* Egypt's new president Mohammed Morsi told the New York Times that it was up to Washington to repair relations with the Arab world and to revitalize the alliance with Egypt. To do so, the US must respect the Arab world’s history and culture, even when that conflicts with Western values.
Morsi dismissed criticism from the White House that he did not move fast enough to condemn protesters who climbed over the US embassy wall and burned the American flag in anger over a video that mocked the Prophet Muhammad.

“We took our time” in responding to avoid an explosive backlash, he said, but then dealt “decisively” with the small, violent element among the demonstrators.

"We can never condone this kind of violence, but we need to deal with the situation wisely," he said, noting that the embassy employees were never in danger.


* Egypt-based jihadist group claims border attack on Israeli soldiers-
Group named Ansar Jerusalem says attack was linked to anti-Islam film, and that it was 'determined to discipline the Jews for their heinous acts.'



Mohammed Morsi urged the United States to change its approach towards the Arab world and face up to its "responsibility" to help build a Palestinian state, in a rare interview given to the New York Times on the eve of his first trip to the US as Egypt's new president.


Egypt’s first democratically elected leader told the newspaper that it was up to Washington to repair relations with the Arab world and to revitalize the alliance with Egypt. To do so, the US it must respect the Arab world’s history and culture, even when that conflicts with Western values.And if Washington is asking Egypt to honor its treaty with Israel, he said, Washington should live up to its own Camp David commitment to Palestinian self-rule; he argued that Americans "have a special responsibility" for the Palestinians because the US had signed
the 1978 Camp David accord, an agreement that called for the withdrawal of Israeli troops from the West Bank and Gaza to make way for full Palestinian sovereignty.


"As long as peace and justice are not fulfilled for the Palestinians, then the treaty remains unfulfilled," the president said. Morsi, who will travel to New York on Sunday for a meeting of the United NationsGeneral Assembly, said that the disdain shown towards the US by people in the
Arab world stemmed from the American backing for dictatorial governments and
support for Israel over the Palestinians.


The president's trip comes at a delicate time for the ties between the two countries. He sought a meeting with President Barack Obama at the White House, but received a cool reception. In the aftermath of the recent riot at the US embassy in Cairo, Obama said that Egypt is neither an enemy nor an ally to the US.


When asked if he considered the US an ally, Morsi told the NYT that "That depends on your definition of ally," echoing Obama's statement. But he said he envisioned the two nations as "real friends." Morsi dismissed criticism from the White House that he did not move fast enough
to condemn protesters who climbed over the US embassy wall and burned the American flag in anger over a video that mocked the Prophet Muhammad.


“We took our time” in responding to avoid an explosive backlash, he said, but then dealt “decisively” with the small, violent element among the demonstrators.


"We can never condone this kind of violence, but we need to deal with the situation wisely," he said, noting that the embassy employees were never in danger.





http://www.nytimes.com/2012/09/23/world/middleeast/egyptian-leader-mohamed-morsi-spells-out-terms-for-us-arab-ties.html?_r=1&hp



http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4284805,00.html


http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/egypt-based-jihadist-group-claims-border-attack-on-israeli-soldiers-1.466354