Egypt's Morsi flees presidential palace amid massive protests

By Julian Pecquet - 12/04/12 05:26 PM ET

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi fled the presidential palace in Cairo on Tuesday after as many as 10,000 people took to the streets in the worst crisis of his six-month presidency, Reuters reports.

At least 18 people were injured in clashes with security forces near the palace.

The protesters are upset at Morsi's attempt to ram through a new Constitution by referendum on Dec. 15 over the objections of senior judges. Morsi unilaterally declared his decisions immune from judicial review or court orders late last month, prompting the pro-democracy protests and earning a mild rebuke from the Obama administration.

“It's very important now that the Egyptian people feel that the process to ratify and approve this constitution is credible,” State Department spokesman Mark Toner said Tuesday.

Morsi's ability to ensure a cease-fire between Israel and the Palestinians in Gaza had ingratiated him to the White House. Some lawmakers, however, are worried about his Islamist rhetoric and policies, including references to Shariah law in the draft Constitution, and have urged the administration to reconsider the $1.5 billion in mostly military aid Cairo receives every year.