Gaza, arguing that security forces could not take actions against such a large turnout. “I am not calling for a coup in Egypt... but if you (the Egyptian leadership) do not open the Rafah crossing, if you do not help the Palestinian people, you will be considered accomplices in the massacre and the blockade,” added Nasrallah. Egypt accused Hamas on Sunday of preventing hundreds of Palestinians injured in the Israeli attacks from leaving the Gaza Strip although ambulances were waiting for them on the Egyptian side Hamas has sent just eight wounded people to the crossing since it opened and they were unable to cross the border “because of firing by Palestinian elements,” an Egyptian official statement said. Egypt had opened the Rafah crossing on Saturday on the first day of Israel's massive air strikes against Hamas. It closed it Sunday evening after dozens of Palestinians tried to climb over the border wall into Egypt -- some succeeding -- and an Egyptian policeman was killed and another wounded by shots from across the border in the divided town of Rafah, a security official and medics said. Border guards opened the Rafah terminal Monday afternoon. Wounded Gazans trickled one by one into Egypt and 10 trucks carrying medical supplies were allowed to cross into the blockaded territory.
