Pro-Mursi supporters have chosen the same old, tired course of action that Palestinians have been doing for decades – Pallywood tactics. In full view of cameras, these protesters do their part to portray the military as the powerful oppressors while portraying themselves as the repressed victims. They do so while provoking the military. Then they deny doing it. In video provided by the military via Al-Arabiya (h/t GWP), pro-Mursi supporters can be seen carrying and firing weapons at the military.

When it came to the Israeli Defense Force’s (IDF) innocence in the staged shooting of Muhammad al-Dura at Netzarim Junction in the Gaza Strip in 2000, the IDF didn’t defend itself, ostensibly for political reasons. Though that strategy backfired for more than a decade, Israel was ultimately vindicated. Had the Israelis stood up for themselves forcefully and immediately, the deadly consequences of the incident may have been avoided.

In the case of the Egyptian military, playing politics with the rest of the world is much lower on the priority list at the moment. The military knows full well what these pro-Mursi supporters are up to and aren’t interested in playing the game. Releasing video that debunks the victimization narrative this early also bodes well for defusing the attempts at a Pallywood redux in Egypt.