Editorial
Mursi's message to Israel's leadership
Pragmatism is the new president's strategy
Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi is certainly in little mood to make any mistake. As the country's first elected leader and that too with a narrow margin of victory, he knows he needs to broaden his base by reaching out to all citizens. At the same time, his background as an activist of the Muslim Brotherhood is a reality which has many in Egypt and around the world worried. As an Islamist, Mursi's sympathies naturally lie with those who he believes have been at the receiving end of injustice. That explains his support for Hamas in Gaza. Add to that the clear state of discomfort Mursi's election as president has placed Egypt's military in. The soldiers have been doing all they can to divest the president of as much authority as they possibly can.
To his credit, President Mursi has so far demonstrated the kind of pragmatism he is capable of exercising in his leadership. He has been careful not to antagonize those who did not vote for him. And these are people generally considered to be liberals in Egypt's rather fractured social order. Where the military is concerned, Mursi has played a cool game. He knows he cannot afford to provoke the army into a situation where his hold on power will be threatened. He has, therefore, given the soldiers no reason to think that he poses a risk to them. That is indeed shrewdness on the president's part.
A new instance of Mursi's pragmatism is his letter to Israeli President Shimon Peres. He has reassured Israel that the peace process so long sustained by Egypt and Israel will remain an ongoing affair, albeit with the stipulation that the process should broaden out in a way that will ensure security and stability for all peoples of the region. The message has thus been spelt out clearly. The new leadership in Cairo, acknowledging the ground realities, is willing to cooperate with Israel in making the Middle East a safer region. That is a sign of Mursi's maturity and wisdom. Shimon Peres and Benjamin Netanyahu must not ignore the message.
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