On the eve of a summit in Sharm el-Sheikh where he will host Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, Jordan's King Abdullah, and Palestinian Authority chief Mahmoud Abbas, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak dispelled doubts that had mounted over the past few days on his opinion of the Hamas takeover of Gaza, by calling it “a coup.”
"We have been following closely the repercussions of the coup over Palestinian legitimacy in Gaza and its grave setbacks on the Palestinian people," Mubarak said.
"We feel sad for the shedding of the blood of Palestinians by Palestinian hands, in a fighting that has crossed all red lines ... leading up to division of its occupied territories,"
This is the first clear statement Mubarak has made opposing Hamas' takeover of Gaza.
"We have been following closely the repercussions of the coup over Palestinian legitimacy in Gaza and its grave setbacks on the Palestinian people," Mubarak said.
"We feel sad for the shedding of the blood of Palestinians by Palestinian hands, in a fighting that has crossed all red lines ... leading up to division of its occupied territories,"
This is the first clear statement Mubarak has made opposing Hamas' takeover of Gaza.