Egyptian lawyers accuse Palestinian movement, Muslim Brotherhood of targeting protesters during Mubarak’s final days

Palestinian Islamic movement Hamas denied Tuesday allegations of involvement in the killing of Egyptian pro-democracy activists, calling the claims “false election propaganda.”

A number of Egyptian lawyers filed a criminal complaint against key members of the Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood Sunday, accusing them of involvement in the of killing protesters in February 2011 during violent clashes with pro-government thugs riding camels at Cairo’s Tahrir Square, an event commonly referred to as “the Battle of the Camel.”

The allegations come just days before Egyptians go to the polls for the second and crucial round of the presidential elections, which pit Muslim Brotherhood candidate Muhammad Morsi against the independent Ahmad Shafiq, a former Mubarak loyalist.

“The Palestinian people are in dire need of Egyptian support, public and political,” an official Hamas statement read Tuesday. “The government in Gaza defended the border during the Egyptian uprising.”

The Egyptian lawyers alleged they had video proof that snipers from Hamas’ military wing Izz A-Din Al-Qassam infiltrated Egypt during the final days of the Mubarak regime, helping the Muslim Brotherhood kill demonstrators.

But on Monday, a group of 33 Egyptian intellectuals released a petition condemning the implication of Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood in the deaths and accusing Mubarak loyalists of fabricating lies to remain in power.

“The position of these remnants of the former regime – hostile to resistance movements – is the same as Hosni Mubarak’s and his ilk. Mubarak created a military pact with Israel through which he besieged the Gaza Strip,” read the statement published by establishment daily Al-Ahram.

Hamas, for its part, declared its commitment to Egypt’s sovereignty; calling on Egypt to direct its hostility toward Israel instead of Islamist movements in the region.

“The Zionist enemy is the first and foremost foe of Hamas and the Palestinian people. The battlefield with this enemy is the land of Palestine and no other scene.”

Tension between Egypt and Hamas swelled last week when Hamas’ Energy Authority accused Egypt of collaborating with Israel in “strangling Gaza,” by stalling the entry of fuel from Qatar intended for Gaza power stations. (© 2012 THE TIMES OF ISRAEL 06/13/12)