Many Egyptians want to steer clear of Gaza trouble

By Alaa Shahine

CAIRO (Reuters) - Ezzat Abdel-Rahman says Palestinians are suffering "great injustice" at the hands of Israel but they should have followed Egypt's lead and long ago made peace with the Jewish state.

He also says Egypt should not open its border with Gaza to let Palestinians flee the six-day Israeli assault, as demanded by Hamas militants and many Arabs.

"This could get Egypt into trouble with Israel," said the 42-year-old, who runs a shop selling shoes in central Cairo. "Israel could accuse Egypt of smuggling weapons into Gaza and dump the problems of Gaza on Egypt."

Despite the fiery rhetoric of Islamists and activists who demand strong action against Israel, many average Egyptians say they do not want the country dragged into another Middle East conflict, in rare agreement with a usually unpopular government.

Many say Hamas militants, who rule the Gaza Strip, could have avoided the attacks that killed more than 400 people if it had stopped firing its ineffective rockets at Israel.

"Hamas is acting against the Palestinians," said Mohamed Kamal, also a central Cairo shopkeeper, and one of a dozen Cairo residents interviewed by Reuters this week. "There is no reason for firing rockets. What are they hitting anyway?" he said.

Others said Hamas was acting with Iran and Syria, its main two supporters, to undermine Egypt and drag it into a conflict with Israel.

At a women's hairdresser, a worker was arguing with a customer that Egypt, has done enough for the Palestinians, a widely shared view among Egyptians.