adminover his past remarks urging hatred of Jews and calling Zionists “pigs” and “bloodsuckers”, telling visiting US senators that his comments were a denunciation of Israeli policies.
Both sides appear to want to get beyond the flap: Mohammed Morsi needs America’s help in repairing a rapidly sliding economy, and Washington can’t afford to shun a figure who has emerged as a model of an Islamist leader who maintains his country’s ties with Israel.
US Senator John McCain said a congressional delegation he led that met with Morsi expressed to him their “strong disapproval” about his 2010 comments. The delega-tion and Morsi had a “constructive discussion” about the remarks, he told reporters.
Still, despite calls by some in Washington to rein in aid to Egypt’s Islamist-led government, McCain said the delegation will press in Congress for approval of at least $480m in new assistance to Cairo.
Senator Lindsey Graham, also in the delegation, warned that “the Egyptian economy is going to collapse if something is not done quickly”. He urged Morsi to finalise a repeatedly delayed deal with the International Monetary Fund for a $4,8bn loan.
The flap was a new twist in Morsi’s attempts to reconcile his background as a veteran of the Muslim Brotherhood — a vehemently anti-Israeli and anti-US group — and the requirements of his role as head of state, which include keeping the strategic relationship with Washington.
Morsi’s remarks came from a mix of speeches he made in 2010 when he was a leading Brotherhood figure. The remarks were revived when an Egyptian TV show aired them to highlight and mock Morsi’s current policies. On Tuesday, the White House denounced the comments as “deeply offensive”. — News24
Londile Moyo
Bongani Ndlovu