EGYPTIAN DISCONNECT

EGYPT FEARS AL-QAEDA WHILE HELPING IT. MAYBE THEY JUST FEAR THAT AL-QAEDA WILL LAUNCH ATTACKS AGAINST EGYPT AND ARE TRYING TO BUY THEM OFF (AS THE SAUDIS DO).

Al-Qaeda TV, Based in Syria, Carried by Egyptian Satellite - Daveed Gartenstein-Ross and Nick Grace
Al-Qaeda and its allies now have their own 24-hour television station. Based at a secret studio in Syria, its signal is broadcast to the entire Arab world from Nilesat, a satellite owned by the Egyptian government. In the past, al-Qaeda tapes were generally released to Al Jazeera, but Al-Zawraa, the 24-hour insurgent station, hit the airwaves on November 14. The easiest route to shutting down Al-Zawraa is to persuade Egypt, which receives $2 billion a year in U.S. aid, to remove the station from Nilesat. (Weekly Standard)

Egypt Fears Al-Qaeda Threat from Gaza - Khaled Abu Toameh (Jerusalem Post)
Egyptian President Mubarak's biggest fear is that Gaza, which is entirely under the control of armed militias, could turn into a major base for global jihad and other terrorist groups. Al-Qaeda terrorists, working in cooperation with elements in Egypt's banned but powerful Muslim Brotherhood, are said to be very active among the Bedouin population in Sinai. Mubarak's crackdown on al-Qaeda cells in Sinai has forced some of the terrorists to flee to Gaza, where they have been welcome to use the training camps established on the ruins of some former settlements. The Egyptians fear that these terrorists will eventually return to Egypt to carry out attacks. The absence of IDF troops along the Philadelphi Corridor, the border between Gaza and Egypt, has put Mubarak's regime at risk. According to some PA security commanders, the main reason the Egyptians are not doing enough to combat smuggling is Mubarak's fear that the weapons, including tons of explosives, could end up in Cairo if they don't make their way to Gaza.