From: Office of Tetje Rod-Larsen < Subject: IPI Middle East Update - October 2, 2012 Date: Tue, 02 Oct 2012 14:38:05 +0000 INTERNATIONAL PEACE INSTITUTE IPI Middle East Update October 2, 2012 Egypt: Egypt's bilateral relations with the United States remain in the headlines as President Morsi traveled to New York for the United Nations General Assembly during the week of September 24th. Americans were introduced to President Morsi's views on bilateral relations in a lengthy interview published September 23rd in the New York Times. Three points of note — Morsi asserted Egypt's independence from the West (not hostile, but less compliant than Mubarak), called on the US to fulfill its commitments to the Palestinians under the Camp David Accords to have Israel withdraw from the West Bank, and, while noting shared objectives with the United States, pointed out that these objectives are framed by very distinct customs and values in the two countries. As protests against the anti-Islamic online video trailer produced in the United States have subsided in Egypt, analysts looked for a deeper understanding of what fueled the demonstrations. One factor contributing to them is the popular Egyptian campaign for the release of Omar Abdel Rahman (known as the Blind Sheikh), who is serving a life sentence in the United States for his role in the 1993 attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. There are regular demonstrations, sometimes described as sit-ins, of the Blind Sheikh's supporters outside the US Embassy in Cairo. In addition, perhaps in a nod to populism, President Morsi publicly stated in June that he will pursue the release of the Sheikh. The militant activity in the Sinai Peninsula, despite the current Egyptian military campaign against it, continues to raise concerns. On Friday, September 21g, militants from a previously unheard of group, "Supporters of the Holy Places," fired across the border, killed one Israeli soldier, and wounded anothe