Egyptian President Morsi: Zionists are “Descendants of Apes and Pigs

The Egyptian media has recently circulated a video from Egyptian President Morsi dated from 2010 where he described Zionists as “bloodsuckers,” “war mongers,” “criminals,” and “descendants of apes and pigs.” He furthermore reiterated that he views peace negotiations between Palestinians and Israelis to be a “waste of time and opportunities,” emphasizing that there should be “military resistance within the land of Palestine” as well as “economic resistance through a boycott” against Israel.

In a separate interview that Morsi gave on Al Quds TV, Morsi declared, “The Zionists have no right to the land of Palestine. There is no place for them on the land of Palestine. […] By no means do we recognize their Green Line. The land of Palestine belongs to the Palestinians not the Zionists. We must confront this Zionist entity. All ties of all kinds must be severed. […] We want a country for the Palestinians on the entire land of Palestine on the basis of (Palestinian) citizenship. All the talk about a two-state solution and about peace is nothing but an illusion which the Arabs have been chasing for a long time now.”

These statements being circulated by the Egyptian press represent a dramatic radicalization of Egyptian society that has occurred since former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown. Not too long ago, Essam El Erian, a senior level official within Morsi’s Freedom and Justice Party, stated, “It is better for Jews to live in a country like Egypt rather than a country contaminated by occupation.” He urged Egyptian Jews to move back to Egypt, stating that “every Egyptian has the right to come back to Egypt, no matter his religion.” It is important to note that the Egyptian Jews left for Israel because they were expelled, yet El Erian was critical of this move for it strengthened Israel. El Erian also predicted the demise of Israel within ten years.

However, many Islamists in Egypt were outraged by the idea of Egyptian Jews being permitted to return to Egypt. In response, Mohamed Abou Samra, a leading figure in the Egyptian Islamic Jihad declared, “We shall fight them vigorously if they return, especially the Egyptian-Israeli Jews. Islamic Sharia says they deserve to be killed. Erian is violating religion to be a national hero for the Jews at the expense of the Islamists. And the Brotherhood’s denouncement of his remarks was too mild.” Meanwhile, the few Jews that remain in Egypt are living in fear.

Please see below to watch the complete MEMRI video of Morsi speaking against Israel!