Voices From the Region: Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and Gaza

“God’s will and elections made me the captain of this ship.” – Mohamed Morsi

“Every single political group in the country is now divided over this — is this decree revolutionary justice or building a new dictatorship? Should we align ourselves with folool or should we be revolutionary purists? Is it a conflict between the Muslim Brotherhood and the pro-Mubarak judiciary, or is this the beginning of a fascist regime in the making?” – Rabab el-Mahdi, an activist and professor at the American University in Cairo

“The one thing I can tell you is this: in the ’40s, ’50s and ’60s, whenever bad things happened in the region, people would question Jordan’s stability. But they’re all gone, and we’re still here.” – Jordanian foreign minister Nasser Judeh

“It’s the first time in seventy years I feel proud and my head is high...It’s a great victory for the people of Palestine.” – Mohammed Rajah, a Gaza refugee

“Frankly, I have to say kudos to Netanyahu, and I don’t usually pay him compliments. I think he got the best out of a bad situation.” – Gadi Wolfsen, professor at the Interdisciplinary Center in Herzliya, Israel

“They believe only in Islam. Our affiliation is with our country. We want a modern  state. How can we believe the Muslim Brotherhood will take it for us?" – Dr. Ali Abdul Hafiz, former Brotherhood member and now an opponent

“We are against calls for regime change...We have called, and always will call, for regime reform and democratic reforms.” – Hamzah Mansour, Jordanian Muslim Brotherhood leader

“[We] don’t want to create another Mubarak…The only way is to show that we are very angry and to let this president and any other president know that we won’t do whatever they want to do.” – Nigad al-Boraei, a prominent human-rights lawyer