Den politiske situasjonen tilspisser seg i Egypt, og ventes å ta form av en stadig åpnere konfrontasjon mellom hæren og Det muslimske brorskapet.

Parlamentet ble som kjent oppløst av militærrådet etter en domstolskjennelse i kjølvannet av islamistenes valgskred, men forleden formanet landets nyvalgte president Muhammed Morsi den lovgivende forsamlingen til å tre sammen likevel.

I dag stadfestet Egypts forfatningsdomstol beslutningen om parlamentets oppløsning.

The development seemed to deepen the prospects for a confrontation between Mr. Morsi and his Islamist supporters on the one hand, and the military council and the courts on the other.

Earlier in the day, Mr. Morsi had appeared to be seeking to ease the sense of building confrontation. He attended a military graduation ceremony during which he was shown on television sitting next to Field Marshal Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, the leader of the military council. The two men chatted with each other, and Mr. Morsi smiled as he watched a karate demonstration by the cadets.

But by midday Monday, the military had made no official response to Mr. Morsi’s action, which struck many observers as an audacious challenge to the generals’ authority.

Some analysts said it seemed likely that the army had known of his plans, while others found it hard to believe the generals would tolerate such an open challenge to their power. “The decree could create a political crisis,” Gamal Eid, a prominent human rights lawyer, said on Sunday. “He has been waiting to make a decision to prove he is president of a republic.”

New York Times: Egyptian Court Affirms Ruling to Disband Parliament