A high profile visit to the Gaza Strip by the Egyptian Prime Minister and public condemnation of Israeli aggression are a major split from the Mubarak-era reaction to Gaza invasions, which was to quietly work for a ceasefire.

But while the rhetoric is much different now, the end result is basically the same, as Egyptian officials work, less quietly this time, to try to de-escalate the situation and try to keep the US satisfied.

“The current leadership and the Muslim Brotherhood are not willing to jeopardize relations with America,” noted one top Muslim Brotherhood official, saying that the elected officials are letting the US-backed military handle things.

At the same time, major protests took place in Cairo against the Israeli war, and it is an important issue to Egyptian voters. This virtually obliges the government to keep talking up their opposition to the war, even if they can’t really do anything meaningful about it.

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