- 11 sept 2011
Egyptians absorb impact of Israel embassy attack
CAIRO (Reuters) -- Two days after protesters stormed the Israeli embassy in Cairo, sparking clashes that killed three people, Egyptians were still taking in the impact of the event.
On Saturday, Egypt's army rulers, who took over from deposed president Hosni Mubarak, vowed to try those behind the violence that pushed Israel to evacuate its ambassador from Cairo, as they struggled to contain public fury against Israel, while fending off U.S. criticism.
Washington, which has poured billions of dollars in military aid into Egypt since it made peace with Israel in 1979, urged Cairo to protect the mission after protesters hurled embassy documents from the windows of the building and removed and burned the Israeli flag.
Three people died in the clashes that began on Friday and raged on into the early hours of Saturday around the Cairo tower block housing the embassy, the Health Ministry said. Police and soldiers fired shots in the air and tear gas to disperse the crowd, which replied with stones.
The protest developed after a Friday demonstration in Tahrir square in support of the goals of the Egyptian revolution. A group of demonstrators then marched on the Israeli embassy and broke down a wall the army had constructed around it, storming the building.
It was the second big eruption of violence at the embassy since five Egyptian border guards were killed last month when Israel repelled cross-border raiders it said were Palestinians.
On Sunday one of the protesters voiced sympathy with the outpouring of anti-Israeli sentiment that had been bottled up during the Mubarak years, when any such demonstration would have been prohibited.
"We began to move towards the embassy, with the normal demands - the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador, the destruction of the wall [around the embassy], that kind of things. And just like the Israelis killed our brothers… well, we weren't given dignity before, so we wanted to have dignity, that's all. And we wanted to inform the world, the Arab world and all the other countries, that we will have dignity inside Egypt and outside of our borders," the protester who said his brother had been arrested by the army, told Reuters.
Another resident denounced the level of violence.
"These are not our values at all, nothing that happened, those aggressive acts, reflect our values. It is well known that the foreigner in our land is respected. What happened never happens here. There is a specific group that has done this, but not the Egyptian youths," the man, named Ahmed, said.
Israel has stopped short of apologizing for the killing of the Egyptian border guards, saying it is still investigating the Egyptian deaths, which occurred during an operation against gunmen who had killed eight Israelis.
Israeli ambassador Yitzhak Levanon, staff and family members arrived home on Saturday, but one diplomat stayed in Egypt to maintain the embassy, an Israeli official said.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said Israel would preserve its 1979 peace with Egypt despite the incident, and that he hoped the ambassador would return soon.
Emad Gad, a foreign policy expert who specializes in Arab-Israeli relations, said that the Egyptian military and transitional government had demonstrated that they have no intention of letting the current crisis spin out of control.
"Now that there is a sort of feeling of being free from the restrictions that were put in place by the the Mubarak regime, Egyptians express their fury about this issue, but I can say that, in light of the way the Military Council and the government have handled this crisis, and the killing of Egyptian soldiers on the borders -- that the Egyptian side understands that handling Egyptian relations with Israel will be by all means except for war, all means except breaking off relations, all means except escalating the state of belligerency," he said.
Gad noted that the uprising that toppled Mubarak was focused almost entirely on the internal Egyptian affairs was not aimed against Israel.
"Egyptian and Arab public opinion has been fed with hatred towards Israel, and this has been doubled as a result of the Israeli policies against the Palestinians, and the Lebanese, to which no solution or a political settlement has been reached. But I will remind you that throughout the 18 days of the Egyptian revolution there was not a single slogan against Israel," he said.
Israel is finding itself increasingly at odds with formerly sympathetic states in the region. It is embroiled in a feud with Turkey, once the closest of its few Muslim allies, over an Israeli raid last year that killed nine Turks on a flotilla bound for Gaza.
Egypt's ties with Israel, though never warm, were a pillar of Mubarak's foreign policy and buttressed his claim to be a regional mediator.
Under Mubarak, displays of hostility to Israel were crushed by force
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=419331
Israel-Egypt relations in their post-war era
(Reuters) -- The storming by Egyptian demonstrators of the Israeli embassy in Cairo has raised questions about the future of the two countries' 1979 peace treaty.
Israel flew its ambassador home but made clear on Sunday it remained committed to the pact and believed that Egypt's military rulers would also abide by the accord .
Israel and Egypt fought four major wars in three decades before they signed the treaty, Israel's first with an Arab state.
Following are key points about Israeli-Egyptian relations:
-Former Egyptian president Anwar Sadat became the first Arab leader to visit Israel in 1977. The two countries subsequently signed a peace treaty in 1979, based on the so-called Camp David Accords. Under the deal, Israel withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula, which it captured in a 1967 war, and limits were set on the forces Egypt could deploy to the area.
-Israel opened an embassy in Cairo in February 1980 -- its first in any Arab country. Egypt's embassy in Israel opened in March 1980. Egypt recalled its ambassador in 1982 following the massacre of Palestinians in the Shabra and Shatila refugee camps in Lebanon. It did the same in 2000 to protest over Israel's handling of the Palestinian Intifada.
-Sadat was assassinated in Cairo in 1981 by radicals opposed to the peace treaty with Israel. His deputy, Hosni Mubarak, was sworn in as president on Oct. 14, 1981.
-Mubarak worked with eight Israeli prime ministers but only visited Israel once, for the funeral of Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin, assassinated in 1995 by an Israeli radical opposed to Arab-deals. Israeli leaders regularly visited Mubarak and saw him as a trusted ally. His downfall caused dismay in Israel.
-Israel has cut its defense spending from 23 percent of economic output in the 1970s to 9 percent today, banking on the fact that Egypt was not a major military threat.
-Israel shares a 266 kilometer desert border with Egypt. It recently decided to seal off the frontier, saying a security fence was needed to halt a flow of illegal immigrants from sub-Saharan Africa. Following a shooting attack on the border on Aug. 18 that killed eight Israelis, the fence is now seen as a vital defense barrier. Israeli forces killed five Egyptian security personnel while pursuing the gunmen along the frontier, deaths that further strained relations with Egypt. Israel said the gunmen came in from Gaza, via the Sinai.
-By being able to rely on Egypt's control of Gaza's southwestern border, Israel was able to pull out of the Gaza Strip in 2005. It complained last year that Egypt should do more to halt weapons being smuggled to Hamas. Its anxiety has grown following the ousting of Mubarak, with top government ministers accusing Cairo of losing its grip in the area.
-Israel used to receive up to 45 percent of its gas from Egypt under a 20-year deal signed in 2005. However, the gas facilities have been attacked at least five times in Egypt so far this year, badly disrupting supplying and forcing a 10 percent hike in domestic Israeli utility charges.
-The Israeli Central Bureau of Statistics said bilateral trade totaled $502 million in 2010, with Egyptian imports worth $355 million and Israeli exports $147 million. Egypt is Israel's 38th largest export market, according to Globes business website.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=419273
Israel seeks calm with Egypt after embassy storming
JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Israeli officials called on Sunday for relations with Egypt to return to normal despite Friday's attack by a mob on Israel's embassy in Cairo.
"We shall do everything in order that relations between the two countries will return to normal," Environment Minister Gilad Erdan, considered close to Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu, told public radio.
"In this case the Egyptian authorities acted as they should," he said, referring to the rescue by Egyptian commandos of six Israeli security guards besieged in the embassy building for several hours Friday night by angry protesters.
The attack on the mission, in which crowds smashed through an external security wall, tossed embassy papers from balconies and tore down the Israeli flag, was the worst since Israel set up its mission in Egypt, the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Tel Aviv, in 1979.
It was the latest episode in worsening relations between Egypt and Israel since the killing of five Egyptian policemen last month on their common border as Israel hunted militants after a deadly attack.
Ambassador Yitzhak Levanon was among 80 embassy staff and their families flown home early Saturday morning. The six guards followed later.
The deputy head of the Israeli mission remained in Egypt to maintain diplomatic contacts with the authorities.
An Israeli government spokesman said on Saturday that Levanon would return to his post "as as soon as the security of the embassy is provided by Egypt."
"It is in the interests of both the Israeli and Egyptian sides to restore relations between the two countries to normal, even if that is not simple," home front defense minister Matan Vilnai told Israeli army radio on Sunday.
"The Egyptian commandos resolved the problem, perhaps in a somewhat belated fashion, but what they did prevented a bloodbath," he said.
Netanyahu himself on Saturday restated his desire to maintain the peace treaty with Egypt, one of only two Arab countries with Jordan to have signed a peace treaty with Israel.
"We are committed to preserving peace with Egypt, which is in the interest of Egypt and Israel," he said in a broadcast address.
Since president Hosni Mubarak's ouster in February after a popular revolt, Egyptian activists have called for a revision of the peace treaty with Israel.
The Israeli cabinet was holding its weekly meeting on Sunday, where Netanyahu and his foreign and defense ministers were expected to brief colleagues on the weekend's events.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=419162
Egypt unrest, Turkey row deepen Israeli isolation
JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Already embroiled in a fierce diplomatic row with former friend and ally Turkey, Israel found itself in fresh crisis on Saturday with southern neighbor Egypt after crowds trashed its Cairo embassy.
Israel has few friends in the Muslim world, and the chill on two fronts further deepens its isolation ahead of Palestinian plans to seek full membership in the United Nations.
The overnight attack on the mission, in which crowds smashed through an outside security wall, tossed embassy papers from balconies and tore down the Israeli flag, was the worst since Israel set up its mission in Egypt, the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Tel Aviv, in 1979.
Along with Jordan it is still one of only two Arab states to host an Israeli ambassador.
Since Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's ouster in February after a popular revolt, activists have called for a revision of the peace treaty with Israel.
"The mob attack on the Israeli embassy is a serious incident," Israeli news website Ynet on Saturday quoted Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu as saying.
But hours later, he reiterated Israel's commitment to peace with Egypt.
"We are committed to preserving peace with Egypt, which is in the interest of Egypt and Israel," Netanyahu said in a radio address.
"It was a painful blow to the peace between us and a grave violation of diplomatic norms," an Israeli official told AFP on condition of anonymity, but added that a senior diplomat stayed behind after the ambassador Yitzhak Levanon and his staff were evacuated, to maintain delicate ties with Egypt.
"We left the deputy ambassador to keep up contact with the Egyptian government," the official said.
Israeli army radio said the remaining diplomat was "in a safe place."
In Jerusalem, Israeli government spokesman Ron Sofer later on Saturday told army radio that Levanon would take up his post again "as soon as the security of the embassy is provided by Egypt."
"Peace between Israel and Egypt is a strategic interest of both countries and must be maintained despite the angry mob on the streets," Israeli opposition leader Tzipi Livni told Ynet.
Egypt declared a state of alert after police clashed with protesters who raided the building housing Israel's embassy.
It was the latest episode in worsening relations between Egypt and Israel since the killing of five Egyptian policemen last month on their common border as Israel hunted militants after a deadly attack.
Zvi Mazel, a former Israeli ambassador to Egypt, said that military ruler and current de facto head of state Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi was out of touch with grass roots secular demonstrators.
"It's a situation of total anarchy where there is nobody on the military committee, General Tantawi or his friends, who can go to the Egyptian people and say 'Enough, finish, we have a problem. We have to revive the economy, move forward'," Mazel told public radio.
"The Egyptian interim military government is weak, unable to have a dialogue with the Egyptian people," he said.
Israel's latest Egyptian woes came hard on the heels of the worst exchange yet with Turkey, after Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Thursday threatened to send warships to escort any Turkish vessels trying to breach Israel's naval blockade of the Gaza Strip.
On Friday, Netanyahu's office said that the cabinet had considered various responses to a further worsening of already stormy relations with Turkey, but had not taken action.
"Israel acts and will act responsibly and hopes that Turkey will also act in the same way," it said in a statement.
Israel and Turkey have been locked in a bitter dispute since May 2010 when Israeli naval commandos stormed a convoy of six ships trying to reach Gaza in defiance of the blockade, killing nine Turks.
The crisis deepened over the past week with Turkey expelling the Israeli ambassador and axing military ties and defense trade.
The United States on Friday sought to calm the situation between two of its allies.
"We're urging both sides to refrain from provocative action," said State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland.
The worst may be yet to come for Israel on the diplomatic front, as the Palestinians plan to make their bid for membership of a Palestinian state in the United Nations later this month.
They are to announce soon if they will apply to the Security Council to become a full member or seek recognition by the General Assembly as a non-member state.
Israel opposes both options but acknowledges that the Palestinians are likely to win majority support in the General Assembly.
It can perhaps take some solace from an unlikely source, a tweet from Bahraini Foreign Minister Sheikh Khaled bin Ahmad al-Khalifa who took Egypt to task for failing to prevent the embassy storming.
"Not protecting the Israeli embassy in Cairo is a clear violation of the Vienna Convention of 1961 on diplomatic relations," he said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=419126
Egypt vows crackdown after Israel embassy attack
CAIRO (AFP) -- Egypt warned Saturday of harsh measures to quell civil unrest after protesters stormed Israel's embassy, prompting the ambassador to flee, in the first such attack since the two nations made peace 32 years ago.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called the mob attack a "serious incident," but reiterated that his country is "committed to preserving peace with Egypt, which is in the interest of Egypt and Israel."
The United States, an ally of both countries, said it is "deeply concerned" about the violence and is doing all it can to keep ties from fraying further.
After a meeting with the ruling military council, Information Minister Osama Heikal had harsh words for the violence and said authorities will take all necessary steps to preserve order, including the protection of embassies.
Calling the unrest an "attack on Egypt's image," he said "it is clear that the behavior of certain people menaces the Egyptian state in its entirety" and that "exceptional circumstances demand decisive judicial measures."
Consequently, the "security forces will have recourse to all necessary measures, including the right to legitimate self defense, to preserve
the security of the homeland."
He also said Cairo would apply "all articles" of an emergency law in force for 30 years that provides greater powers to the judiciary and police.
And he affirmed Egypt's "total commitment to respecting international conventions, including the protection of all [diplomatic] missions."
In Jerusalem, the Israeli government said Ambassador Yitzhak Levanon would return to Egypt only after security could be guaranteed.
Levanon, other staff and dependents had all left Egypt but the deputy ambassador stayed behind to remain in contact with the Egyptian government, an official told AFP in Jerusalem.
He said six embassy staff were plucked to safety by Egyptian commandos.
"It was a painful blow to the peace between us and a grave violation of diplomatic norms," the official said.
The attack was the worst since Israel established its mission in Egypt after becoming the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Tel Aviv in 1979.
It was also the worst episode in tense relations since the killing of five Egyptian policemen last month on the border as Israel hunted militants after a deadly attack.
Three people were killed in the overnight clashes between police and protesters, hospital sources said, and the health ministry said one person died of a heart attack.
More than 1,000 people, including some 300 policemen, were also injured in the clashes that continued overnight, medical and security sources said.
Police also arrested 19 people and referred them to the military prosecution which immediately began interrogating them, a security official said.
Protesters demolished a security wall around the mission with sledge-hammers, removed the Israeli flag and entered the embassy, grabbing thousands of documents.
They also torched police trucks and attacked the Giza police headquarters, and dumped documents in Arabic, English and Hebrew, bearing watermarks of the embassy, to people on the streets who jostled to grab them like trophies.
Hundreds of soldiers backed by armored cars rushed to the area after US President Barack Obama called on Cairo to protect the embassy.
Interior Minister Mansur al-Eissawy declared a state of high alert, canceling all police leave, while Prime Minister Essam Sharaf called for an emergency cabinet meeting on Saturday.
The attack came after about 1,000 protesters marched from Tahrir Square where thousands had massed Friday to press Egypt's military rulers to keep promises of reform after a January-February revolt ousted president Hosni Mubarak.
Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak's office said he called US Defense Secretary Leon Panetta to request help protecting their embassy.
Obama spoke to Netanyahu by phone and expressed "great concern about the situation at the embassy, and the security of the Israelis serving there," the White House said.
Ynet news website quoted Netanyahu as saying "the mob attack on the Israeli embassy is a serious incident but could have been worse had the rioters managed to get through the last door and hurt our people."
Israeli public radio said the six rescued men were security officers, and Netanyahu's office said they had returned home safe.
"When the violence got out of hand, some 80 [Israelis] were taken out" of Egypt, an Israeli official said. "All our people are safe and sound."
Speaking in Washington, State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said "we are relieved that no embassy personnel were injured.
"We have been in contact with the Egyptian and Israeli governments about this serious incident," and Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has "reached out" to Egyptian Foreign Minister Mohammed Amr to highlight US concerns, Nuland added.
"Israel and Egypt are key partners and allies of the United States, and both states have made clear their continuing commitment to maintain their bilateral relationship and the peace treaty between them, which remains a cornerstone of regional stability," Nuland said.
"We remain strongly committed to doing all we can to support this relationship."
Egyptian state television said that Levanon met a general of the ruling military's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces before leaving Cairo, and that the ambassador appeared "anxious and even scared."
Last month, Egypt asked for an official apology from Israel following the August 18 killing of five policemen along the border, deaths that triggered huge protests outside the embassy.
Activists have called for a revision of the 1979 peace treaty with Israel since Mubarak's ouster in February.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=419132
Israel to resume diplomatic ties with Egypt at a downgraded level
NAZARETH, (PIC)-- The Israeli Foreign Ministry told Israeli Radio that it would continue its diplomatic mission in Cairo at a downgraded level after Egyptian protesters stormed the Israeli embassy there, causing the ambassador to flee.
The protesters managed to penetrate a protective wall placed around the embassy and throw thousands of documents from its windows and tear down and burn the Israeli national flag.
The Israeli ambassador Yitzhak Levanon, his family, and his staff were flown to safety by an Israeli private jet.
In a related context, the Israeli Foreign Ministry has been making many contacts with officials in the United States and European Union with regard to the sacking of its Cairo embassy.
Separately, the Islamic Brotherhood’s political wing in Jordan, the Islamic Action Front, congratulated the Egyptians on the Israelis’ decision to leave Cairo after the raid, calling on the Jordanian government too to eject the Israeli embassy there.
“It is a shame to keep the Israeli embassy in Amman in light of the continued Zionist transgression against the sovereignty and interests of Jordan,” a statement said.
According to a PIC report, Palestinians congratulated each other over the Israeli ambassador’s exit from Cairo, considering it a beginning of change in how the Arabs deal with Israel.
“Every Palestinian wronged by the (Israeli) occupation is happy today, and feels the depth of the Arabs and Muslims for the Palestinian has begun to come back,” said one Palestinian Saeed Dweikat.
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4 mar 2012, 21:13 , Respect -
Maria 12 sept 2011
Analysis: Arab Spring reaches Israeli embassy in Cairo
By Rashid Shahin
Seven months after toppling the regime of Hosni Mubarak, Egyptian protesters broke into the Israeli embassy in Cairo, tore down the Israeli flag and destroyed part of the contents of the embassy.
Consequently, the Israeli government evacuated the embassy staff and rushed to the American president for help and intervention.
For more than three decades the Israeli embassy was planted in the middle of the Egyptian capital, after the two countries signed what is believed by the Egyptians to be an unfair peace treaty. Since then, the embassy was "protected" by the only two Egyptian presidents in the past four decades, Anwar Sadat and Hosni Mubarak.
Since the peace treaty was signed, diplomatic relations with Israel were one of the most problematic issues in the Egyptian political arena.
Peace between the two countries was always described as cold and limited to political elites and a few intellectuals who dared to build relations with Israel or its embassy.
It is not strange that the Arab Spring arrived at the Israeli embassy, which for some Egyptians is a symbol of humiliation and disrespect.
They believe that the peace treaty and its conditions were unfair and imposed on their country in a specific moment of history, when President Sadat was ready to pay any price to take his country from the Soviet Camp to the Western Camp during the cold war era.
In fact, as a result of the peace treaty, the Egyptians lost control and sovereignty over the Sinai Peninsula, which lies between the Suez Canal and the Gaza Strip, a huge area which was demilitarized and the Egyptian army banned from entering.
Instead of changing its policies and finding ways to solve problems with other Arab countries, like ending the occupation of Arab lands in Syria and Palestine, Israel continued its arrogant policies, believing that by signing the peace treaty with Egypt, the main Arab country at the time, it could manipulate the world and other countries in the region, imposing policies on them through force or other means.
With regards to the storming of the Israeli embassy, it is worth mentioning that some leaders within April 6th movement had accused supporters of Hosni Mubarak of planning "violent events" and being behind the "attack on the embassy."
A member of the political bureau of the movement Mohammad Adel noted that people may have been "hired and paid" in order to drag the country into a "state of chaos."
Sherif Sadeq, a member of the Revolution Coalition, didn’t exclude the possibility of third parties and remnants of the former regime being involved in the violence. Sadeq told the London based news service Ilaf: "the break in at the Israeli embassy and the burning of police cars is a criminal act, this cant be justified or proved by any of the political groups or factions which pursue peaceful ways in the protests."
Regardless of the condemnations of the act, the embassy break-in should raise a question in hearts and minds of Israeli leaders, especially since it is well known that there are dozens of embassies in the Egyptian capital: Why were the protests only against their embassy?
Last month, Israeli forces shot and killed five Egyptian soldiers. The Israeli government refused to officially apologize to Egypt, in a response similar to that given to Turkey after the killing of nine civilians on the Mavi Marmara in international waters in the Mediterranean.
Israel, by its policies, is making enemies.
A quick look at the relations between Israel and other surrounding countries shows that Israel has no good or adequate relations with Jordan for instance, it has bad relations with Turkey, and of course hostile relations with Iran.
Now its relationship with Egypt is on a thin string and could be lost at any moment.
Israel also violated diplomatic relations with the United Arab Emirates when it sent a death squad to eliminate a Hamas leader. Investigations said that Israel had forged passports of many countries including Canada and Ireland in the operation.
Above all, Israel continues to occupy Palestinian land, ignoring the fact that Palestine was and will remain a central issue for Arabs and Muslims around the globe.
Israeli refuses to find a solution for the Palestinian people who have suffered for more than sixty years in an issue which will always make Israel an enemy not only to the Palestinian people, but to the Arabs and peace lovers around the world.
After the break-in at the Israeli embassy, Israeli people should urge their leaders to review their policies and positions instead of blaming others. They should understand that things are changing around them, they have to know that the Arab Spring will not be limited to the few Arab countries and that Arab neighbors before the "Spring" will not be the same countries afterward.
None of the countries will have leaders in power for three or four decades like before.
Therefore, it would be advisable for Israel to reconsider its position, if they really do seek natural and normal relations with their "near and far" neighbors.
Rashid Shahin is a writer and journalist based in the West Bank city of Bethlehem.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=419428
Egyptians sick of Israeli agressions
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bYe4pKDaQqo
The storming of the Israeli embassy in Cairo by angry Egyptian protesters shows that the Egyptians are sick of Tel Aviv's aggressive policies in the Middle East, a political commentator told Press TV.
In an exclusive interview with Press TV on Sunday, Aly el-Kabbany, author and journalist, said the Egyptian people have had enough of Israel's meddling, including the war along the West Bank, the Gaza blockade, and the wall inside Cairo.
“Israel is the enemy of the Egyptian people. It is, and it will remain so, until we destroy all the Egyptian, Arab and Palestinian demands,” el-Kabbany said.
Egyptian protesters stormed the Israeli embassy premises in Cairo after Friday prayers to call for the expulsion of Israel's ambassador. They tore down the flag from the building for the second time in less than a month.
Angry Egyptians also destroyed parts of the protective cement wall around the embassy and broke into the building, despite the presence of heavily armed Egyptian security forces.
El-Kebbany touched upon the Camp David Treaty signed between Israeli regime and former Egyptian government, saying the Egyptians want an end to this “humiliating” treaty, which has already been violated by Israeli itself.
“The Egyptian people haven't been consulted nor have they approved the Camp David Treaty. And they do not want this humiliating treaty to carry on. And they want to scrap it,” he said.
“Israel itself violated the Camp David [Treaty], too, so why should the Egyptian government stick and adhere to such a humiliating treaty?” el-Kabbany questioned.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/198717.html
Egyptian forces come under fire in north Sinai
El-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) -- Egyptian army forces came under fire from unidentified gunmen in the northern Sinai on Monday, a Ma'an correspondent said.
Gunmen fired at officers in a bunker at the entrance of the town of Sheikh Zweid. Egyptian forces fired back at the gunmen and clashes erupted in the area, a Ma'an correspondent said.
Two civilians identified as Ibrahim Abu Ziri and Sharif Farraj were critically injured by stray bullets, witnesses said. Both were evacuated to Sheikh Zweid hospital.
The attack comes as Israeli forces patrolling the Egypt border were fired upon late Sunday from the Egyptian side, Israeli news site Ynet reported.
No injuries were reported and the identity of the attackers is unknown.
The gunmen who attacked the Egyptian army bunker are believed to be human traffickers, witnesses said.
Tensions in the Egypt-Israel border region have been high since unknown militants launched a series of attacks on vehicles in southern Israel on Aug.18, killing eight Israelis.
Israeli forces pursued the attackers over the border into Egypt, killing five Egyptian soldiers and sparking a diplomatic crisis.
In August, the Egyptian army launched a series of crackdowns in the Sinai peninsula against militants operating in the area.
The Sinai is also rife with Bedouin outlaws.
The number of Egyptian forces in the Sinai peninsula is limited by the terms of the 1979 Israel-Egypt peace treaty.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=419417
Israel seeking new location for its Cairo embassy
NAZARETH- The Israeli foreign ministry is planning to relocate its embassy in Cairo and is currently looking for a new site, Hebrew press sources said.
Jerusalem Post said on its website on Sunday that Israeli diplomats were looking for new premises for the embassy after it was attacked by Egyptian protestors last Friday.
Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu has said that his government was in constant contact with its Egyptian counterpart to arrange for the return of the Israeli ambassador and his team to Cairo the soonest.
Islamic Jihad: Israeli embassies espionage dens
Meanwhile, Ahmed Al-Mudalal, a senior leader with Islamic Jihad movement, said that Israeli embassies in Arab countries are "espionage dens".
Quoted by his movement's media outlets, Mudalal called on Arab countries having ties with Israel to cut those ties immediately, saying that the Israeli embassies are used for spying in addition to fueling tension between the people and the ruling regimes.
He said that the events at the Israeli embassy in Cairo on Friday revealed the burden of the Camp David agreement on the Egyptian people.
http://fwd4.me/0BGf
Israel export to Egypt drops 33%
Israel's export volume to Egypt has dropped 33 percent in the first half of the year after relations between the two sides strained following the collapse of Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak.
Israeli exporters to Egypt fear a further weakening of trade between the two sides after Egyptians gathered in front the Israeli embassy in Cairo to demand the cut of ties with Tel Aviv, Israeli daily Haaretz reported on Sunday.
The head of the Israel Export and International Cooperation Institute, Avi Hefetz, said Egypt was Israel's 36th largest export market in 2010 while it had tumbled to 47th in the first half of 2011.
"Yet the importance of trade with Egypt is measured in different ways. From a microeconomic perspective, Egypt is an important market for some individual Israeli companies," he said.
"Of the 151 companies exporting to Egypt, 23 exported more than USD 1 million in 2010," he added.
Israeli exports to Egypt totaled USD 503 million in 2010, but the figure was only USD 173 million in the first half of 2011, according to the export institute data.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/198705.html
4 mar 2012, 21:13 , Respect -
Maria 13 sept 2011
Israeli officials in Egypt amid tensions
Brig. Gen. Amir Eshel, head of the general staff planning branch at the Israeli army
A delegation of high-ranking Israeli military officials has paid a visit to Egypt to discuss the ongoing tense security situation between the two sides.
Brig. Gen. Amir Eshel, head of the general staff planning branch at the Israeli army, was at the top of the delegation, sources at Cairo International Airport told Egyptian newspaper al-Ahram on Monday.
In his meeting with Egyptian officials, Eshel was expected to report the results of Israel's investigation into the killing of six Egyptian soldiers by Israeli troops in an attack in Sinai region last month.
Meanwhile, the meeting was aimed to focus on preparations for the return of Tel Aviv's ambassador to Egypt Yitzhak Levanon.
Levanon fled the country on Saturday after thousands of Egyptians gathered in front of the Israeli embassy in Cairo and protested against the killing of six Egyptian soldiers.
Five Egyptian border police officers were killed on August 18 in an attack by Israeli forces. The sixth Egyptian border guard died of serious injuries in a military hospital in Cairo on Saturday.
The killing of Egyptian soldiers led the angry Egyptians to demonstrate for days and bring down the Israeli flag from the embassy's building. The protesters also demanded the cut of Egypt's all ties with Israel.
The Egyptian protesters stormed into the Israeli embassy in Cairo on Friday, destroying a part of a barricade wall around the building. The Israeli ambassador to Egypt, Yitzhak Levanon, flew from the capital a few hours after the event.
Three people were killed and several others injured in overnight clashes with the police outside the embassy.
Egyptians remain angry at the ruling military council for ignoring popular demands to expel the Israeli ambassador from Egypt.
Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, but the situation has drastically changed since the Egyptian revolution which toppled former dictator Hosni Mubarak. A number of Egyptian political parties are now calling for changes to the peace treaty.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/198937.html
'Amos Gilad, sole Israel-Egypt link'
Amos Gilad, the head of the diplomatic-security bureau of Israeli ministry of military affairs
An Egyptian official says the head of the diplomatic-security bureau of Israeli ministry of military affairs, Amos Gilad, is the sole connection for maintaining ties between Tel Aviv and Cairo.
“Gilad is responsible for the link with the Egyptian military leadership… but if tomorrow he leaves his post, there is nearly no one else who has an intimate relationship with Egypt,” said an Egyptian defense ministry official whose name was not announced, Israeli daily Ha'aretz reported on Monday.
High-ranking Egyptian defense and foreign ministry officials say the “sole line of communication” between Cairo and Tel Aviv that continues to remain active is that of “Gilad, two or three generals within Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces and a few top intelligence officials” in the North African country.
The channels of communication between Cairo and Tel Aviv “have diminished in recent years,” especially since the revolution of January 25 in Egypt, the Egyptian officials claimed.
The remarks came after Egyptian protesters stormed the Israeli embassy in Cairo on Friday, destroying a part of a barricade wall around the building in the process. The Israeli ambassador to Egypt, Yitzhak Levanon, fled the capital a few hours after the incident.
Three people were killed and many others injured in overnight clashes with the police outside the embassy in Cairo.
Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, but the situation has drastically changed since the Egyptian revolution which toppled former dictator Hosni Mubarak. A number of Egyptian political parties are now calling for changes to the peace treaty.
Under the US-backed Mubarak regime, Egypt consistently served Israeli interests and objectives by helping to impose the crippling blockade on the impoverished Gaza Strip after the democratically elected Hamas took control of the enclave in 2007.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/198928.html
4 mar 2012, 21:13 , Respect -
Maria 14 sept 2011
Egyptian authorities detain 19 Palestinians
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) -- Egyptian authorities detained 19 Palestinians on Wednesday, security sources said.
Five people were detained at the entrance to El-Arish, north Sinai. They were reportedly on route to Cairo, Egyptian security sources told Ma'an.
Police also arrested 12 Palestinians 100 kilometers from the city of El-Arish. Four had expired visas.
A woman and her seven children were among the group.
A Palestinian man working for Hamas security forces in Gaza was also detained in El-Arish for having an expired visa, and security forces arrested another man who had entered Egypt via a Gaza tunnel, security forces said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=420261
Brotherhood reacts to Erdogan remarks
Egypt's largest opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, has criticized Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan's call on Egyptians to adopt a secular constitution.
Mahmoud Ghuzlan, the spokesman of the Muslim Brotherhood, considered Erdogan's comments as interference in Egypt's local affairs. He stated that the experiments of other countries should not be cloned, the Dubai-based Al Arabiya news network reported on Wednesday.
“Turkey's conditions imposed on it to deal with the secular concept,” a spokesman for the Muslim Brotherhood said.
“A secular state respects all religions. Do not be wary of secularism. I hope there will be a secular state in Egypt,” Erdogan said in an interview with an Egyptian private satellite TV channel prior to his visit to Egypt.
He stressed that people have the right to choose whether or not to be religious, adding that he is a Muslim prime minister for a secular state.
It is generally believed that Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has geared up for the November election in which its newly formed Freedom and Justice Party is looking forward to win half of the parliamentary seats.
The Brotherhood endured years of repression until Hosni Mubarak was ousted by a popular revolution in February after 30 years of autocratic rule.
Founded in 1928, the group has maintained strong support in Egypt's Muslim society although it has been officially illegal since 1954.
Under the US-backed Mubarak regime, independent Muslim Brotherhood candidates won nearly one-fifth of Egypt's parliamentary seats in the 2005 general elections.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/199142.html
Turkish PM Erdogan hailed as hero on Cairo visit
CAIRO (AFP) -- Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan received a rock star welcome in Cairo where activists, women and the media gushed over the region's new "hero" over his pro-Palestinian stand and his virulent criticism of Israel.
Erdogan, who on Tuesday kicked off a three-nation Arab Spring tour in Egypt, threw his weight behind Palestinian statehood during a keynote speech at the Arab League, bolstering his image as a regional leader.
His visit comes as activists who overthrew president Hosni Mubarak in February are increasingly angry at their own leadership for backtracking on promises of reform.
Addressing Arab foreign ministers, Erdogan said the recognition of a Palestinian state is an "obligation" and reiterated strained ties with Israel would not improve unless the country apologizes over the death of nine Turks killed in a raid on an aid flotilla last year.
"Before the end of this year we will see Palestine at the United Nations in a very different situation," he said. "It is time for the flag of Palestine to be hoisted at the United Nations."
His statements, echoing sentiments on the Arab street, may have unnerved Egypt's military leadership which is scrambling to smooth over ties with Israel after its embassy in Cairo was attacked.
The attack on the mission, in which crowds smashed through an external security wall, tossed embassy papers from balconies and tore down the Israeli flag, was the worst since Israel set up its mission in Egypt, the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel, in 1979.
It was the latest episode in worsening relations between Egypt and Israel since the killing of five Egyptian policemen last month on their common border as Israel hunted militants after a deadly attack.
The Turkish premier was greeted with rapturous enthusiasm during his whirlwind Cairo visit which saw him meet political and religious leaders, youth activists and appear on talk shows.
On Wednesday, Erdogan met with the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's most powerful Islamist group, including its leader Mohammed Badie, who expressed "gratitude" for Turkey's "dignified" position in Davos, Switzerland.
Erdogan's hero status was further cemented when he stormed out of a debate on Gaza after a heated debate with Israeli President Shimon Peres at the Davos economic forum in 2009.
The Turkish leader also met Egypt's presidential candidates before attending the opening of the Egyptian-Turkish business forum in Cairo.
Erdogan "is a man who has leadership qualities, inspiring to those around him," wrote columnist Moataz Abdel Fatah in the independent daily Al-Shorouk.
"We need someone like him... strong, with experience, trustworthy, honest and who respects laws and the constitution," Abdel Fatah said.
Erdogan's popularity in the Arab world has stemmed mainly from his strong confrontations with Israel, at a time when regional leaders were seen by their people as impotent when it comes to Israel and the West.
In Cairo, he was greeted at the airport by 3,000 supporters and was met with wild applause and chants by crowds waving Turkish flags during his tour.
"Lend us Erdogan for a month!" wrote columnist Mohammed Amin in the liberal daily Al-Wafd.
Egypt's leadership before the January 25 revolution failed to engage with some regional powers going as far as "rejecting Turkey and Iran, preferring (to deal with) Israel," Amin said.
"But Erdogan knows that Egypt can lead the region and if it rises, the whole Arab street will rise. This is something that the (previous regime) failed to understand," Amin wrote.
An editorial in the state-owned Egyptian Gazette hailed "Turkey's status and the weight it has gained in a matter of a few years... (which) has encouraged Erdogan to stand on par with Israel in a balancing game."
Social networking sites were abuzz with members heaping praise on the Turkish leader.
"Mubarak and Erdogan had the same opportunities. One is being cursed in heaven and on earth, the other is being sent blessings from everywhere," Ahmed Reda wrote on Twitter.
"Erdogan is the rock star," wrote Faysal in another tweet.
"He's a real man: strong, composed, elegant and handsome," swooned a woman, Safaa Abdelmeguid. "What a hero."
Much admired on the Arab street, Erdogan is on an Arab Spring tour of Egypt, Tunisia and Libya where pro-democracy uprisings unseated veteran autocratic leaders.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=420263
Netanyahu: Aim of Egypt border fence to block 'terror'
JERUSALEM (AFP) -- Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said on Tuesday that the main aim of a fence which Israel is building on its border with Egypt is now to block militants and not just smugglers and illegal migrants.
"Putting up the fence is first of all against terror activity, and only after that against [other] infiltrators," army radio quoted him as saying during a tour of the border.
Israel began constructing the fence late last year to stem the influx of thousands of illegal migrants through the porous border, which has also been a major drug and human trafficking route into Israel.
A statement from Netanyahu's office said work on the fence would be speeded up and was expected to be completed by next September.
"Israel's border with Egypt is a border of peace. To continue the peace, there must be security, and to this end a fence is necessary," it quoted him as saying. "Its rapid construction is important for both peace and security."
Tensions between the two countries have risen since the killing last month of six Egyptian policemen on the border as Israel hunted militants who crossed from the Sinai and killed eight Israelis.
Last week, Egyptian crowds rampaged through the Israeli embassy in Cairo, with several of them tossing embassy papers from balconies and tearing down the Israeli flag.
It was the worst attack since Israel set up its mission in Egypt, the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Tel Aviv, in 1979.
Nearly all of Israel's diplomatic staff were evacuated from Egypt after the attack on the embassy.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=419998
4 mar 2012, 21:13 , Respect -
Maria 15 sept 2011
Report: Egypt PM says Israel peace deal "not sacred"
CAIRO (Reuters) -- Prime Minister Essam Sharaf said Egypt's peace deal with Israeli was not sacred and was always open to discussion or change if that would benefit the region or enhance peace, speaking in an interview with a Turkish television channel.
"The Camp David agreement is not a sacred thing and is always open to discussion with what would benefit the region and the case of fair peace ... and we could make a change if needed," he said in the interview, which was also broadcast on Egyptian state television.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=420653
Haneyya: We are still waiting for Egypt to break siege
GAZA, (PIC)-- Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haneyya said he is still waiting for a bold decision by Egypt to break the siege on the Gaza Strip and open up the Rafah border crossing.
This came during a visit Wednesday by the international Egyptian coalition to break the siege and reconstruct Gaza.
“Gaza, on the one hand, is a bastion of steadfastness, challenge, and a barrier that breaks Israeli waves [of aggression], but on the other hand there is a siege, a lack of medicines, and a difficult humanitarian situation in Gaza,” Haneyya said.
Haneyya thanked and lauded the delegation, which consisted of young people, saying that it signaled that the youth have begun to take the lead.
“The youth are making new history. We have been following with pride what is happening in Egypt, Tunisia, and Libya, and we see that the first beneficiary of the revolutions after the peoples of the respective countries are the Palestinians, because the Arab revolutions are putting an end to the Zionist intrusion in the region,” PM Haneyya added.
http://fwd4.me/0BWD
4 mar 2012, 21:13 , Respect -
Maria 16 sept 2011
Sharaf "Camp David" agreement is not sacred and can be modified
CAIRO, (PIC)--The Egyptian Prime Minister Isam Sharaf said that the Camp David peace accords between Egypt and Israel is not sacred and is open to discussion and change, if that is in the interest of the region and reinforces peace.
Sharaf, who was talking during an interview with a Turkish TV channel and the interview was aired on Egyptian official TV channel, said about the peace agreement: "It is not sacred, thus it is always open for discussion to the benefit of the region and a just peace and it can be changed if need be."
Popular calls for a cancellation of the Camp David peace accords have been on the rise since the killing of Egyptian soldiers by the IOF early August.
http://fwd4.me/0Bgt
'Netanyahu doing no favor to Israelis'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WcInN4D1CWw
Egyptian protesters stormed the Israeli embassy premises in the Egyptian capital of Cairo last week and demanded the expulsion of Israel's ambassador form the country.
A number of Egyptian political parties have also called for changes to the country's 1978 US-sponsored peace treaty with the Israeli regime.
Meanwhile, thousands of Jordanians held demonstrations in the capital Amman on Thursday to also demand the shut down of the Israeli embassy in the country and the expulsion of its ambassador.
Anti-Israeli sentiments have been on the rise in the region ever since the early months of the year, when popular revolutions toppled Western-backed regimes in Tunisia and Egypt.
Press TV interviews Pat Lancaster, a Middle East expert, to discuss these recent developments further:
The attached video also offers the opinions of two additional guests, Hamdan al-Hajj and Mark Glenn.
The following is the transcribed text of the interview:
Press TV: Israel is not having a good year, is it? First, looking at Egypt, where last weekend, protesters stormed Israel's embassy in Cairo in a 13-hour rampage. Clearly, Egyptians don't want ties with Israel. The question is whether the military council is standing in the way?
Lancaster: I think Israel hasn't had a very good year, there are very good reason for that. However, I must say that I would very much urge caution on the part of the Egyptians and also the people of Jordan. I think that Israel is really losing a great deal of credibility in the international circles. Globally, certainly, it is being diminished day by day. To actually inflame the situation now, or perhaps to take the attention away from the way Israel is behaving towards the Palestinians in this crucial run-up to this UN Assembly meeting, would be a mistake.
Press TV: Do you agree that at the end Israel is going to be able to propagandize these events? Let's look at what has happened: we are talking about three countries nearest to Israel (Egypt, Turkey and Jordan) in [some] which the Israeli ambassador is no longer there for more than a month. Is it just about these three events or does it have to do with all the other events that have happened. We could talk about the Marvi Marmara incident.
Lancaster: In principal. I do agree very much with what he [Mark Glenn, the other guest of the program] says. Obviously, there is a ground swell of opinion against Israel, even when these peace agreements were in their early days, they didn't do a great deal for the ordinary people on the streets, there were far more [beneficial] for governments and that is why they benefited. I think the people have cause for complaint. What I would do, I reiterate, is I would really urge caution at this time. I think this is a critical vote at the UN. I also firmly believe that there won't be a Palestinian statehood granted there, I firmly believe that, but don't give them any opportunity to turn it down for that reason. For goodness sake, let's say have all the demonstrations afterwards but not before. I do agree with Mark that it is giving an opportunity to make huge propaganda out of what is going on in this region.
Press TV: Do you think that the Arab Spring has served for the better or for worse of Israel?
Lancaster: I think at this point it looks that it won't be to Israel's advantage but I do think in the longer term the Arab Spring will benefit everyone.
Press TV: And why not to Israel's advantage?
Lancaster: I think not to Israel's advantage because the status quo has been wobbled considerably. I mean, things have changed, old allies have broken away, and they are going to have to deal with new people, with new ideas and new philosophies. But Israel has become very complacent with people in place, for example, like Hosni Mubarak. The deal was being done, they were getting aid from America, Egypt was getting aid, Israel was getting aid, it was to their advantage to keep things on an even keel.
I think things will be disturbed but as they say, you cannot make an omelet without breaking eggs. I think that is something that is worrying. We are in the breaking egg segment of this arrangement.
Press TV: The Arab Spring has been attributed to what has been called Islamic Awakening. Israel, however, says that it is “ Islamist” and it is that notion that is working against Israel. But there were no Islamists when the wall was being broken down at the embassy in Cairo, was there? Or when we saw protests in Jordan. Why would Israel resort to this and blame Islamists as to the growing anti-sentiments against themselves.
Lancaster: Because it is an obvious thing to choose. I mean, specially at the moment with the sort of ten years after 9/11, I think, that everyone is very much aware of the threat of terrorism from wherever it comes to actually [choose] the Islamist card I think it is a bit disingenuous but the Israelis think it has the best chance of working.
That is the only conclusion that I can come to because I think there are lots of things that have taken place recently that show that it is people's discontent with the way Israel is behaving. I do think people have lost a lot of patience. I think their actions against the Turkish flotilla was part of that but they are losing credibility internationally, there is no question.
Press TV: Do you think the US is losing patience with Israel?
Lancaster: I am certain the US is losing patience with Israel. I mean how far they will make their feelings felt if they were to withdraw a few million dollars, that would be a big help. But I do believe, yes, they are losing patience. I think even within Israel. I think even within Israel there is a fear about the way things are being handled.
I don't think Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is going Israeli populace any favor at all and I think there is a growing awareness within the country that things cannot continue in this way. It is very difficult to separate the government from the people but I think there is a schism between them now that we shouldn't ignore.
http://edition.presstv.ir/detail/199431.html
Israel irritated by Egypt treaty remarks
Egyptian ambassador to Israel Yasser Reda
Israel's foreign ministry has responded to a statement made by Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf, saying that the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty was not sacred, nor immune to change.
Israeli foreign minister Rafi Barak summoned Ambassador Yasser Reda to express Israel's “irritation” over repetitive calls for the modification of the peace treaty by senior Egyptian officials, AFP reported.
According to Barak, from Israel's point of view “there are no intentions whatsoever to re-open the peace treaty and the step cannot be taken unilaterally.”
His remarks follow Sharaf's Thursday statement saying that the “Camp David agreement is not a sacred thing and is always open to discussion with what would benefit the region and we could make a change if needed."
A number of Egyptian political parties have also called for changes to the peace treaty. Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace deal with Israel in 1979, despite Tel Aviv's previous large-scale wars against the Arab states, which had been followed by its occupation of vast expanses of the Arab territories.
The bilateral ties took another dip in August, when the Israeli military killed six Egyptian border guards close to the country's border with the Gaza Strip.
The bloodshed was followed by days of anti-Israeli rallies in front of the Israeli embassy in Cairo, leading to the deconstruction of a barricade wall near the embassy.
The Israeli ambassador to Egypt, Yitzhak Levanon, left for Israel following the recent protests, refusing to return on the grounds that the Egyptian capital was unsafe for Israelis.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/199514.html
'Egypt officials in collusion with Israel'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=e6_6j1M4p84
Senior Egyptian government officials are in collusion with the Tel Aviv regime, despite their apparent anti-Israeli positions, a political analyst tells Press TV.
“The Israelis are in collusion with [Egypt's head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces] Mohamed Hussein] Tantawi. They are in collusion with the Armed Forces Strategic Council,” Ralph Schoenman, author of Hidden History of Zionism, said on Thursday.
Schoenman pointed to the recent remarks by Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf about the possibility of future alterations in the 1979 Camp David peace deal between Egypt and Israel, and argued that the statements are aimed at controlling the public anger in Egypt.
“Essam Sharaf is attempting desperately to contain the mass mobilization of the Egyptian workers and people against the regime itself and its collusion with Israel,” he added.
The analyst pointed out that Sharaf and other top figures are associated with the ruling military council and the Egyptian people are aware of the fact that the remnants of the old regime of Hosni Mubarak still remains in place.
Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace deal with Israel in 1978, despite Tel Aviv's previous large-scale wars against the Arab states, which had been followed by its occupation of vast expanses of the Arab territories.
In February, a popular revolution ousted the regime of Mubarak, who had steadfastly sided with Tel Aviv during his 30 years of rule.
Ever since, the country has seen several anti-Israeli protests.
Last week, the Egyptian protesters stormed into the Israeli embassy in Cairo, destroying a part of a barricade wall around the building. The Israeli ambassador to Egypt, Yitzhak Levanon, flew from the capital a few hours after the event.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/199471.html
[b]Israel calls in Egypt envoy, says peace deal vital[/b]
JERUSALEM (Reuters) -- Israel's Foreign Ministry called in the Egyptian ambassador on Friday to stress the importance of the two countries' historic peace accord, an Israeli official said, after Egypt's prime minister said the treaty was not "sacred".
Egyptian Prime Minister Essam Sharaf told Turkish television on Thursday that the 1979 peace accord with Israel could be changed for the benefit of the region.
An Israeli official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Foreign Ministry Director General Rafi Barak told Egyptian envoy Yasser Reda that treaties must be honored to the letter.
An Israeli foreign ministry spokesman was not immediately available for comment.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=420754
4 mar 2012, 21:13 , Respect -
Maria 18 sept 2011
Former Egyptian ambassador to Israel dies in Cairo
CAIRO (Ma'an) -- Former Egyptian ambassador to Israel Mohammed Bassiouni died on Sunday in Cairo aged 74, the official MENA news agency reported.
Bassiouni served in the Egyptian embassy in Tel Aviv in the 1980s, after Egypt signed a peace deal with Israel.
He was recalled at the start of the second intifada in protest over Israel's brutal response to the uprising.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=421270
Amr Moussa denies saying Camp David Accords 'untouchable'
Former Arab League Secretary-General and current presidential hopeful in Egypt, Amr Moussa, denied reports published in Kuwaiti paper Al-Jarida claiming he had said the 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, the Camp David Accords, are "untouchable."
"What was published in the media about my stance is unequivocally untrue," twittered Moussa. He also called to examine the military attache amendment in the peace treaty so as to ensure Egypt's national security.
http://fwd4.me/0BkC
'Egypt may witness another revolution'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kNaVCJPXtW8
Egypt may go through a second revolution, as the situation has not changed much since the ouster of the former authoritarian regime, a senior Egyptian political analyst tells Press TV.
“Every day it is starting to be murkier, and we have the same policies like [those of former dictator Hosni] Mubarak. So the same reasons that made them (the Egyptian people) revolt the first time will make them revolt the second time,” Dina Fergani said.
The analyst warned, “Even it is going to be more violent and harsher, because of all the sacrifices that have been made.”
Fergani referred to the recent reinforcement of emergency law in Egypt, describing it as a sign that shows the remnants of the old regime are still in power.
On September 10, the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) announced the Emergency Law decision after Egyptian protesters stormed the Israeli embassy in Cairo a day before, destroying a part of a barricade wall around the building in the process.
Under the Egyptian Emergency Law, police powers are extended, constitutional rights are suspended, and censorship is legalized.
Fergani argued that Egypt's ruling system seeks to “challenge the people and their demands, and they are not taking the demands seriously at all.”
Egyptians are demanding a civilian government and are worrying that the military rulers may be secretly plotting to remain in power after parliamentary and presidential elections, which are supposed to take place by the end of this year.
The protesters are calling for swift change and the ouster of military rulers that have replaced Mubarak.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/199752.html
4 mar 2012, 21:13 , Respect -
Maria 19 sept 2011
'Random' Egypt arrests after Israel embassy attack
By Yasmine Saleh
CAIRO (Reuters) -- Egyptian rights groups have accused Egyptian authorities of carrying out random arrests after this month's attack on the Israeli embassy in Cairo, citing it as another example of a return to the ways of ousted President Hosni Mubarak.
Security forces detained around 200 people after Egyptians took part in a protest on Sept. 9 at the embassy. The protesters stormed the embassy building and clashed with police. Three people died and more than 1,000 were injured.
Those in custody could be tried in special security courts under emergency laws still in place after Mubarak's ouster.
Rights officials said many of those arrested were bystanders or passersby in the residential district, which is near Cairo University and Giza Zoo. The arrests have stoked fears of a return to tough tactics police used under Mubarak.
"We are getting reports that many of those detained were not related to the attacks and just happened to be in the area at that time," said Gamal Eid, head of the Arab Network for Human Rights Information, describing the government response as "hysterical".
"Security officials during Mubarak's time simply used to detain every one who was around and now the same thing has happened in the attacks on the Israeli embassy," Eid said.
Heavy handed security policies are widely seen as one of the factors that led to the mass protests that forced Mubarak from office in February. A military council then took control and appointed a government to steer the country towards elections.
A security source denied any random arrests, saying: "The police and military police have only arrested those who were causing destruction at the embassy." A prosecution source said investigations were ongoing and no one had been sent to court.
The ruling council has struggled to contain public anger against Israel after Egyptian soldiers were killed by Israeli forces responding to an attack near the countries' shared border. A protest just days after the killing in August also turned violent.
"The security forces treatment of the embassy situation was extreme. It reminds us of the old regime's harsh techniques that were meant to sow terror in people," said Amir Salem, a rights lawyer who defended victims of torture under Mubarak.
"The detentions were done in a haphazard manner," he said.
A military source said the army had no role in the arrests. "Those detained will not be prosecuted in front of a military court and we are not involved with them," he said.
In the wake of the attack, which caused Egypt international embarrassment, the military council affirmed its commitment to Egypt's 1979 peace treaty with Israel and reactivated emergency laws in what it said was a bid to restore public order.
Most political groups disowned the violence at the embassy.
Olfat Sarhan said her brother Tawfik, a 23-year-old student, was arrested after reporting a fire in a nearby police station, although she said he was not involved in the protest.
"Some army officers told him to come and sit with them to be safe, then he was detained by police officers in civilian clothes. Now he is in Torah prison," she said, adding he was questioned by military and state security prosecutors.
Friends of another detainee, cinema student Fady El Sawi, have set up a Facebook page to campaign for his release. They say he was arrested randomly by military police in the area.
"Fady works with a news agency in a street nearby, he had nothing to do with the incident," Mus'ad Foda, head of the cinema industry professional syndicate, said in a statement.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=421683
4 mar 2012, 21:14 , Respect -
Maria 21 sept 2011
Egyptian authorities: Security forces detain 4 Palestinians
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) -- Egyptian security forces detained four Palestinians on Wednesday who had entered Egypt through underground tunnels connecting to the Gaza Strip.
Egyptian authorities said that their visas to enter Egypt had expired and they are still investigating the reason for their entry to Egypt.
Egyptian security officials said that the low number of passengers allowed to enter Egypt via the Rafah crossing leads people to try and enter the country illegally via other routes.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=422391
4 mar 2012, 21:14 , Respect -
Maria 26 sept 2011
Egyptian media: Children with Palestinian fathers granted citizenship
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- The Egyptian Ministry of Interior has granted citizenship to 664 children of Palestinians married to Egyptian women, Cairo-based Al-Ahram newspaper reported on Sunday.
Prior to 2004, the children of Egyptian women married to foreigners were not allowed to obtain Egyptian citizenship.
The law was amended in 2004 after legal battles and protests to allow children of foreign fathers to obtain Egyptian nationality, Al-Ahram said.
However, Palestinians in Egypt were left out of the changes amid justifications according to the Arab League’s position which seeks to protect the Palestinian right of return.
Two years later, the Arab League announced that there was no connection between the right of return and the right to be granted Egyptian citizenship.
In addition to 664 Palestinians, children of fathers from other nationalities were also granted citizenship.
Egyptian sources told Al-Ahram that the list included; 16 Sudanese, 3 Syrians, 13 Yemenis, 6 Libyans, 5 Jordanians, 2 Tunisians, two Canadians, one Moroccan, one Algerian, one America, one Swiss and one German.
As of 2007, there were approximately seven million Palestinian refugees worldwide, representing 70 percent of the global Palestinian population of 9.8 million people, BADIL Resource Center for Palestinian Residency and Refugee Rights in Bethlehem says.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=423589
Update: Medics: 1 injured, 2 missing as Egypt pumps sewage in Gaza tunnel
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- One Palestinian man was hurt on Sunday and two others were reported missing after Egyptian authorities pumped sewage inside a Rafah smuggling tunnel running underneath the border with the Gaza Strip, medics said.
Palestinian medical sources told Ma’an that a tunnel worker was hurt and two others went missing inside the Rafah tunnel as a result of sewage pumped into the tunnel from the Egyptian side.
Two Palestinians were killed and three others injured on Saturday after a gas canister exploded in a smuggling tunnel in the southern Gaza Strip, medics said.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=423646
4 mar 2012, 21:14 , Respect -
Maria 27 sept 2011
Update: Medics: 3 Palestinians die in Rafah smuggling tunnel
GAZA CITY (Ma’an) -- Three Palestinians were pronounced dead on Tuesday morning after Egyptian authorities pumped sewage inside a smuggling tunnel under the Gaza border on Sunday.
The ambulance and emergency services committee in Gaza said the three victims were found alive inside the tunnel. They were evacuated to the Abu Yousef an-Najjar Hospital in Rafah but were pronounced dead 30 minutes after arrival.
Gaza medical spokesman Adham Abu Salmiya identified the victims as Fadi Mustafa Ash-Shaer, 20, Firas Ahmad, 18, and Anwar Abu Aradeh, 25.
They were all residents of al-Salam neighborhood in Rafah in southern Gaza, Abu Salmiya said.
Medics had said Sunday that one man was injured and two others were missing after Egyptian authorities pumped sewage inside a Rafah smuggling tunnel running underneath the border with the Gaza Strip.
Egyptian security officials said in early September that they were cracking down on the network of tunnels used by smugglers from the coastal enclave.
Including Tuesday's victims, eight Palestinians have been killed while working in tunnels in September. Five Palestinians were killed in three separate tunnel collapses earlier this month.
Medics say over 160 Palestinians have died in the network of underground tunnels since Israel imposed a siege on the Gaza Strip in 2006.
Under Israel's crippling blockade, the tunnels have provided a lifeline for residents of the coastal enclave.
Egypt opened the Rafah crossing in May, the only border terminal not controlled by Israel.
The opening allowed some residents to leave the coastal enclave for the first time in years, but the terminal is not equipped for the transfer of goods and it has had little impact on Israel's siege.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424006
4 mar 2012, 21:14 , Respect -
Maria 28 sept 2011
Egypt plans another million-man march
Egyptians are preparing for yet another mass rally several months after the February revolution that toppled former dictator Hosni Mubarak, a report says.
Egypt's political parties called for a million-man march on Friday, dubbed as “Reclaiming the Revolution.” The organizers say they demand the abolishing of the country's decades-old emergency law, the Egyptian-based Bikya Masr news website reported on Sunday.
The move comes as Egypt's military council continues to tighten its grip on the public as well as what activists describe as measures aimed at “ending any semblance of freedom in Egypt,” the report added.
Egyptian military rulers re-imposed the country's emergency law after anti-Israeli protesters stormed the embassy of the Tel Aviv regime in Cairo earlier this month.
The protesters have also been seeking an end to military tribunals for civilians and demand the transfer of power to a civilian authority by February of next year.
Egyptians have held numerous mass rallies in Cairo's landmark Liberation Square since January, pressing for their demands.
Friday's protest rally is to be waged against the country's military council that rose to power following Mubarak's ouster.
Meanwhile, government employees are demanding higher pay and better working conditions. Public transportation workers have also been on strike for a week, throwing Cairo into chaos. They have staged a sit-in, pressing ahead with their demands.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/201365.html
Envoy: Egypt 'not responsible' for tunnel deaths
BETHLEHEM (Ma’an) -- The Egyptian ambassador to the Palestinian Authority, Yasser Othman, said Wednesday that Egypt is not responsible for the recent deaths of three Palestinians in smuggling tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border.
Othman said the deaths were very unfortunate, but Egypt is not responsible as it follows clear safety procedures when sealing off smuggling tunnels, which are "harmful to Egyptian national security," he told Ma'an.
The deaths were caused by “the absence of safety and security means within the tunnels, high risk in this profession, as well as the high rate of child labor involved in these tunnels which makes it more dangerous,” he said.
Three Palestinians were pronounced dead on Tuesday morning after Egyptian authorities pumped sewage inside a smuggling tunnel under the Gaza border on Sunday, medics had said.
Egyptian security officials said in early September that they were cracking down on the network of tunnels used by smugglers from the coastal enclave.
Including Tuesday's victims, eight Palestinians have been killed while working in tunnels in September. Five Palestinians were killed in three separate tunnel collapses earlier this month.
Medics say over 160 Palestinians have died in the network of underground tunnels since Israel imposed a siege on the Gaza Strip in 2006.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424493
4 mar 2012, 21:14 , Respect -
Maria 29 sept 2011
Egyptian forces detain 5 Palestinians
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) -- Egyptian security forces detained five Palestinians during a security campaign in Al-Arish on Thursday, Egyptian security officials said.
Egyptian police and the army have launched a security crackdown and detained Palestinian smugglers who entered through the tunnels, according to security sources.
The sources added that they seized five Palestinians in one of the houses on the coast.
The campaign is ongoing, they say.
Earlier, security uncovered a warehouse in the Sinai containing explosives and missiles, security officials said.
Egyptian forces received information about smugglers storing explosives in the Sinai warehouse for export outside of Egypt, security officials told Ma'an. Security forces uncovered 600 rockets and 50 anti aircraft missiles.
In August, the Egyptian army launched a series of crackdowns in the Sinai peninsula against militants operating in the area.
The Sinai is also rife with Bedouin outlaws.
An Egyptian security official said last month that Egypt and Israel agreed to increase the number of Egyptian troops along the border in the Sinai peninsula.
The number of Egyptian forces in the Sinai peninsula is limited by the terms of the 1979 Israel-Egypt peace treaty.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424802
Egyptian security uncover explosives, missiles in Sinai
El-ARISH, Egypt (Ma’an) -- Egyptian forces on Thursday uncovered a warehouse in the Sinai containing explosives and missiles, security officials said.
Egyptian forces received information about smugglers storing explosives in the Sinai warehouse for export outside of Egypt, security officials told Ma'an.
Security forces uncovered 600 rockets and 50 anti aircraft missiles.
In August, the Egyptian army launched a series of crackdowns in the Sinai peninsula against militants operating in the area.
The Sinai is also rife with Bedouin outlaws.
An Egyptian security official said last month that Egypt and Israel agreed to increase the number of Egyptian troops along the border in the Sinai peninsula.
The number of Egyptian forces in the Sinai peninsula is limited by the terms of the 1979 Israel-Egypt peace treaty.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424752
4 mar 2012, 21:14 , Respect -
Maria 30 sept 2011
The Egyptian Ambassador before PA: Sinai under Israeli attack to control and alter it
The Egyptian Ambassador, Yasser Othman informed the PA that Sinai is facing an aggressive attack to control and alter it according to the Israeli interests.
Egypt was accused ot pumping waste water into the tunnels in Rafah, where three workers died a few days ago. Othman stated that Egypt would not be responsible for the life of any person in the tunnels located in the fronteir of Gaza Strip.
According to the Ambassador the lack of means of civil protection inside the tunnels and the continuous Israeli strikes are the real reasons behind the death of many Palestinians inside.
Othman said that the Egyptian Authorities are following up the politic of destroying the tunnels according to a studied security plan.
The Egyptian FM, Mohammed Kamel Amru, said that Sinai is under total Egyptian control and any attempt of attack in the area will be confronted strongly with the Egyptian Military.
On the other hand, Mr. Amr said in a meeting with the journalists in Washington, Egypt's full rejection of the conditions set by the Appropriations Finance Committee of the Senate Council concerning the U.S. aid to Egypt, whether economic or military, noting that these conditions weren’t set before.
These conditions set by the U.S. Senate are to allocate part of military aid to economic aid and to put programs to secure the border in the Sinai and the Egyptian army has to fulfill its international obligations, especially the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel.
The Appropriations Committee has proposed to provide $250 million to Egypt as economic aid, under the condition that the US Secretary of State promises that Egypt would not be governed by a terrorist organization.
http://fwd4.me/0Cjc
Envoy: Israel plans to take control of Egypt's Sinai
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- The Egyptian ambassador to the Palestinian Authority warned Friday that Israel planned to take control of Egypt's Sinai.
Yasser Othman told Ma'an that the tone of recent remarks by Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and other high-level ministers indicated "the presence of an Israeli plan aimed at controlling Sinai."
Israeli leaders were trying to show the world that Egypt could not control its borders with Israel, Othman said.
But Egypt has increased its military presence in the peninsula and will maintain control without Israeli intervention, the envoy insisted.
"We should be ready for the Israeli plan to take Sinai in the coming period," he added.
Netanyahu and his Defense Minister Ehud Barak both warned in interviews published Wednesday that the situation in Sinai posed a "very troubling" threat to Israel.
Israel says a deadly attack on its south in August was staged partly from Sinai, and Netanyahu warned that forces hostile to peace between Egypt and Israel were exploiting a security vacuum in the area.
"There are a lot of forces that are seeking to undermine that peace, seeking to roll it back, seeking to use the Sinai not merely as a staging area for attacks from Gaza but seeking to use Gaza as a staging area for attacks from Sinai," he told the Jerusalem Post in an interview published Wednesday.
Tensions between Egypt and Israel, which have been rising since former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak was overthrown, flared after the cross-border attack in August.
Cairo accused Israeli forces of shooting dead five Egyptian security guards during gun battles with militants who Israel says had earlier ambushed and killed eight Israelis. Egyptian protesters stormed the Israeli embassy in anger at Israel for the border killings.
Egypt's Prime Minister Essam Sharaf has said a peace deal with Israel was not "sacred" and could be changed for the benefit of peace or the region.
Under the 1979 peace treaty, Israel withdrew from the Sinai Peninsula, which it captured in a 1967 war, and limits were set on the forces Egypt could deploy to the area.
An Egyptian security official said in August that Egypt and Israel agreed to increase the number of Egyptian troops along the border.
But Israel's defense minister told the Maariv daily on Tuesday that despite the greater military presence, the situation in Sinai was "not solved."
"Sinai is an important asset for every Egyptian leadership, but I don't think that the leadership is in full control," Barak said.
He added that a tug-of-war was under way between the military council now ruling Egypt and the protesters who overthrew the Mubarak regime earlier this year.
Egypt has received billions of dollars of US military and other aid since 1979 and has to balance public calls for a tougher line against Israel with a need to keep on good terms with the United States.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=424877
4 mar 2012, 21:14 , Respect -
Maria 2 oct 2011
Panetta to take Israel spy to US
United States Defense Secretary Leon Panetta
A US-Israeli dual national, who was arrested in Cairo in June for spying for Tel Aviv, is to be released by Egypt before flying to the US together with the visiting US secretary of defense.
An Egyptian official announced the expected release of the espionage agent named as Ilan Chaim Grapel, the Israeli newspaper, Haaretz, reported on Sunday, saying that the US official, Leon Panetta, who will be travelling to Egypt next week, will take Grapel with him on his way back to the United States.
Grapel was arrested on June 12, while in possession of a laptop and three cell phones containing top secret information.
The 27-year-old was accused of collecting information about the developments in Egypt during the country's popular revolution that toppled the pro-Israeli regime of the former dictator Hosni Mubarak.
He was also accused of inciting sectarian tensions among youths in the Egyptian capital, urging them to engage in clashes with the Egyptian security forces.
The US has been mounting pressure on Egypt to secure his release with Washington tasking Gary Ackerman from the US House Foreign Affairs Committee with talking with the Egyptian authorities over the issue.
Cairo had at first resisted the efforts, arguing that Grapel's activities had harmed Egypt's national security.
However, the official quoted by the Israeli daily alleged that Egypt no longer considered Grapel as having been involved in espionage.
The release also came after a Saturday report by Egypt's state Middle East News Agency (MENA) in which the outlet said that the country's new military authorities had considered promises of an increased political and economical support from the US.
The developments run counter to a recent wave of anti-Israeli protests in the capital marking the public's anger at Cairo's 30 years of amity and cooperation with Tel Aviv.
The Egyptians have also been voicing disappointment at the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces' policies, saying that the public needed to 'reclaim' the revolution.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/202428.html
Report: Egypt authorities detain fuel smugglers at Gaza border
BETHLEHEM (Ma'an) -- Egyptian authorities on Saturday detained three men attempting to smuggle fuel into the Gaza Strip via underground tunnels, Egyptian media said.
Cairo-based news site Masrawi news said officers seized the men with two cars carrying large quantities of fuel in Rafah, a town on the Egypt-Gaza border.
The report said Egyptian drivers demonstrated in El-Arish also on Saturday, to protest fuel shortages in the Egyptian city.
A network of tunnels under the border provides a lifeline to Gaza residents since Israel imposed a blockade on the coastal enclave in 2006.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=425055