Following the Egyptian government's refusal to allow activists from all over the world to travel to Gaza from Cairo, Uri Avnery highlights the country's increasing commitment to honouring Israeli wishes around the blockade of the Gaza Strip. While Egypt has previously turned something of a blind eye to the supplies funnelled to Gaza via underground tunnels, this situation is about to change through the construction of an 'iron wall'. Why a country historically considered as the leader of the Arab world is prepared to do this likely lies in its own decline, Avnery contends, with President Hosni Mubarak obliged to follow US – and by extension Israeli government – wishes with a view to shoring up Egypt's own influence and power.