Cairo: The Egyptian President on Wednesday said his country faces an “existential challenge”, citing unspecified plots to undermine Egypt.
“We are confronting an existential challenge. There are serious and strong attempts to bring down the Egyptian state,” Abdul Fattah Al Sissi said in a televised address.
His warning came days after 22 army soldiers were killed in a daring raid by suspected Islamist insurgents in western Egypt. The assault was the latest in a series of attacks targeting Egyptian security forces since the army led by Al Sissi toppled Islamist president Mohammad Mursi last year.
“No one can vanquish a state where there are conscious and vigilant people,” said Al Sissi, who took office last month.
In his address, marking the 62nd anniversary of the military’s removal of the monarchy in Egypt, Al Sissi lavished praise on the army.
“The Egyptian army will always remain a backer of the Egyptian people. No one can damage the Egyptian state so long as the people and the army are one hand,” he said, echoing a popular slogan in a 2011 uprising that led to the ouster of long-time president Hosni Mubarak.
Al Sissi defended an Egyptian proposal to end an ongoing Israeli offensive in the Gaza Strip. “The aim of the Egyptian initiative is to ease tension, establish a ceasefire and then open the door for negotiations between both sides.”
Israel accepted the offer, which was rejected by the Gaza rulers Hamas who said the proposal fell short of Palestinians’ expectations and that Hamas was not consulted about it before being offered.
According to Al Sissi, the Egyptian blueprint was not based on “terms” from the Israelis or Hamas. “Egypt will continue to side with Palestine and its people. This is an ethical and patriotic responsibility,” he said.
Egyptian-Hamas relations have been frayed since Mursi’s overthrow. Egyptian media has repeatedly accused Hamas — an offshoot of Mursi’s Muslim Brotherhood — of involvement in deadly attacks in the country. The Palestinian group has denied the charges.
