- 10 febr 2011
UK Foreign Secretary:" It is not Immediately Clear What Powers are Being Handed Over"
London PNN In a first reaction to Egyptian President Mubarak, Britain's Foreign Secretary William Hague said that UK is seeking a peaceful solution to the situation in Egypt.
Hague told BBC We are studying very closely what the president and vice president of Egypt have said. It is not immediately clear what powers are being handed over and what the full implications are.
Hague clarified that Egyptians are the only ones that can solve the situation themselves after Mubarak accused protesters of being influenced by forging agendas to weaken Egypt.
We think the solution to this has to be owned by the Egyptian people themselves. All we want in the United Kingdom is for them to be able to settle their own differences in a peaceful and democratic way. Hague said.
The British official called the Egyptian government to protect the pro-democracy protesters rights:
And that is why we have called from the beginning of this crisis for an urgent but orderly transition to a more broadly based government in Egypt, and in the meantime we look to the Egyptian authorities to protect the right to peaceful protest. Hague concluded.
http://bit.ly/dO8hL0
Egypt's Mubarak stays in post, hands powers to VP
CAIRO Egypt's Hosni Mubarak refused to step down or leave the country and instead handed his powers to his vice president Thursday, remaining president and ensuring regime control over the reform process. Stunned protesters in central Cairo who demand his ouster waved their shoes in contempt and shouted, "Leave, leave, leave."
The crowd in Tahrir Square had swollen to several hundred thousand in expectation that Mubarak would announce is resignation in the nighttime address to the nation. Instead, they watched in shocked silence, slapping their foreheads in anger and disbelief. Some broke into tears. After he finished, they broke out into chants for him to go.
Immediately after Mubarak's speech, Vice President Omar Suleiman called on the protesters to "go home" and asked Egyptians to "unite and look to the future."
The pair of addresses followed a series of dramatic events Thursday evening that had raised expectations Mubarak was about to announce his resignation. In a surprise step, the military announced on state TV that its Supreme Council was in permanent session in scenes that suggested the armed forces were taking control, perhaps to ensure Mubarak goes. The top general for the Cairo area told protesters in the square that "all their demands" would be satisfied, and the protesters lifted him on their shoulders, believing that meant the end of Mubarak's nearly 30-year authoritarian rule.
Instead, Mubarak went on the air several hours later, delivering a 10-minute address that suggested little has changed. Suleiman was already leading the regime's efforts to deal with the crisis, but the announcement gives him official power with Mubarak leading in name only. There was no immediate military reaction.
"I saw fit to delegate the authorities of the president to the vice president, as dictated in the constitution," Mubarak said near the end of the speech.
The constitution allows the president to transfer his powers if he is unable to carry out his duties "due to any temporary obstacle," but it does not mean his resignation.
Mubarak, who looked frail but spoke in a determined, almost defiant voice, said he would stay in the country and that he is "adamant to continue to shoulder my responsibility to protect the constitution and safeguard the interests of the people ... until power is handed over to those elected in September by the people in free and fair elections in which all the guarantees of transparencies will be secured."
Mubarak said that the demands of protesters for democracy are just and legitimate, but he adhered tightly to a framework for reform that Suleiman drew up and that protesters have roundly rejected, fearing it will mean only cosmetic change and not real democracy.
He said he had requested the amendment of five articles of the constitution to loosen the now restrictive conditions on who can run for president, to restore judicial supervision of elections, and to impose term limits on the presidency.
He also annulled a constitutional article that gives the president the right to order a military trial for civilians accused of terrorism. He said that step would "clear the way" for eventually scrapping a hated emergency law but with a major caveat "once security and stability are restored."
The emergency law, imposed when Mubarak came to power in 1981, gives police virtually unlimited powers of arrest.
After the speech, some protesters left the square, tears in the eyes. But the majority of the crowd remained, planning to camp for the night.
"The speech is a provocation," said Muhammed Abdul Rahman, a 26-year-old lawyer who had joined the protesters for the first time Thursday. "This is going to bring people together more, and people will come out in greater numbers."
Hazem Khalifa, a young chemist in the crowd, vowed protests would continue. "He's tried to divide people before, now the people understand him and they've learned his ways," he said.
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110210/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_egypt
Mubarak's speech enrages Egyptians
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, in a TV address, has said that he does not plan to step down, angering pro-democracy protesters in the country who had urged his immediate resignation.
Mubarak stated that he will never leave Egypt in the face of 17 tumultuous days of public protests, provoking outbursts of anger from protesters at Cairo's' Liberation square, who prior to the speech had created dramatic scenes of jubilation as they expected Mubarak to declare his resignation, a Press TV correspondent reported.
The embattled president once again asserted that he will not stand as candidate for the upcoming elections, and that he was transferring some powers to Vice President Omar Suleiman.
He further acknowledged that his government had made mistakes and expressed sorrow for those killed in the demonstrations, promising that those responsible for the killings would be punished.
"I don't feel embarrassment in holding talks with the youths and creating dialog," said Mubarak, adding that "the protesters' blood will not be in vain."
Meanwhile, Vice President Omar Suleiman made a speech during which he called on Egyptians youth to to go back home and resume work.
The protesters took off their shoes and brandished them at the screen on which they had seen Mubarak's speech, and shouted "Down with Mubarak, leave, leave!"
Others called for an immediate general strike and called on army -- which has deployed large numbers of troops around the square -- to support the Egyptian nation, instead of Mubarak's illegitimate regime.
"Egyptian army, the choice is now, the regime or the people, the protesters said.
Meanwhile, a Press TV correspondent said that furious crowds of people at Cairo's' Liberation Square, which has become the focal point of pro-democracy demonstrations, are moving toward Mubarak's palace to vent out their outrage at the decision.
Reports say more than 300 people have been killed by security forces and thousands injured since the beginning of the revolution on January 25.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/164628.html
Israel holds drill amid Egypt protests
Israeli police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld
Israel has held a rapid-response drill to gauge abilities of its armed forces as the Israeli ruling class is afraid the outcome of the Egyptian revolution affects Tel Aviv.
Israeli police spokesman Mickey Rosenfeld told Xinhua news agency on Thursday that police and border police units held an exercise on Thursday to deal with "any possible scenario in Israel.
The drill came as outgoing police chief Insp.-Gen. David Cohen said on Wednesday that 27,000 members of Israeli forces are ready to handle any breakout of protests in Israel.
Cohen said Israel's security situation was "sensitive due to the developments in the Middle East.
Meanwhile, the chairman of Bank Leumi, David Brodet, has said Israel does not have to beef up its defense spending further as the current revolution in Egypt has had grave financial effects on the North African country.
Former director-general of Israel's Defense Ministry Dir.-Gen. Pinhas Buchris has advised Israeli authorities not to seek a budget increase for military plans as it complicates the situation and may trigger a war with Egypt.
However, he called for a surge in the number of Israeli forces stationed in the Negev Desert and the deployment of Iron Dome anti-missile system in southern Israel as soon as possible.
Egyptian presidential sources say embattled Hosni Mubarak has relinquished power and left the country amid continued protests.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/164602.html
HRW: Investigate Arrests of Activists, Journalists
Cairo - HRW to PNN- The Egyptian government should order military police, army officers, and State Security Investigations officers to cease arresting journalists, activists, and protesters arbitrarily, Human Rights Watch said today.
Army officers and military police arbitrarily detained at least 119 people since the army took up positions in Egyptian cities and towns on the night of January 28, 2011, and in at least five cases tortured them. The government needs to ensure the investigation and prosecution of those responsible for the illegal detentions and torture and ill-treatment which have occurred, Human Rights Watch said.
In the cases Human Rights Watch has documented, those detained, who have since been released, said that they were held incommunicado, did not have access to a lawyer, and could not inform their families about their detention.
"Arrests by military police of journalists, human rights defenders, and youth activists since January 31 appear intended to intimidate reporting and undermine support for the Tahrir protest," said Joe Stork, deputy director of the Middle East and North Africa division of Human Rights Watch. "These arrests and reports of abuse in detention are exactly the types of practices that sparked the demonstrations in the first place."
Egyptian army forces deployed on the streets of Egyptian cities and towns late on January 28, after the police withdrew. Since then, military police and army officers arrested or detained at least 97 journalists, activists, and protesters, according to the Front for the Defense of Egyptian Protesters (FDP), a coalition of Egyptian human rights organizations. The group has documented a list of 69 people arrested so far and has confirmed the release of only 29 to date. Most of these arrests have been short-term, lasting under 24 hours; some have lasted as long as two days.
Arrests of Protesters
Since January 31, Human Rights Watch has documented the arbitrary arrest by military police of at least 20 protesters who were leaving or heading to Tahrir Square. Most of these arrests occurred in the vicinity of the square or in other parts of Cairo from where protesters were taking supplies to the square.
One protester told Human Rights Watch that on January 31, he and a friend bought some blankets to take to protesters who were spending the night in the square. They said they put the blankets in their car and were driving through the Boulak area, not far from Tahrir. An informal neighborhood patrol of civilians set up when the police withdrew from the streets of Cairo on January 28, stopped them at 9.30 p.m. and summoned nearby military police when they saw the blankets.
The military police arrested the two men and took them to the military camp in Abbasiyya, in Cairo, they said, where they detained them for two days, along with 20 other detainees, who were not detained in connection with the protest. The two said they were not ill-treated but one of them told Human Rights Watch that he saw military officers beating and using electroshocks on at least 12 other detainees on February 1. All 20 were held in the same room and one detainee told Human Rights Watch that when they spoke to each other, they found that the military had not given any of them an official reason for their detention and beyond some initial questioning, did not formally charge them.
In another case, four protesters were arrested apparently because they appeared to be foreign or accompanying a foreigner. On February 4, three Egyptian young men accompanied by a young European woman were walking from Tahrir Square to their home in nearby Garden City, one of them told Human Rights Watch. A neighborhood patrol stopped them, he said, asked for their IDs, refused to believe that they lived in the area, and voiced suspicion of the foreigner in the group.
The patrol handed the group over to the military, he said, who detained the four in a room near a military checkpoint on Kasr Aini Street for 12 hours. The military blindfolded them and made them sit on the floor, he said. Another one of the group told Human Rights Watch that there were at least 10 other people detained in the same room and that he saw a military officer kick and hit several of them, although the four were not beaten themselves. The military officers told them that the group had broken the curfew, although they initially did not give this as a reason for their detention.
Torture and Ill-treatment
Human Rights Watch and the FDP have documented five cases in which persons say that military police tortured them in detention. One protester and civil society activist told Human Rights Watch that he was walking to Tahrir Square along Talaat Harb Street at 3:30 p.m. on February 4 when he encountered a gang of pro-Mubarak young men who took him to a police station off Maa'rouf Street, in downtown Cairo. There, he said, the police beat and interrogated him for around an hour about his political affiliations, why he was protesting and who had recruited him. Uniformed and plainclothes military officers then walked him over to a military post next to the Ramses Hilton for further interrogation before releasing him, he said.
When he went back out on to the street another military officer stopped him, checked his bag, and found some notes and activist documents, he told Human Rights Watch. The protester told the soldiers that he had just been interrogated and released, but they surrounded him, pushing and kicking him, he said, and then took him to a building near the Ramses Hilton. He said that they tied his hands behind his back, slapped him, beat him with sticks and rifle butts, kicked him, and threatened to torture him, accusing him of wasting the time of the military with "useless protest tactics" that were "destroying the country." The soldiers interrogated him yet again about his political affiliations, demanding to know which country was "sponsoring" him and the other protesters.
At this point a higher-ranking army officer said they would take him to a hospital, he said, and then two soldiers put him in an ambulance with his hands tied behind his back, continued to slap him and drove him to the Egyptian Museum grounds. He said that a different officer there ordered him to lie on his stomach and kicked him, along with two other soldiers. They threatened to torture him with electro-shocks and by sticking bottles up his anus as they continued to interrogate him. He said there were five others detained with him - an American journalist, an Egyptian photographer, and three Sudanese nationals. He told Human Rights Watch that the interrogation had lasted for around two hours, focusing on leaflets and documents he had collected in Tahrir Square. The military finally released him later in the evening, and called friends to pick him up and take him to a hospital.
Another protester told Human Rights Watch:
At about 2 a.m. on Friday, February 4, as I was going to my friend's apartment, I was stopped by a soldier in his neighborhood. He first asked to check my ID card, and then opened my bag. Inside, he found a political flyer from the protest and my laptop, which had pictures of the protest. Political flyers, manshura, are banned in Egypt.
So the soldiers started shouting at me, You traitor!' and You are the ones who are ruining our country! You are destroying Egypt!' They started beating me up in the street, with their rubber batons and an electric device, shocking me. Then they took me to Abdin Police Station. By the time I arrived at Abdin station, the soldiers and officers there had been informed that a spy' was coming, and so when I arrived they gave me a welcome beating' that lasted some 30 minutes. Then I was put in a cell and given a blanket and some juice and told to stay quiet until the interrogator came.
When the interrogator came, he took me to a room and told me to undress. Then he started whipping me with an electric cable, and brought out an electric shock machine. He shocked me all over my body, leaving no place untouched. It wasn't a real interrogation; he didn't ask that many questions. He tortured me twice like this on Friday, and one more time on Saturday.
Targeting of Activists and Human Rights Defenders
Military police arrested at least 37 human rights defenders and activists since January 31 and held them from periods ranging from 12 to 48 hours. On the afternoon of February 3, military police, accompanied by a uniformed policeman and plainclothes security officers, raided the Hisham Mubarak Law Center (HMLC), a human rights organization, and arrested 28 Egyptian and international human rights researchers, lawyers, and journalists.
The HMLC also houses the FDP, which provides legal support to arrested protesters and documents the violations against them. The coalition set up emergency telephone numbers ahead of the planned January 25 demonstration so that they could dispatch lawyers when people called in to report that they had been arrested. The HMLC premises were also used for meetings by the April 6 Youth Movement.
Those arrested included Human Rights Watch researcher Daniel Williams, HMLC founder and prominent lawyer Ahmed Seif al-Islam, two researchers from Amnesty International, and two journalists from a French agency. The military detained and interrogated the group at Camp 75, a military base, before releasing the foreigners around midnight on February 4 and the Egyptians on the morning of February 5. The group was detained incommunicado and did not have access to lawyers.
Later on February 3, military police accompanied by a State Security Investigations officer arrested nine young activists who were on their way back from a meeting with opposition figure Mohamed El Baradei, on Faisal Street, in Giza. The nine included Amr Salah, a researcher at the Cairo Institute for Human Rights Studies, Ahmad Douma, and Shadi Ghazali Harb, all of whom have been previously arrested for peaceful activism. One of the nine told Human Rights Watch that the officers walked the group through the crowded street, held a gun to the head of one of the group, and told the crowd that they were "spies," prompting some in the crowd start hitting them and shouting at them. He said that the officers then held the group in a military van for more than 10 hours and then drove them to military intelligence headquarters for interrogation before releasing them at around 7 pm on February 4.
Targeting Foreign and Egyptian Journalists
Human Rights Watch has compiled a list of 62 Egyptian and international journalists arrested by the military police since February 2, drawing on cases documented directly by Human Rights Watch and by the Committee to Protect Journalists and Reporters Without Borders. Many of these arrests were short-term and all related to their status as journalists; all have since been released.
One Egyptian journalist told Human Rights Watch that at 6 p.m. on February 1, as she was leaving Tahrir Square, she explained to officers at an army checkpoint that she did not have her national ID with her because her wallet had been stolen and that she was a journalist. The army officers arrested her and took her to a room in a building outside the Egyptian Museum for interrogation, she said. They asked her about her involvement in the protest and whether she was connected to Israeli journalists they said they had arrested at the same place, she said. They detained her for 12 hours before releasing her the next morning.
Most of these arrests occurred at points of exit and entrance to Tahrir square, but there are also cases of people arrested from their homes. A group of two journalists and three protesters told Human Rights Watch that at 9:00 p.m. on February 4 military police, accompanied by ministry of interior officers, arrested them at their apartment in Giza and questioned them about their participation in the protests. They said that an officer took them to Haram police station, handcuffed and blindfolded them, and interrogated them for seven hours about their political affiliations and whether they were funded by foreign governments.
The officers detained them in police cells for 13 hours and then moved them to military police custody, traveling in the back of a jeep, they said. They told Human Rights Watch that the soldiers slapped them and hit them with the butts of their rifles while in the car. At one point, one of those arrested told Human Rights Watch that the officer asked all of the soldiers to prepare their rifles (as if preparing to shoot) and told the blindfolded, handcuffed captives to keep their heads down between their legs, or they would be shot.
"Protesters initially greeted the military as their protector from the abuses of the interior ministry," said Stork. "While the military may have promised not to shoot protesters, it must also respect their right to freedom of assembly and their right not to be arbitrarily detained."
http://english.pnn.ps/index.php?option=com_content&task=view&id=9537&Itemid=63
Egypt army to shoot commanders?
An Egyptian activist says several Egyptian army officers and soldiers have warned the military that they will no longer shoot protesters, instead they will shoot the commanders.
"I think some of them (the army personnel) might join protesters. We have heard some of the officers and soldiers saying if we receive an order to shoot people, we would shoot whoever issued the order," Wael Abbas, a member of the opposition Egypt Revolution Youth Movement, told Press TV in a phone interview on Thursday.
Egypt Revolution Youth Movement has been one of the active rights groups in 17 days of revolution which has rocked the North African country.
"I have no confirmation if the army is going to intervene in favor of the protesters or in favor of the regime," Abbas added.
Revolution has entered its 17th consecutive day in crisis-hit Egypt, despite massive crackdown on demonstrators in the past two days, which left more than a hundred people killed or wounded.
Thousands of pro-democracy protesters camped overnight in the streets in the Egyptian capital, Cairo, near parliament building, the site of a massive march on Wednesday.
The angry protesters blocked roads and railways connecting the northern part of the country to the south on Thursday.
Reports say the protesters set fire to tires placed across the main motorway that goes from Cairo to Assiut, 350 kilometers south of Cairo.
Around 8,000 protesters, mainly farmers, took to the streets in Assiut, and used wooden planks and bricks to block the railway line. More than 3,000 railway workers went on strike to put more pressure on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to resign.
Meanwhile, the army has been deployed in force in the capital Cairo. Security is reportedly tight in the streets leading to Nasr City and New Egypt districts.
Egypt's main opposition group, the Muslim Brotherhood, earlier revealed that the regime of the embattled Mubarak intends to crack down on Friday's "Day of Massive Protest March."
The Muslim Brotherhood says some 30,000 security forces will be deployed to prevent any pro-democracy protests in Cairo's Liberation Square.
The group added that it has called 800,000 of its members for the Friday demonstrations.
Egypt has been rocked by millions-strong nationwide protests against beleaguered Mubarak over the past 17 days. The protesters want Mubarak to step down.
Hundreds of protesters were killed and wounded in Kharga in southern Egypt, on Wednesday.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/164525.html
Israeli Squads to Infiltrate Egyptian Protests
The office of israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu offered their counterpart in the Egyptian government, Omar Suleiman, also head of Egyptian intelligence, to send death squad units, the groups of militant zionist murderers who wear Arab civilian clothes also known as mistaaravim, to infiltrate the protesters in Egypt in order to assassinate the leaders of the opposition and the revolutionary movement who take part in the protests against the dictatorial regime of Hosni Mubarak and his thugs.
The israeli hebrew newspaper Maariv revealed yesterday that high-level officials in the office of Benjamin Netanyahu carried out in recent days a series of phone calls with Suleiman and advised him about the urgent necessity of security coordination on several issues between Israel and Egypt. The newspaper added that the prevention of smuggling weapons through the tunnels on Egypt's border to the Gaza Strip was only one issue among others which the officials discussed.
The Quds Press agency, quoting Israeli sources, said that the jewish zionist state had offered General Omar Suleiman, now appointed vice-President of the Republic of Egypt by dictator Mubarak, to put all potential resources at his disposal to protect the regime in Egypt, including the implementation of the specific operations to pre-empt the popular revolution, and asked him to work together to prevent what they called smuggling weapon to the Gaza Strip.
Quds Press added that an official in the office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu revealed that they had called Suleiman on Sunday 30 January 2011 and expressed their concern about the situation in Egypt, offering him the resources of the Israeli intelligence to implement special operations to end the protests.
The Israeli source added that Netanyahu and Suleiman had discussed possible ways to secure the border of Egypt with the israeli jewish entity. The Israeli Prime Minister offered Suleiman to put the possibilities of the zionist entity at his disposal if he felt that his regime was in danger.
On the other hand, US government representatives called Egyptian officials several times to discus the issue of Israels security concerns at the common border of the Sinai peninsula. After those calls, Egypt redeployed thousands of soldiers to the Sinai Peninsula to protect the so-called Israeli security with the consent of Israel, to bolster security in the face of protests demanding the fall of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, which has spread throughout Egypt.
According to the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel signed in 1979, the Sinai is a demilitarized area. But the jewish state demands that Egypt deploy its forces in the region whenever they need them to protect zionist entity. In 2005, when Israel withdrew its forces from Gaza, Egypt deployed its forces in the Sinai for the first time after the signing of the so-called peace treaty in order to protect the border between Gaza and Egypt.
German Chancellor Angela Merkel, accompanied by more than half of her government, arrived today 1 February 2011 in Israel to discuss the issue of Israeli security and the wishes of israel for any new government which may declared in Egypt in light of the Egyptian revolution against the current regime, they declared that the world must force Egypt to continue abiding by the decrepit peace treaty signed in 1979. US ex-ambassador to Egypt, Frank Wisner, returned to Cairo to meet senior Egyptian officials and to discuss the Israeli security issue and its demands, and the possibility of a transfer of power in Egypt to a pro-US and pro-Israel regime in the wake of crisis gripping Egypt since a week.
Today, over 8 million million protesters demonstrated in Cairo's Tahrir Square, and other cities against President Mubarak and his regime. The demonstrators called on Mubarak to give up power, to go away, to go to hell, and to leave the nation to allow for the start of a new era of democracy in the Middle East. They chanted the nation wants to execute the president and they hanged a doll a doll as a symbol of Mubarak at Tahrir's Square. At the same time several, hundreds of thousands demonstrated in Alexandria, Suez, Mansoura, Damnhour, Arish, Tanta and El-Mahalla el-Kubra against Mubarak. The demands of all protesters were the same, and that Mubarak should give up power and leave.
Also, several thousands of Egyptians, Arabs and other foreigners demonstrated in countries around the world in support to the demands of the Egyptian people.
http://bit.ly/hEqBff
'Arab states urge US to back Mubarak'
A US media report has revealed that Saudi Arabia, Jordan and the UAE have followed Israel to ask the United States to lift the pressure on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak to resign.
The New York Times reported Tuesday that according to some US diplomats, the four countries have repeatedly requested that Washington remove pressures on Mubarak in an attempt to avoid destabilizing the region.
A US envoy to the Middle East has said he has spent 12 hours on the phone discussing the issue with US officials.
According to a statement released by the United Arab Emirates, Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed of Abu Dhabi talked with US President Barack Obama on Sunday and emphasized the need for stability in crisis-hit Egypt.
Last week, Obama also talked with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Saudi Arabia's King Abdullah about their stances on the issue.
According to Arab officials, all Arab leaders have sent similar messages to Obama, saying his statement last week about the need for an immediate power transition in Egypt could have been too hasty.
Meanwhile, Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom has strictly rejected the establishment of democracy in Egypt, saying it could strengthen what he called %u201Cradical elements%u201D in the North African country.
The comments came amid popular revolution in Egypt against the country's three-decade-long regime of President Hosni Mubarak.
The revolution, which started on January 25, has been severely confronted by Egyptian security forces. Since then, more than 300 people have lost their lives, reports say.
On Wednesday, US National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates met with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak at the White House, with the understanding that the revolution in Egypt is going to omit Tel Aviv's key ally in the region.
After the meeting, the White House announced unshakable commitment to Israel's security.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/164535.html
US vows commitment to Israel security
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton(R) and Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak Top US officials have stressed Washington's unshakable commitment to Israel's security, as the revolution in Egypt is going to omit Tel Aviv's key regional ally.
US National Security Advisor Tom Donilon, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates met with Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak at the White House on Wednesday.
They stressed the United States' unshakable commitment to Israel's security, including through our continued support for Israel's military, and the unprecedented security cooperation between our two governments, the White House announced in a statement.
The latest developments in Egypt, talks with the Palestinian Authority, Iran's nuclear activities and other regional issues were discussed at the meeting, Xinhua reported.
They agreed that the US and Israel would continue to consult closely on common challenges and issues across our shared agenda, the statement added.
More than two weeks into the popular revolution in Egypt, anti-American and anti-Israeli sentiments are high among the protesters who hold Washington responsible for President Hosni Mubarak's 3-decade grip on power.
Israel favors Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman to be Mubarak's successor, leaked US diplomatic cables say.
The former head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate was appointed the second-in-command on January 29 amid a revolution in troubled Egypt and mounting popular calls for the ouster of the pro-Western Mubarak.
Suleiman is accused of playing a key role in the controversial CIA rendition program, under which people would be snatched from different countries without legal proceedings and be subjected to harsh interrogations.
According to the United Nations, the violent crackdown on pro-democracy protests in Egypt has claimed the lives of more than 300 people since protests began on January 25 in the North African country.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/164510.html
Stranded Palestinians finally allowed to leave Cairo airport
CAIRO, (PIC)-- Palestinian citizens stranded at the Cairo international airport were finally allowed on Wednesday to enter Cairo after two weeks in the airport.
Egyptian sources told the PIC that 30 Palestinians left the airport after being held there after closure of the Rafah border terminal leading to Gaza Strip.
They explained that the airport officials scrutinized the IDs of the passengers, which were examined by all security apparatuses, and their luggage.
The sources said that part of those Palestinians went to their relatives and friends' homes in Cairo while others were moved to Palestine hotel, adding that diplomats at the Arab League intervened for the sake of moving those stranded citizens from the airport where they had declared a hunger strike last Sunday to protest their condition.
http://bit.ly/gBhZof
12 sep 2011, 13:00 , Respect -
Maria 11 febr 2011
Armed men attack Egyptian security building in Rafah
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma'an) -- One man was injured Friday when armed men fired rocket-propelled grenades at a government security building in the Egyptian town of Rafah on the border with the Gaza Strip.
Ma'an's correspondent said the armed men were protesting President Hosni Mubarak's refusal to quit despite almost three weeks of mass protests demanding his resignation.
Medics said Ahmad Jamil, 30, was shot in the hand during the clashes.
Meanwhile, residents of Rafah in Gaza reported hearing explosions from the Egyptian side of the border town.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=358973
Live report: Egypt braces for massive protests
CAIRO (AFP) -- 09:23 GMT: A Sky News correspondent says he is hearing that protesters may march to six locations in Cairo, including state TV.
09:15 GMT: AFP correspondent Joseph Krauss is with the crowd in Tahrir Square. A military officer is addressing the crowd to loud applause. The crush is already so great that Joe hasn't yet got close enough to hear what the officer is saying, but our intrepid reporter isn't giving up!
09:08 GMT: Iran's President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad, in a speech to mark the 32nd anniversary of the Islamic revolution, warns Egyptians to be "watchful of the friendly face" of the United States but he predicts victory in the Egypt uprising.
Ahmadinejad says the Middle East will soon be free of the United States and Israel. "We will soon see a new Middle East materializing without America and the Zionist regime and there will be no room for the world arrogance [the West] in it," he tells crowds gathered in Tehran's Azadi [Freedom] Square to mark the anniversary.
Ahmadinejad, under whose presidency the animosity between Iran and the West has peaked, warned Egyptians to be "watchful of the friendly face" of the United States as he predicted victory in the Egypt uprising.
09:04 GMT: Oil traders fear a conflict in Egypt could disrupt supplies passing through the Suez Canal, which carries about 2.4 million barrels of oil daily. Egypt itself is not a major crude oil producer.
08:59 GMT: Oil prices, which eased slightly at the start of the week on hopes the protests were subsiding, jump back in Asian trading today. Brent North Sea crude for delivery in March surge 47 cents to $101.34 on the contract's last trading day.
08:47 GMT: Some protesters are Tweeting that at least three army officers have changed sides and stepped down, declaring: "My oath was to Egypt, not to a man." AFP is unable for now to confirm this, but the crowds in Tahrir still cling to the hope that the military will switch sides.
0844 GMT: A speaker tells the protesters: "There have been more 400 martyrs but our revolution is still peaceful." The crowd responds "selmiya selmiya" [peaceful, peaceful].
He adds: "We have not broken into the TV building, we have not broken into the parliament because they are under the protection of the army... anything the army protects, we protect." The crowd responds with: "the army and the people are one hand."
0840 GMT: A Sky News correspondent predicts that a million people will join the protests in Cairo at 1100 GMT today following Friday prayers.
08:37 GMT: In the middle of Tahrir square, someone has drawn a giant outline of a donkey on the ground. Inside the drawing a caption reads: "We received your message and we know that you are a donkey."
08:33 GMT: AFP correspondent Sara Hussein reports from the streets of Cairo: "In Cairo's Dokki neighborhood several shop windows have been covered up from the inside with sheets of Egyptian newspapers."
"One shop has adorned its windows with two massive Egyptian flags on either side of the shop front. Unclear if it is a show of support and solidarity with the protesters who will gather today, or an attempt to protect the shop from attack if the demonstrators should pass by."
08:29 GMT: "After 30 years we are tired of listening to him (Mubarak), all we wanted to hear was that he's leaving," says Mohamed Ibrahim, a 42-year-old teacher who has come from Egypt's second city Alexandria for the mass protests expected later today after Friday prayers.
08:27 GMT: "I think today we have to go to the palace. Here in Tahrir, this is endless," 60-year-old Abdul Aziz Habib, a factory owner, tells AFP.
08:24 GMT: Some people in Tahrir Square catch a few more minutes of sleep in the tents that have sprung up on every part of the square's green spaces. Others are already chanting and milling around the epicenter of 18 days of protests, waving Egyptian flags.
08:17 GMT: As a foggy morning breaks in Cairo, demonstrators begin to awake in the city's central Tahrir Square, preparing for what could be their biggest protest yet against President Hosni Mubarak's 30-year rule.
08:14 GMT: British Foreign Secretary William Hague, speaking on Sky News, calls for "an urgent but orderly transition to a more broadly based government in Egypt."
08:10 GMT: An Egyptian worker at the US embassy in Cairo has died amid the anti-government unrest that erupted on January 25, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton says.
Khairy Ramadan Aly, a carpenter who worked in the embassy for 18 years, went missing on January 28 and was later confirmed dead, Clinton says in a statement
08:04 GMT: In Tehran, men, women and children, braving the cold and cloudy weather, march from several parts of Tehran towards Azadi Square [Freedom Square] where President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad is due to address them.
"Egyptians, Tunisians, your uprisings are just and we are with you," the crowds chant as they arrive at the square.
0759 GMT: Hundreds of thousands of Iranians, chanting slogans supporting the Arab uprisings and denouncing the United States, march towards a Tehran square to mark the 32nd anniversary of the Islamic revolution which toppled the shah.
07:20 GMT: Protesters in Tahrir Square are heard chanting against the government Friday morning for an 18th day of demonstrations demanding Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's resignation.
06:53 GMT: A senior Egyptian military officer tells AFP that the Supreme Command Council will issue its 'Communique Number 2' in the course of the day, "Insh'Allah." He says the body is still in "permanent meeting" to ensure the preservation of the nation, but it's still not clear exactly how the military fits into the new power structure under de jure president Mubarak and de facto president Suleiman.
There were reports overnight of protests outside Mubarak's heavily-protected main presidential palace in the Heliopolis suburb of Cairo. AFP reporter Joseph Krauss visited the scene as the sun came up and found troops and tanks but no demonstrations. Some protesters are still occupying Tahrir Square and the street outside the parliament, but the main marches of the day are not expected until after Friday prayers at around 1100 GMT.
06:10 GMT: Human Rights Watch blames Egyptian army for defending "repressive regime" of President Hosni Mubarak and says his speech promising reforms failed to address the political crisis in the country.
04:31 GMT: While thousands of protesters hold firm in Tahrir Square, other pro-democracy protesters have gathered near the presidential palace, in central Cairo, and demonstrators have blocked access to the parliament building near the Liberation Square, Al Jazeera reports.
04:16 GMT: UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon stresses that Egyptians must decide their own political future as he reiterated his call for a peaceful transition to free and fair elections. Ban said the United Nations stood "ready to assist in the process," and repeated a call on the Egyptian leadership to ensure protesters could voice their grievances without fear of violence.
03:50 GMT: Thousands of demonstrators hold massive "sleep in" in Tahrir square, CNN reports, with people lying on streets and pavements. Egypt bracing for massive protest Friday after their hopes were dashed that Mubarak would go, according to Al-Jazeera.
0303 GMT: US Secretary of Defense Robert Gates speaks by phone with Egyptian counterpart Mohammed Tantawi. Pentagon: "Secretary Gates spoke with Field Marshal Tantawi again tonight. This was his fifth phone conversation with the Egyptian Defense Minister since the situation in Egypt began."
0148 GMT: Long after Mubarak's speech, his words continue to ring from loudspeakers strapped to lampposts in Tahrir square as protesters scream "dog" and "liar" in the direction of his voice.
0137 GMT: CIA director Leon Panetta is coming in for criticism for suggesting earlier that Mubarak was poised to step down. A US official later explained that Panetta was merely referring to media reports and not privileged information from inside the CIA.
0101 GMT: Obama says the voices of the Egyptian people must be heard and that they have made it clear "there is no going back to the way things were. Egypt has changed, and its future is in the hands of the people." The American president added: "In these difficult times, I know the Egyptian people will persevere, and they must know that they will continue to have a friend in the United States of America."
0054 GMT: Obama warns Egypt's government not to resort to repression, or brutality and calls on Egyptian leaders to explain the political changes brought in on Thursday.
0024 GMT: Western leaders struggle for a cohesive response to events in Egypt as the US in particular appeared wrong-footed by Mubarak clinging to power. Australian Prime Minister Julia Gillard joins the chorus of leaders saying "change has to come" in Egypt.
2343 GMT: ElBaradei has told CNN that Mubarak's speech was "an act of deception at the grand scale. People are stunned here."
2258 GMT: German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle voices disappointment with Mubarak's speech, saying it "was not the hoped for step forward." "The worries of the international community are rather bigger after this speech than before," he says.
2251 GMT: "We won't leave until he leaves," declares 32-year-old accountant Ayman Shawky. "I don't think it's stupidity, it's arrogance. He lost his last chance to leave with his dignity intact."
2247 GMT: Furious Egyptian demonstrators vow to launch their most spectacular protest yet in Cairo on Friday to demand the immediate departure of Mubarak and Vice President Suleiman. Calling Friday "a day of rage," several thousand protesters pledge to remain overnight in the tent city which has sprung up in Tahrir Square since the start of the demonstrations on Jan. 28.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eOfqnC-E-QQ
2239 GMT: Omar Suleiman is "the de-facto head of state" now: Egyptian ambassador to the US, Sameh Shoukry, tells CNN
2233 GMT: Opposition leader ElBaradei tweets "Egypt will explode. Army must save the country now."
2225 GMT : Veteran American lawmaker Senator John McCain calls Mubarak's speech "deeply unfortunate and troubling." While prominent analyst Richard Hass, president of the think-tank the Council on Foreign Relations, tells journalists: "This has got a long way to play out... Most of what will one day be called the revolution in Egypt has yet to unfold."
2225 GMT: AFP reporter Daphne Benoit says she has just seen a long line of armored vehicles in front of Mubarak's residence in Heliopolis on the main road between the airport and Cairo city center
2210 GMT: An unnamed US administration official tells CNN that Mubarak's speech was "not what we were told would happen, not what we wanted to happen." US President Barack Obama huddled in emergency talks with his national security team after Mubarak defied demands, including from some US lawmakers, to step down. Washington has called for an orderly transition of power, and hinted Mubarak should go sooner rather than later.
2203 GMT: French President Nicolas Sarkozy says he hopes Egypt gets democracy, not Iran-style religious "dictatorship," as the EU's chief diplomat Catherine Ashton says the time for a change in government in Egypt "is now."
2200 GMT: "He is still speaking to us as if we were fools," said Ali Hassan, a protester. "He is a general defeated on the battlefield who will not retreat before inflicting as many casualties as he can."
2154 GMT: American lawmaker Gary Ackerman, chairman of the House of Representatives subcommittee on Asia and the Middle East, tells MSNBC television that Mubarak's speech was a "sadistic tease." "He just lit the final fuse. And now I think the situation is going to verge on the explosive over the next 24 hours."
2150 GMT: Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak says it is up to the Egyptian people to decide their future, after Mubarak refuses to step down immediately.
2137 GMT: Suleiman urges Egyptians to go back to their homes and back to work, to listen to their consciences and be aware of the dangers around them.
2136 GMT: Suleiman addresses the nation, calls on Egyptians to work together on a new path to "achieve the aspirations of the people."
2132 GMT: Obama watched Mubarak's speech live in the conference room on board Air Force One. Heading back to the White House for a meeting with his national security team.
2129 GMT: Anger, desperation, rage in Tahrir Square. One person next to AFP photographer Marco Longari told him: "Now we are going to use weapons." Thousands of shoes lifted in defiance. People crying everywhere. The square is a single sound of fury. "We will storm the presidency," said another man.
2125 GMT: Egypt vice president to address the nation, state TV says
2110 GMT: Crowds urge the army to join them in their revolt, still chanting angrily after Mubarak says he will delegate his powers to Suleiman, but failed to announce his immediate resignation. Instead the veteran strongman said that his 30-year reign would last until September when new elections are planned.
2102 GMT: Crowds in Tahrir Square are furious at Mubarak's speech as he refused to step down immediately, waving shoes and chanting "get out, get out"
2101 GMT: Mubarak hands power to Vice President Suleiman
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9ccsCcYB4GM
2057 GMT: "Transition of power from today until September," Mubarak says and proposes five constitutional amendments
2056 GMT: Time to restore confidence among Egyptians themselves, as well as in the country's economy and internationally, Mubarak says. "Egypt is going through difficult times."
2050 GMT: Mubarak says "we have started a national dialogue, a constructive one." This will put the country on the right track to get out of the crisis, a solemn-looking Mubarak says reading from a speech, standing next to an Egyptian flag.
2048 GMT: Mubarak says he will not accept to listen to any "foreign accusations." Again he says will not stand in the next presidential elections, promises power will be transferred to whomever "the electorate chooses" and vows the elections will be free and fair.
2045 GMT: Mubarak begins his speech saying it comes from "the bottom of my heart." He tells the young people he is "proud of them for being a symbol of Egypt." He vows the "blood of the martyrs" will not be wasted.
2032 GMT: ElBaradei has tweeted "we're almost there," as the crowd in Tahrir Square continues to chant and wait for Mubarak. Hundreds of Egyptian flags waving under huge spotlights with night already having fallen. ElBaradei says that he believes Mubarak should leave behind a three-person presidential council ahead of new elections in the country.
2022 GMT: Egyptian television earlier interrupted all programming to present footage of a panel of senior military officers, one of whom read out a statement described as "communique number one" of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces. "In support of the legitimate demands of the people," the army "will continue meeting... to examine measures to be taken to protect the nation and its gains and the ambitions of the great Egyptian people," it said.
2015 GMT: Fifteen minutes past the time when Mubarak was due to speak and Twitter feed #reasonsmubarakislate goes viral as dozens add their own tongue-in-cheek messages as to why the Egyptian president has still not appeared. One says he is changing his Facebook status to "It's complicated." Another says the Egyptian leader is planning his exit and checking Google maps for Saudi Arabia. Yet another says he is playing the game "paper, scissors, rock" in the presidential palace with Suleiman.
2005 GMT: Opposition leader and Nobel peace laureate Mohamed El Baradei tells US-based Foreign Policy magazine in an interview at his home in Egypt that he has no confidence that Suleiman can steward a democratic transition. "They don't understand, let alone are willing to move Egypt into democracy, unless we keep kicking their behinds."
1954 GMT: The European Union says it is ready to help Egypt's "deep democracy."
1936 GMT: British Foreign Secretary William Hague says that what's happening in Egypt will affect the peace process and urges Palestinians and Israelis to go back to the negotiations. "We can't impose peace," he says on his Twitter account during a trip to Bahrain. "Has to be a willing agreement that both sides enter into and believe in."
1930 GMT: The festival-like atmosphere in Tahrir Square, at the symbolic epicentre of a two-week-old national uprising, becomes even more frenetic ahead of Mubarak's speech, as Google exec Wael Ghonim, who has become the face of the uprising, tweets that he is also heading there to join the crowds.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n1GYg4jAPs8
1915 GMT: Journalist Shahira Amin in Tahrir Square tells the BBC World Service that "people thought Egypt was like a mountain that would never be moved."
1903 GMT: Protesters unveil a huge white sheet on Tahrir Square apparently to display the footage of Mubarak's speech. With an hour to go until he addresses the nation the square is packed with people and tensions are sky high
1851 GMT: Mubarak expected to speak at 2000 GMT, government says
1837 GMT: Obama says he is following the events in Egypt very closely. "We are witnessing history unfold," he says, praising "young people who have been at the forefront." He pledges that the United States will do everything it can to help an orderly transition to democracy.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=X-JvJlu9XKI
1820 GMT: Obama to speak soon on Egypt crisis, White House says
1818 GMT: Markets moving on Egypt news; oil is up, Israeli stock market down: Wall Street Journal tweet
1816 GMT: Mubarak held talks with Suleiman and Prime Minister Ahmed Shafiq, state television says
1805 GMT: Police are pulling back from Tahrir Square "to prepare for any scenario" when and if Mubarak speaks: NBC tweet
1800 GMT: Crowds chanting on Tahrir Square, "The people have brought down the regime!. The people and the army will complete the journey!"
1751 GMT: "I'm here because I don't want to miss this moment, the moment he leaves," 29-year-old Alia Mossallam tells AFP. "I don't want to miss being here. We've done so much to reclaim this space. I'm so excited. I think this moment will change us."
1749 GMT: AFP photographers perched on a balcony overlooking the square estimate that at least 200,000 people have gathered there to await news, and streets leading to the area are packed with flag-waving merrymakers.
1746 GMT: Finance Minister Radwan tells Sky he favours a democratic Egypt but "the opposition parties are weak. They have little popular base. Their challenge is to strengthen them. They should not sound like a stuck record. They must say what their programme is."
1743 GMT: "These men and women have blown the whistle. They have served a wake up call. We have ignored them for too long," Radwan adds.
1739 GMT: Radwan tells Sky: "Mubarak has ensured stabiity in a very volatile region. Egypt is too important to sacrifice."
1736 GMT: Radwan says the army "has taken things in hand because the economy has been losing quite a bit."
1733 GMT: Egypt Finance Minister Samir Radwan tells Sky TV that Mubarak may go, saying: "He is fed up" but he will not leave the country.
1730 GMT: President Barack Obama is monitoring breaking news updates in the Egyptian capital on television on his official Air Force One aircraft as he flies to Michigan.
1727 GMT: President Barack Obama's spokesman Robert Gibbs says: "We are watching a very fluid situation. The president is watching the same thing you are." Gibbs added he did not want to prejudge events which may take place in Egypt later.
1724 GMT: State television says: "President Hosni Mubarak is holding talks now with his deputy Omar Suleiman at the presidency in Heliopolis." The report shows footage of the two together in conversation, though it is not clear when it was recorded.
1722 GMT: Egypt's most famous cyber activist, Google marketing executive Wael Ghonim, appears convinced that Mubarak has fallen, telling his followers: "Mission Accomplished."
1719 GMT: AFP photographer Marco Longari reports live from Tahrir Square: "I am sitting in a coffee shop on the square packed with Egyptians from all walks of life, smoking shisha. There is tension, people try to unwind waiting for the speech tonight from the President. People don't speak of anything else. What will the president announce? And then what?"
1715 GMT: State TV says Mubarak is currently in talks with his deputy.
1710 GMT: Egyptian television interrupts all programming to present footage of a panel of senior military officers, one of whom reads out a statement saying: "In support of the legitimate demands of the people," the army "will continue meeting... to examine measures to be taken to protect the nation."
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9N9xwpbuQa4
1705 GMT: The NDP's Badrawi says: "The right action in my opinion is to send a letter for constitutional amendments, to step aside and give the power to the vice president and to ask for early elections when the amendment is approved." "I don't think (Mubarak) he will leave the country. He is a military hero, he has lots of good things that have been done, lots of mistakes too," Badrawi adds.
1703 GMT: Mubarak should step aside, the secretary general of his ruling party tells the BBC. "I expect the president to respond to the demands of the people, because what matters to him in the end is the stability of the country. The post is not important to him," Hossam Badrawi of the National Democratic Party said.
1700 GMT: Sky Television says its sources report Mubarak is in his office talking to the vice-president and will address the nation within two hours.
1658 GMT: On the bridge over the River Nile carloads of revellers converge on Tahrir Square, waving flags and honking their horns.
1656 GMT: Pro-democracy cyber activist Wael Ghonim, a hero to the anti-regime movement after he was jailed and held blindfolded for 12 days for helping to organise the first protest last month, warns his followers to be cautious. "Guys, don't do much speculation for now, just wait and see," he posts on his popular Twitter feed. "Long live Egypt!"
1653 GMT: A buzz sweeps through the thousands-strong crowd occupying Cairo's central Tahrir Square as anti-regime protesters hear rumours that Mubarak might quit power.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ph_3-wA096Q
1649 GMT: Panetta says that if Mubarak steps down, he will likely hand over power to his vice president, Omar Suleiman.
1645 GMT: In Washington, CIA Director Leon Panetta tells lawmakers there is a "strong likelihood" that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak will step down later today.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak is to address the nation from his presidential palace in Cairo tonight, state television said, after the military announced it was acting to "protect the nation."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=358838
Egyptian headquarters attacked in Rafah
Egyptian security forces (file photo)
A headquarters of central security forces in the Egyptian Rafah border crossing has come under rocket attack, reports say.
The move came less than an hour after Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said in a TV address that he would not step down.
Mubarak said that he would delegate his power to the Vice President Omar Suleiman and propose constitutional changes.
Mubarak stopped short of ceding power in the wake of 17 days of massive pro-democracy protests, prompting fresh flurry of fury among some 3 millions of protesters, who had gathered at Cairo's Liberation Square and chanted slogans against Mubarak and his deputy.
"I have decided to delegate power to the vice president based on the constitution," said Mubarak, adding that "I am conscious of the dangers of this crossroad... and this forces us to prioritize the higher interests of the nation."
Following the speech, furious Egyptian demonstrators vowed to launch their most spectacular protest yet in Cairo on Friday to demand the immediate departure of Mubarak and his newly anointed deputy.
On Thursday, public protests spiraled out of control as labor strikes erupted around the country in protest against economic woes, including inflation, unemployment, corruption, low wages and wide disparities between rich and poor.
Nationwide protests against Mubarak's regime continued for the 17th day as striking doctors and a host of other workers have joined the revolution.
According to UN estimates, more than 300 people have been killed and hundreds more wounded the since the breakout of protests against the Mubarak regime late last month.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/164639.html
14 sep 2011, 10:22 , Respect -
Maria 11 febr 2011
Watch: Mubarak's speech
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJOFl3MbbJs
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gYNOxXoqfz0
Hosni Mubarak gave a speech in which he was expected to announce his resignation.
Instead, the 82-year-old Egyptian president repeated his intention to remain in power until the presidential elections in September. Here is the full transcript of the speech:
"In the name of Allah the Merciful, the Compassionate dear fellow Citizens, I am addressing you tonight the youth of Egypt at Tahrir Square and people across Egypt.
"I am addressing all of you from the heart, a speech from the father to his sons and daughters I am telling you I am proud of you as a symbol of a new Egyptian generation that is calling for change to the better, sticking to it, dreaming for a better future and is making it.
"I am telling to you all that the blood of the martyrs and wounded people will not be lost in vain, and I confirm that I will resolutely and firmly hold perpetrators who acted fiercely against our young people with the maximum penalties stated in the law.
"I am telling to the families of innocent victims: I have suffered all the pain for them as you have suffered, and hurt my heart as it hurt yours.
"I am telling tell you that my response to your voice, your demands and your commitment is not irreversible, and I have every intention to fulfill my commitments in all seriousness and honesty, and keen to implement it without hesitation and without going back to the past.
"This commitment stems from a certain belief, sincerity and purity of your intentions and movements which are just and legitimate demands regimes could commit mistakes in any any country, but the important thing is to recognise and correct them as soon as possible and to hold accountable the perpetrators.
"I am telling tell you, in my capacity as am president of the republic, that I never find it embarrassing to listen and respond to my country's youths, but it is shameful and I will never accept is to listen to foreign dictations , whatever their sources, pretexts or justifications were.
"My sons, the youth of Egypt, fellow citizens...I have made it clearly that I would not run for the next presidential elections, as I am satisfied with more than 60 years serving the homeland during wartimes and peacetimes.
"I announced my adherence to this, and announced at the same time and at the same degree my commitment to shoulder my responsibility to protect the constitution and safeguard the interests of the people until handing over power and responsibility to those chosen by voters next September, in a free and fair elections that will provide them guarantees of freedom and integrity...
"This is the oath I have taken before Allah and the homeland, and will keep it until we take Egypt and its people to safety and security.
"I have proposed specific vision to get out of the current crisis, and to achieve what youth and citizens have called for in a way that respects the constitutional legality and does not undermined it, and in a way that achieves stability for our society and demands of its citizens, and promotes at the same time an agreed upon framework for a peaceful transition of power through responsible dialogue between all forces of society in the maximum degree of honesty and transparency.
"I put forward this vision as I'm adhering to my responsibility to the homeland during these hard times and will keep on achieving it, looking forward to the support of all those concerned about Egypt and its people to get ahead with turning it into a tangible reality, through a broad-based national consensus and that our valiant armed forces will ensure its implementation.
"We have already begun a national and constructive dialogue that included Egyptian youths and all political forces who led the call for change the dialogue has come up with preliminary consensus and positions to pave the way for the beginning of a right path out of the crisis..
"We will continue it (dialogue) to move forward to what has been agreed upon, to reach a clear roadmap, a specific timeline and a peaceful transition of power from now until next September.
"The national dialogue has agreed on the formation of a constitutional commission that will study the required amendments it (dialogue) has also come up with the formation a follow-up committee to fairly implement what I have pledged the people to do.
"I have been keen that the formation of both committees includes Egyptian personalities known for their independence and impartiality, and scholars of constitutional law and the judiciary.
"Furthermore, I am after the martyrs from Egypt's sons we have lost during the tragic and sad events that hurt our hearts and rocked the conscience of the nation I have ordered immediate investigations into last week's events, and refer results immediately to the Attorney General to take the necessary deterrent legal action.
"Yesterday I received the first report on the primary constitutional amendments proposed by the committee that is composed of judiciary experts and legal scholars to study the constitutional and legislative amendments.
"In response to proposals set by the committee, and in line with powers granted to the president of the republic as per Article 189 of the constitution, I submitted a request today to amend six articles of the constitution which are article 76, 77, 88, 93 and 189, as well as the annulment of article 179, with confirmation of readiness to advance in later request to amend articles which the constitutional commission suggest after considering reasons and justifications.
"The primordial amendments aim to facilitate conditions for nomination for the presidency, adoption of specific terms for presidency to achieve transition of power and to strengthen conditions of monitoring elections to ensure it will be free and fair.
"The amendments also confirm the competence of the judiciary to decide the validity and membership of members of the parliament, and to amend terms and procedures for requesting amendment of the constitution.
"The proposal to abolish Article 179 of the constitution is designed to achieve the required balance between protecting the country from the dangers of terrorism and ensuring respect of civil rights and freedoms of citizens, including opening the door to annul emergency law as soon as we restore calm and stability when conditions for lifting of the state of emergency are attainable.
"Fellow citizens the priority now is to restore confidence among the Egyptians confidence in our economy and our international reputation confidence in the change and transformation we have started and which is irreversible.
"Egypt is undergoing difficult times that it is not right to allow them continue as they would increasingly damage and inflict losses to our economy.
"They (hard times) would lead Egypt to a situation youth, who called for change and reform, will be the first ones to be affected.
"The present moment has nothhing to do with me personally, with Hosni Mubarak, but with a situation of Egypt in its present and the future of its sons.
"All Egyptians are in now the same trench, and we must continue national dialogue that we have begun with the spirit of the one team and not as as opponents, and away from controversy and conflict so Egypt could overcome its current crisis, and to restore confidence to our economy, trust and security to our people and daily normal life to the Egyptian street.
"I was a young man like today's Egyptian youth when I learned the Egyptian military ethics, loyalty to the homeland and how to sacrifice for it I have spent my life in defence for its land and sovereignty I have witnessed wars with their defeats and victories I lived days of defeat and occupation and days of victory and liberation. The happiest days of my life were when I raised the flag of Egypt over the Sinai I faced death many times as a pilot in Addis Ababa and many more.
"I have never been subjected to foreign pressure or dictations.6 I have maintained peace, worked for Egypt's security and stability, worked hard for its boom. I never seek power or fake popularity. I am confident that the overwhelming majority of people knew who Hosni Mubarak is, and it hurts me what I am experiencing today by some of my fellow citizens.
"In any case, as I am now fully aware of the seriousness of the current difficult junction, and based on my belief that Egypt is undergoing a defining moment in its history that requires us to look at the best interest of the homeland, and puts Egypt first above any other consideration and every other consideration, I've delegated my powers to the vice president as stated in the constitution.
"I am sure Egypt will overcome its crisis and that its people will never be defeated... it will stand on its feet again through sincerity and faithfulness of all its sons, and it will face plotters.
"We, the Egyptians, will prove we could achieve the Egyptian people's demands through a civilised dialogue and consent... we will prove that we are not followers of any one and that we do not take instructions from any one, and that no one makes decisions on our behalf but the people in the street and demands of sons of the homeland.
"We will prove that with the spirit and intention of Egyptians, and with the unity and cohesion of the people, and commitment with Egypt's self-esteem, dignity, unique and eternal identity as it is the foundation and essence of our existence for more than 7000 years.
"This spirit will live in us as long as Egypt and its people live %u2026this spirit will live in us as long as our farmers, workers and intellectuals remain in the hearts of our elders , our youth and our children, Muslims and Christians, and in the minds and consciences of unborn children.
"I am telling you again that I have lived for this country embracing its responsibility and its faithfulness. Egypt will remain above persons and above everyone. "
http://bit.ly/f06Xfy
A TALE OF THREE PRESIDENTS
Which one doesn't belong in the picture? Or perhaps do any of them??
One speaks and says nothing ....
Another speaks and does nothing .....
The third was supposed to stop speaking long ago ....
In all three cases, they speak of Democracy. They speak of it as if it was an alien concept no longer valid in this day and age. In all three cases they speak not about what might be good for the country they supposedly represent, be it the United States, Egypt or Palestine. Instead they speak of a common denominator, what is good for Israel, with no regard to the aspirations of their own people.
In all three cases they have failed in the position they were put into. Two remain only because of outside pressures and support. One remains until a replacement is found. All three remain because Israel wants them to.
Perhaps this sounds too simple to be taken seriously as a political analysis, but look at the facts, they speak for themselves. They all speak of threats from the same fabricated enemies, they all cringe at the prospect of change despite the fact that it was promised by all of them, they all have a sense of reality that is based on lies and cover ups.
And who is paying for the game? The American taxpayer of course. 3 Billion Dollar$ a year to Israel so they can continue running things, 1.5 Billion Dollar$ a year to Egypt so Mubarak can add more to the 70 Billion already stashed away in his own offshore bank accounts yet the game is allowed to continue. And alas, poor Abbas, he gets the pizza crumbs left over. Israel pays for him out of their own allowance. (see report at the end of this post)
There's another game, a board game; part of which is GO STRAIGHT TO JAIL WITHOUT PASSING GO! That's a part many of us are looking forward to%u2026. in all four cases shown in the image above.
But, getting back to Abbas, here is his latest attempt to con the world.
Concocting elections to regain lost legitimacy
Frustrated by the utter lack of progress in the manifestly futile peace process with Israel, the American-backed Palestinian Authority (PA) has once again designated a date for holding general elections in the occupied territories of the West Bank, Gaza Strip and East Jerusalem.
But the organization of elections hedges to a large extent on Israeli consent. The Israeli occupation army, after all, still controls every nook and cranny of the West Bank, and it would be unimaginable to hold elections if the Israeli occupiers said No.
Hamas has also objected to the unilateral announcement in Ramallah, arguing that the holding of elections in the absence of basic civil liberties such as freedom of speech and expression would be a foolish and irresponsible act.
Hamas is correct. The West Bank is languishing under a police-state apparatus, with a nearly total absence of the rule of law as well as basic liberties, without which the organization of true elections would be meaningless.
The organization of elections would require the availability of basic rights and freedoms, including the freedom to hold rallies, meetings, do campaigning and electioneering without being suppressed and harassed by the police and other security agencies.
Needless to say, these rights and freedoms don't exist in the West Bank today. Mendacious claims to the contrary don't really warrant a refutation. The people and human rights organizations operating in the region know the truth too well.
Indeed, if a small child is caught in the West Bank today raising a small green flag, bearing the Islamic article of faith, there is no god, but one God, and Muhammed is His Messenger, the child will be arrested, beaten and his family will be held accountable for the crime of raising Hamas's banner aloft.
Some Palestinian officials might claim that for the duration of the elections and the immediate period preceding them, candidates and electoral lists would be able to do electioneering rather freely and that the elections themselves would be monitored by international observers.
However, that is wouldn't be enough. We all know that in order to hold true representative elections, equal opportunities must be given to all contenders and candidates, a condition that is conspicuously absent in the West Bank.
More to the point, we all know that most of the Islamist people who might contest the elections are already behind bars, either in PA or Israeli jails, and held without charge or trial, mostly on concocted and frivolous charge that have nothing to do with any genuine violation.
Indeed, in any other country that respects itself, the lengthy incarceration of people because of their ideology would be considered a taboo.
In addition to hounding and imprisoning people because of their thoughts, the PA has taken over or deliberately ruined hundreds of Islamic institutions, including Zakat committees, schools, orphanages, social and athletic clubs as well as health institutions.
In some instances, the PA has totally illegally seized businesses and workshops, thus depriving entire families of their source of livelihood.
Hence, one might wonder how genuine elections could be held under the existing abnormal conditions, this is unless the PA is planning to rig the elections by hook or by crook in order to compensate and avenge its electoral defeat of 2006.
The PA says it will be willing to allow international observers to monitor the elections. However, the presence of international observers by itself wouldn't create an ideal atmosphere for transparent elections.
I am talking about pre-election preparations, such as campaigning and holding rallies in a free environment.
True, the PA might allow one or two weeks of free and unfettered campaigning, but this short period would be utterly insufficient to make the transition from a police-state atmosphere to freedom where all political groups and parties, including Hamas, are given an equal opportunity.
Obviously, the PA decision to hold elections has been taken under pressure from a few leftist and liberal parties with little weight in the Palestinian streets. These parties hope that in the absence of Hamas's participation in the elections, they would be able to obtain a significant chunk of the people's vote.
The rationale of these parties is that people disgruntled and disillusioned with the Fatah rule, and they are certainly many, would give their votes to these parties.
Unfortunately, considerations having to do with national Palestinian interest seem to come a distant second after the above-mentioned parties short-sighted expediency.
The PA decision to hold elections is in no way an expression of a commitment to democracy. In fact, Fatah, the political and security backbone of the PA, has never showed a genuine commitment to democracy, neither under the late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat nor under the current leader Mahmoud Abbas.
In fact, Fatah and democracy have always seemed an eternal oxymoron. Arafat, for example, held all the reins, controlled all the money and took all the decisions. His successor, Abu Mazen, allowed the Fatah-dominated security agencies to take over and dissolve democratically-elected institutions all over the West Bank.
It is widely believed that the election decision is related to two important developments that really shook and shocked Fatah to the core, prompting the movement to try rather desperately to enhance its public standing:
First, the recent revelation by al-Jazeera TV network of documents showing the extent of concessions to Israel by Palestinian negotiators. The revelations infuriated and embarrassed the PA, prompting PA leaders to accuse the pan-Arab network of waging an all-out war on the Ramallah regime in cahoots with Israel.
The so-called Palestinian Papers showed Palestinian leaders as liars who tell their people one thing with regard to Palestinian national constants on such paramount issues as Jerusalem and the right of return for the refugees, but tell their Israeli counterparts an entirely different thing.
This scandalous exposition of the true stands of PA negotiators seems to have seriously undermined the public standing of the PA leadership. Hence, the quest to seek a renewed popularity.
The other factor contributing to the election decision has to do with ground-shaking events in Egypt, which are also shaking the PLO regime to the core. The tyrannical regime of Hosni Mubarak has always been viewed as the PLO leadership's ultimate insurance policy in the Arab world. Its possible disappearance therefore and especially the emergence of a new regime in Cairo in which the pro-Hamas Muslim Brotherhood plays a certain role is a real nightmare for Fatah, the PA and PLO combined.
Hence, the decision to hold elections in the hope of neutralizing any possible ramifications of the Egyptian revolution, e.g. strengthening Hamas and enhancing its bargaining position vis-à-vis Fatah.
There is no doubt that holding elections is a positive thing to do in ordinary circumstances. However, when holding election obscures and hinders greater national goals, such as freedom from a foreign occupation, it becomes an impeder rather than a facilitator of true nation-building.
http://bit.ly/hpwMrA
Israel vows fear of MB's gain in Egypt
Israel's military chief Ehud Barak
Israel's military chief Ehud Barak has expressed concern that if power transition happens quickly in Egypt, Muslim brotherhood (MB) will come into power.
Following a Thursday statement by the embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, the Israeli official, who is in Washington, emphasized on the need to prevent Egypt from falling into the hands of what he described as extremists, saying the country needs more time for change.
The real winners of any short-term election, let's say within 90 days, will be the (opposition) Muslim Brotherhood, Reuters quoted Barak as saying.
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak announced in a TV address on Thursday night that he does not intend to step down and will never leave Egypt.
His remarks have sparked fury among pro-democracy protesters across the country who had long urged his immediate resignation.
The protesters took off their shoes and brandished them at the screen on which they had seen Mubarak's speech, and shouted "Down with Mubarak, leave, leave!"
Others called for an immediate general strike and called on the army -- which has deployed large numbers of troops around the square -- to support the Egyptian nation instead of Mubarak's illegitimate regime.
Meanwhile, a Press TV correspondent reported that furious crowds of people at Cairo's' Liberation Square, which has become the focal point of pro-democracy demonstrations, moved toward Mubarak's palace to vent out their outrage at the decision.
Reports say more than 300 people have been killed by security forces and thousands have been injured since the beginning of the revolution on January 25.
Israel favors Egyptian Vice President Omar Suleiman to be Mubarak's successor, leaked US diplomatic cables say.
The former head of the Egyptian General Intelligence Directorate was appointed the second-in-command on January 29 amid an emerging revolution in the troubled country and mounting popular demands for the ouster of the despotic, pro-Western Mubarak.
Suleiman is accused of playing a key role in the controversial CIA rendition program, under which individuals would be snatched from different countries by US agents without any legal proceedings and subjected to harsh interrogations and torture in US-backed countries, including Egypt.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/164659.html
Islamic and National forces in Jerusalem express support for Egyptian people
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Islamic and National forces in Jerusalem held a press conference of Thursday entitled From Jerusalem to the Tahrir Square in which they expressed their support for the Egyptian people and their revolution.
Sheikh Ekrema Sabri, the head of the Supreme Islamic Council, said that it was natural for Jerusalem to relate to Cairo and for Palestine to relate to Egypt, as we are one Umma and one land and stressed that the conference was to express affinity for Egypt and its people, adding that people's wishes should be respected.
We, in Beit al-Maqdis [Jerusalem] and the precincts of Beit al-Maqdis send our warmest greetings to the [people in] Tahrir Square, said Sabri, praying for justice and freedom from oppression for all peoples of the world.
He also expressed support for the Egyptian people and wished them success in their revolution.
For his part, Sheikh Raed Salah, head of the Islamic movement in 1948- occupied Palestine, said that Egypt was behind the victory in Hittin, which was a prelude to the liberation of Jerusalem from the European Crusaders and Egypt was behind the victory at Ein Jalout which opened the way for liberating Palestine from the Tatars.
http://bit.ly/eVupP4
Israeli Embassy shut down in Cairo
Media reports say that the Israeli Embassy in Cairo has been shut down following the transfer of power from Hosni Mubarak to the Egyptian military.
The report comes while a senior Israeli official said earlier on Friday that it was too soon to speculate about the consequences of Mubarak's resignation.
It's too early to foresee how [the resignation] will affect things, the official was quoted by Reuters as saying.
The report followed the transfer of power from Mubarak to the Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces, which is headed by Defense Minister Gen. Mohammed Tantawi.
Egypt's main opposition party, the Muslim Brotherhood, called for the establishment of a civilian government and constitution that "guarantees freedom and human rights."
The transition of power to the military comes while Mubarak, Vice President Omar Suleiman and Prime Minister Ahmad Shafiq are all former military men. Analysts believe despite the transition Mubarak would still remain in power.
This is while millions of Egyptians have for the past 18 days called for the departure of Mubarak and the establishment of a democratic government.
Earlier in the day vigilantes opened fire on pro-democracy protesters in Egypt in a move unprecedented over the past couple of days.
The shooting in El-Kharga came as protestors took over several government buildings in major cities across Egypt on Friday. The last time that live bullets were used against protesters was on Wednesday, when six protesters were killed and hundreds of others were injured -- some of them critically.
Reports say protesters have also clashed with security forces and attacked police stations in El-Arish. About 1,000 protesters attacked the police station in El-Arish in an attempt to free political prisoners held by the regime for their anti-Mubarak stance.
More than 20,000 Egyptians have marched towards the City Council in the port city.
Millions of protesters in various cities across Egypt are calling on President Hosni Mubarak to step down.
A large number of Egyptians have surrounded the Presidential Palace and the state Radio and Television building in Cairo as the Mubarak regime dispatches scores of vigilantes to attack pro-democracy protesters. The Army, however, has prevented protesters from entering the buildings.
According to a Press TV correspondent, the republican guards have been deployed around the palace with snipers positioned on the rooftop of the building.
The measure was taken after protesters began gathering outside the presidential palace following the Friday Prayers.
This is while, a huge crowd of pro-democracy protesters have already gathered in Cairo's Liberation Square.
Reports say protesters have marched to the US Embassy, which is under tight security. The families of US diplomats have already been evacuated from Cairo.
Aside from Cairo, Alexandria and the port city of Suez have also been the scene of large protests since the country's pro-democracy rallies began 18 days ago.
Suez has also seen some of the most violent clashes in the same timescale.
Police have used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters.
More than one million pro-democracy protesters have taken to the streets of Alexandria. Protests have also broken out in Mansura, Port Said and Beni Suef. About 10,000 people took to the streets of Ismailia.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/164780.html
Gaza celebrates Mubarak resignation
Thousands of Palestinians in the besieged Gaza Strip have taken to the streets, celebrating Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's resignation.
Gazans congratulated the Egyptian people on achieving this goal, describing it as the victory of the will of the Egyptian people and their sacrifices.
"We consider the resignation of President Mubarak to be the start of the victory of the Egyptian revolution which we support with all its demands," Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri told AFP shortly after the Egyptian leader stepped down and handed control to the army.
On Friday, after 18 days of massive anti-Mubarak protests across Egypt, the Egyptian leader finally stepped down and handed power to the military after 30 years in power.
Hamas, the democratically-elected government of Gaza, has called on the new Egyptian leadership to "immediately" open the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt and end the coastal sliver's three-and-a-half-year blockade.
Rafah is the only access point connecting the besieged Gaza Strip to the outside world.
For nearly four years, Egypt helped Israel to impose a deadly siege on the Palestinian territory, keeping Gaza's 1.5 million population trapped in the tiny strip.
Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979 following days of secret negotiations at Camp David, in the United States. Many Egyptians, however, believe that the treaty did not end Israeli occupation and opposed it.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/164795.html
Ramallah residents celebrate Mubarak downfall
Hundreds of Palestinians are celebrating Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's resignation in Ramallah's Manara Square.
The crowd is chanting anti-Israel slogans as well as messages supporting reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4027315,00.html
Ben-Eliezer: Mubarak slammed US in phone call
Ousted Egyptian leader slams 'misguided' US quest for Mideast democracy in talk with Labor Knesset member.
Hosni Mubarak had harsh words for the United States and what he described as its misguided quest for democracy in the Middle East in a telephone call with Labor Party Knesset Member Binyamin Ben-Eliezer a day before quitting Egypt's president.
Ben-Eliezer said on Israel TV Friday that he came away from the 20-minute conversation on Thursday with the feeling the 82-year-old leader realized "it was the end of the Mubarak era."
"He had very tough things to say about the United States," said Ben-Eliezer, who has held talks with Mubarak on numerous occasions while serving in various Israeli coalition governments.
"He gave me a lesson in democracy and said: 'We see the democracy the US spearheaded in Iran and with Hamas, in Gaza, and that's the fate of the Middle East,'" Ben-Eliezer said.
"'They may be talking about democracy but they don't know what they're talking about and the result will be extremism and radical Islam,'" he quoted Mubarak as saying.
'I won't run away'
Ben-Eliezer said Mubarak expanded in the telephone call on "what he expects will happen in the Middle East after his fall."
"He contended the snowball (of civil unrest) won't stop in Egypt and it wouldn't skip any Arab country in the Middle East and in the Gulf.
"He said 'I won't be surprised if in the future you see more extremism and radical Islam and more disturbances - dramatic changes and upheavals," Ben-Eliezer added.
Last week, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu warned of an Iran-style Islamist revolution in Egypt should Mubarak's Muslim Brotherhood rivals eventually take over.
"(Mubarak) was looking for an honorable way out," Ben-Eliezer said.
"He repeated the sentence, 'I have been serving my country, Egypt, for 61 years. Do they want me to run away? I won't run away. Do they want to throw me out? I won't leave. If need be, I will be killed here.'"
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4027293,00.html
Arab Israelis celebrate Mubarak's downfall
Locals hit streets as jubilant parade held in Arab Israeli town to mark Mubarak ouster
Jubilant Arab Israelis hit the streets of the northern town of Taybeh Friday evening to celebrate Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's resignation earlier in the day.
A parade was being held at the center of the city accompanied by music, fireworks and firecrackers, as overjoyed residents poured into the streets and broke into dance.
"There is great joy here," one local resident said. "It's been a while since we had such celebration in town."
Meanwhile, a protest organized by the Balad party for Saturday will also turn into a major celebration and is expected to draw large crowds.
An Egyptian opposition leader is expected to address the rally directly from Cairo.
"The revolution's victory is a historic and constitutive moment in the history of the Egyptian Arab people and of the Arab nation in general," a Balad official said. "It is a moment where the people's desire and aspiration for liberty, justice and democracy had won."
The Arab jubilation in Israel follows similar sentiments across the Middle East, as residents of the region celebrate the resignation of Egypt's longtime ruler and hail the "Egyptian people's victory. Fireworks and festivities have been reported in Beirut and in Gaza earlier Friday, with Hamas, Hezbollah and Iran praising Egyptians for their "great victory."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4027277,00.html
Ex-Egypt envoy: Israel in trouble
Zvi Mazel, former ambassador to Cairo, says Israel facing 'hostile situation' following Mubarak's downfall. 'The army will rule Egypt for years. It's a whole new world, with no one left to lead the pragmatic states'
Israel, Mazel said, had many reasons for concern. "From a strategic point of view, Israel is now facing a hostile situation. It's over, there is no one left to lead the pragmatic, moderate state."
Mazel said it could take time before a new government was established in Egypt.
"The familiar governmental framework of the past 30 years has dissolved, and it will take a year or two or three before a new regime rises to power.
"The next stage is disbanding parliament, as the people won't accept a parliament based on fraud, and holding new elections. Naturally, the opposition will also want to run in these elections and will ask for a longer period of time to gain recognition. The Muslim Brotherhood will take action as well, of course."
Mazel also spoke about the meaning of military rule, which he believes Egypt is expected to experience in the coming years. "It's a whole new world, an unknown world. The army is responsible for the jurisdiction systems, and the military constitutional regime is completely different than civilian rule.
"General Tantawi has been appointed chairman of the Higher Military Council, making him the 'de facto' temporary president. He is a well known person who never even thought about running for president. In any event, there is no longer a familiar legitimate governmental framework in Egypt."
According to the former envoy, the fate of Israel's relations with Egypt in the coming years is hard to predict. "(Tantawi) is okay, but the strategic situation comprises forces we are unfamiliar with. The army will likely maintain the peace agreement, but there will be developments we cannot foresee at this time."
He did say, however, that the Muslim Brotherhood movement has no foothold in the new reality. "At this stage the army is anti-Muslim Brotherhood. They did some screening to let in as few (Muslim Brotherhood sympathizers) as possible, and they won't let them rise."
Mazel believes Egypt is only part of a domino effect.
"We may see a series of upheavals in the region now. Mubarak's downfall supports revolutionaries everywhere, from Yemen to Algeria. The question is whether such Middle East will be manageable. What if there are coups in Jordan, Morocco or Saudi Arabia? Only God knows who will otake power."
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4027283,00.html
Wikileaks: Omar Suleiman promised Israel to mar Hamas victory in PA elections
OSLO, (PIC)-- Wikileaks has revealed a confidential document leaked from the US embassy in Tel Aviv telling that Omar Suleiman, the former Egypt's intelligence chief, promised the Israelis not to let Hamas win the 2006 PA legislative elections, according to the Norwegian Aftenposten newspaper.
According to the paper that published the Wikileaks revelation, Suleiman pledged to exert all efforts to prevent any possible victory for Hamas in the PA legislative elections after polls revealed that it would sweep the elections.
The paper added that Suleiman invited a close Israeli friend to Cairo for "urgent" matter. The friend was Amos Gilad, the head of security department in the Israeli war ministry.
Gilad's visit to Cairo was secret and only his superiors knew about it, the paper said, adding that both Suleiman and Gilad discussed the possible victory of Hamas, their common enemy, in the elections.
Gilad, however, informed US officials in the US embassy in Tel Aviv about the topics he discussed with Suleiman, which the embassy documented in its records, the paper pointed out.
According to Gilad, the atmosphere of the discussion was pessimistic due to the bad news that would be reflected on the Zionist entity and Egypt if Hamas won the elections.
"Don't worry; there will be no elections in January I will handle this matter" Suleiman was quoted as saying to Gilad when the latter raised anxiety over the possible victory of Hamas in the Palestinian legislative elections.
However, the leaked document didn'9t mention the mechanism that Suleiman would follow to derail the elections, but Gilad was reportedly confident that his Egyptian friend would fulfill his promise.
But Hamas won the elections and Suleiman failed to keep his promise after more than 1000 observers, including 185 Europeans and Americans, witnessed the elections that was described as the most democratic, most honest, and most transparent in the Arab region, another leaked document from the US embassy revealed.
http://bit.ly/hUIfeq
16 sep 2011, 22:11 , Respect -
Maria 11 febr 2011
Egypt celebrates as Mubarak resigns
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IWnJ6hS7H7k&list=PLC3917E12AD275A0D
- http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8q37tYtXoBw
- Hundreds of thousands celebrate as Egyptian president hands over power to the Supreme Council for the Armed Forces.
Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, has resigned from his post, handing over power to the armed forces.
Omar Suleiman, the vice-president, announced in a televised address on Friday that the president was "waiving" his office, and had handed over authority to the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.
Suleiman's short statement was received with a roar of approval and by celebratory chanting and flag-waving from a crowd of hundreds of thousands in Cairo's Tahrir Square, as well as by other pro-democracy campaigners who attending protests across the country.
The top figure in Egypt's new regime is now Mohammed Hussein Tantawi, the country's defence minister.
After the announcement, he drove past Mubarak's former palace, where crowds cheered him. He stopped briefly to thank and hail the pro-democracy campaigners before driving in.
In its third statement to the nation since Thursday, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces said it was examining the situation "in order to materialise the aspirations of our great nation".
The statement said that "resolutions and statements regarding the ... actions to be followed" in order to achieve the demands of the people will be handed down later.
In the televised address, the spokesman also extended "greetings and appreciation" to Mubarak for his service to the country, and saluted the "marytrs and those who have fallen" during the protests.
'Dream come true'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dJOFl3MbbJs
The crowd in Tahrir responded to Suleiman's statement by chanting "we have brought down the regime", while many were seen crying, cheering and embracing one another.
Mohamed ElBaradei, a leading opposition leader, hailed the moment as being "a dream come true" while speaking to Al Jazeera.
"I can't tell you how every Egyptian feels today," he said. "We have been able to restore our humanity ... to be free and independent".
ElBaradei reiterated that Egypt now needs to return to stability, and proposed that a transition government be put in place for the next year.
The government, he said, would include figures from the army, from the opposition and from other circles.
"We need to go on ... our priority is to make sure the country is restored as a socially cohesive, economically vibrant and ... democratic country," he said.
Ayman Nour, another opposition figure and a former president, told Al Jazeera that he would consider running for the presidency if there was concensus on his candidacy.
He called Friday "the greatest day in Egyptian history".
"This nation has been born again. These people have been born again, and this is a new Egypt."
Following Mubarak's announcement, our correspondent in Tahrir Square, said: "Tonight, after all of these weeks of frustration, of violence, of intimidation ... today the people of Egypt undoubtedly [feel they] have been heard, not only by the president, but by people all around the world."
'Explosion of emotion'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SOAb4H27RIo
"The sense of euphoria is simply indescribable," our correspondent at Mubarak's Heliopolis presidential palace, where at least ten thousand pro-democracy activists had gathered, said.
"I have waited, I have worked all my adult life to see the power of the people come to the fore and show itself. I am speechless," Dina Magdi, a pro-democracy campaigner in Tahrir Square told Al Jazeera.
"The moment is not only about Mubarak stepping down, it is also about people's power to bring about the change that no-one ... thought possible."
In Alexandria, Egypt's second city, our correspondent described an "explosion of emotion". He said that hundreds of thousands were celebrating in the streets.
Responding to the announcement, Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foreign policy chief, told Al Jazeera that the 27-nation bloc "respect[ed] the decision that President Mubarak has taken".
She said the EU wanted to "pay tribute to the dignity of" Egyptians' behaviour at this time, and that Europe was ready to offer its assistance in this transition period in the fields of elections, building civil society and other areas.
Joseph Biden, the US vice-president, said this was "pivotal moment in history", and that the transition in Egypt must be "irreversible ... a negotiated path towards democracy".
Barack Obama, the US president, was due to make a statement on the resignation at 2000GMT.
The Swiss foreign ministry, meanwhile, has confirmed to Al Jazeera that they have frozen assets linked to Mubarak.
'Farewell Friday'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=67eNtuPgJ5s
Suleiman's announcement came after hundreds of thousands of Egyptians took the streets for the 18th consecutive day, marching on presidential palaces, state television buildings and other government installations.
Pro-democracy activists had dubbed the day 'Farewell Friday', and had called for "millions" to turn out and demand that Mubarak resign.
Hundreds of thousands were seen to have gathered at Cairo's Tahrir Square, which has been the focal point of protests, chanting slogans against the government and expressing their dissatisfaction with Mubarak's statement on Thursday night, when he had reiterated his vow to complete his term.
Hundreds of thousands were also seen demonstrating in Alexandria, where several thousand also marched to a presidential palace there.
Protests were also reported from the cities of Mansoura, Mahalla, Suez, Tanta and Ismailia with thousands in attendance.
Violence was reported in the north Sinai town of el-Arish, where protesters attempted to storm a police station.
At least one person was killed, and 20 wounded in that attack, our correspondent said.
Earlier in the day, protesters had laid siege to the state television's offices in Cairo, accusing the broadcaster of being a Mubarak mouthpiece. The military stood aside and allowed them to surround the building, which had been heavily defended in previous days.
Tens of thousands also gathered outside Mubarak's Heliopolis presidential palace, where our correspondent reported that there was a strong military presence throughout the day, but no indication that the army intended to crack down on protesters.
As crowds grew outside the palace, Mubarak left Cairo on Friday for the Red Sea resort of Sharm al-Shaikh, according to sources who spoke to Al Jazeera.
Army statement
Earlier on Friday, before Mubarak's resignation, in a statement read out on state television at midday on Friday, the military had announced that it would lift a 30-year-old emergency law but only "as soon as the current circumstances end".
The military said it would also guarantee changes to the constitution as well as a free and fair election, and it called for normal business activity to resume.
Al Jazeera's correspondent in Tahrir Square said people there were hugely disappointed with that army statement, and had vowed to take the protests to "a last and final stage".
http://bit.ly/fgy9A2
Egypt army to sack cabinet, parliament
Party time in Cairo!!
The Egyptian army is reportedly intending to sack the cabinet and the both houses of Parliament, after the opposition called for the formation of a civilian government in the country.
The report followed the transfer of power from Hosni Mubarak to the Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces, which is headed by Defense Minister Gen. Mohammed Tantawi.
Egypt's main opposition party, the Muslim Brotherhood, called for the establishment of a civilian government and constitution that "guarantees freedom and human rights."
The transition of power to the military comes while Mubarak, Vice President Omar Suleiman and Prime Minister Ahmad Shafiq are all former military men. Analysts believe despite the transition Mubarak would still remain in power.
This is while millions of Egyptians have for the past 18 days calling for the departure of Mubarak and a democratic establishment.
Earlier in the day vigilantes opened fire on pro-democracy protesters in Egypt in a move unprecedented over the past couple of days.
The shooting in El-Kharga came as protestors took over several government buildings in major cities across Egypt on Friday. The last time that live bullets were used against protesters was on Wednesday, when six protesters were killed and hundreds of others were injured -- some of them critically.
Reports say protesters have also clashed with security forces and attacked police stations in El-Arish. About 1,000 protesters attacked the police station in El-Arish in an attempt to free political prisoners held by the regime for their anti-Mubarak stance.
More than 20,000 Egyptians have marched towards the City Council in the port city.
Millions of protesters in various cities across Egypt are calling on President Hosni Mubarak to step down.
A large number of Egyptians have surrounded the Presidential Palace and the state Radio and Television building in Cairo as the Mubarak regime dispatches scores of vigilantes to attack pro-democracy protesters. The Army, however, has prevented protesters from entering the buildings.
According to a Press TV correspondent, the republican guards have been deployed around the palace with snipers positioned on the rooftop of the building.
The measure was taken after protesters began gathering outside the presidential palace following the Friday Prayers.
This is while, a huge crowd of pro-democracy protesters have already gathered in Cairo's Liberation Square.
Reports say protesters have marched to the US Embassy, which is under tight security. The families of US diplomats have already been evacuated from Cairo.
Aside from Cairo, Alexandria and the port city of Suez have also been the scene of large protests since the country's pro-democracy rallies began 18 days ago.
Suez has also seen some of the most violent clashes in the same timescale.
Police have used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters.
More than one million pro-democracy protesters have taken to the streets of Alexandria. Protests have also broken out in Mansura, Port Said and Beni Suef. About 10,000 people took to the streets of Ismailia.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/164768.html
Egypt opposition calls for civilian rule
The main opposition party in Egypt has called on the military to hand over power to a civilian-led government, following the transfer of power from Hosni Mubarak to a high military council.
The Muslim Brotherhood also called for the establishment of a constitution that "guarantees freedom and human rights."
The call came after Mubarak handed power over to the Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces, which is headed by Defense Minister Gen. Mohammed Tantawi.
The transition of power to the military comes while Mubarak, Vice President Omar Suleiman and Prime Minister Ahmad Shafiq are all former military men. Analysts believe despite the transition Mubarak would still remain in power.
The transition means that Egypt, which has been under a state of emergency for the past 30 years, will continue to be ruled by the military.
This is while millions of Egyptians have for the past 18 days calling for the departure of Mubarak and a democratic establishment.
Earlier in the day vigilantes opened fire on pro-democracy protesters in Egypt in a move unprecedented over the past couple of days.
The shooting in El-Kharga came as protestors took over several government buildings in major cities across Egypt on Friday. The last time that live bullets were used against protesters was on Wednesday, when six protesters were killed and hundreds of others were injured -- some of them critically.
Reports say protesters have also clashed with security forces and attacked police stations in El-Arish. About 1,000 protesters attacked the police station in El-Arish in an attempt to free political prisoners held by the regime for their anti-Mubarak stance.
More than 20,000 Egyptians have marched towards the City Council in the port city.
Millions of protesters in various cities across Egypt are calling on President Hosni Mubarak to step down.
A large number of Egyptians have surrounded the Presidential Palace and the state Radio and Television building in Cairo as the Mubarak regime dispatches scores of vigilantes to attack pro-democracy protesters. The Army, however, has prevented protesters from entering the buildings.
According to a Press TV correspondent, the republican guards have been deployed around the palace with snipers positioned on the rooftop of the building.
The measure was taken after protesters began gathering outside the presidential palace following the Friday Prayers.
This is while, a huge crowd of pro-democracy protesters have already gathered in Cairo's Liberation Square.
Reports say protesters have marched to the US Embassy, which is under tight security. The families of US diplomats have already been evacuated from Cairo.
Aside from Cairo, Alexandria and the port city of Suez have also been the scene of large protests since the country's pro-democracy rallies began 18 days ago.
Suez has also seen some of the most violent clashes in the same timescale.
Police have used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters.
More than one million pro-democracy protesters have taken to the streets of Alexandria. Protests have also broken out in Mansura, Port Said and Beni Suef. About 10,000 people took to the streets of Ismailia.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/164767.html
Fireworks in Beirut over Mubarak's resignation
BEIRUT, Lebanon Fireworks have erupted in the Lebanese capital after Hosni Mubarak stepped down as Egypt's president.
Moments after Egypt's Vice President Omar Suleiman made the announcement, the fireworks lit up the sky Friday night. Celebratory gunfire could be heard in the Shiite dominated areas in south Lebanon and in southern Beirut.
On al-Manar TV, the station run by the Shiite Muslim Hezbollah faction, Egyptian anchor Amr Nassef cried emotionally on the air and said: "Allahu Akbar, the Pharaoh is dead. Am I dreaming? I'm afraid to be dreaming."
THIS IS A BREAKING NEWS UPDATE. Check back soon for further information. AP's earlier story is below.
JERUSALEM (AP) Hosni Mubarak realizes he must step down and is looking for an honorable way out, a former Israeli defense minister who has long known Egypt's embattled leader said Friday.
Binyamin Ben-Eliezer of Israel's Labor Party said he spoke with Mubarak just hours before the Egyptian president's speech late Thursday in which he transferred some authorities to his deputy but refused to step down.
Mubarak's refusal angered hundreds of thousands of Egyptian protesters demanding he relinquish his three-decade grip on power. Anti-government demonstrations have rocked Egypt for more than two weeks, and protesters flooded the streets again Friday.
Describing his conversation with Mubarak, Ben-Eliezer said: "He knew that this was it, that this was the end of the road."
"He was looking for only one thing give me an honorable way out. Let me leave in an honorable fashion," Ben-Eliezer told Israel's Army Radio.
Meanwhile, hundreds took to the streets in Jordan and Iraq on Friday, with some protesters supporting the push for Mubarak's ouster and others complaining about corruption and lack of services.
"Hosni Mubarak, get out, the Arab world is on fire," chanted a crowd of about 400 supporters of Jordan's Muslim Brotherhood, the country's main opposition group. "We'll throw you in the Nile, if you don't leave," they shouted.
About 1,000 demonstrators in three Jordanian cities demanded the ouster of Prime Minister Marouf al-Bakhit, appointed just last week by King Abdullah II to blunt popular discontent over rising fuel and food prices, corruption and unemployment.
"We want jobs, we want the political system to change," said unemployed college graduate Yousef Kamal, 23, marching in the capital Amman. Demonstrators said they have no confidence in the new prime minister's ability to bring change.
It was the fifth week of protests in Jordan, inspired by unrest in Tunisia and later Egypt, though the numbers of marchers has decreased since the appointment of the new prime minister.
In the Iraqi capital of Baghdad, several hundred marchers raised banners reading, "No to corruption yes for freedom" and "Our streets are full of mud and your pockets are full of money." Protesters briefly scuffled with troops.
In the capital's Shiite Muslim Sadr City neighborhood, about 2,000 marched through the streets. Some carried empty oil barrels to symbolize the irony of widespread poverty in a country that sits atop one of the world's largest oil reserves.
A leading Shiite Muslim preacher, meanwhile, urged governments to heed protests that have erupted in several areas of the Arab world. Ignoring the demands of protesters "will absolutely lead to unpleasant results," Ahmed al-Safi, a spokesman for Grand Ayatollah Ali al-Sistani, Iraq's most revered Shiite cleric, told Muslim worshippers during Friday prayers.
In the Gaza Strip, a Friday protest inspired by the Egypt demonstrations and organized on Facebook against Hamas rule in the Palestinian territory attracted virtually no supporters.
Hamas security personnel in uniform and plainclothes were deployed around the areas where the protests, organized by supporters of the rival Fatah, were to take place. Police briefly detained two youths who were seen filming with a cell phone camera.
In Israel, there was concern that the disappearance of Mubarak from the political stage could mean a breakdown of order in Egypt or the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood, Egypt's largest and best-organized opposition group.
Both scenarios could threaten Israel's security. Egypt signed a peace treaty with neighboring Israel in 1979.
However, former Soviet refusenik Natan Sharansky sounded a note of optimism about events in Egypt. Israel was wrong to depend on a dictator to keep the peace and must encourage democracy, said Sharansky, who was released from a Soviet prison 25 years ago and now handles ties with Diaspora Jewry as head of the Jewish Agency.
"This is the moment for those Israelis who believe that peace has to be built bottom-up," he told the daily Jerusalem Post in an interview published Friday. "This is a great moment. Let's try to use it."
http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110211/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_egypt_mideast_6
Mubarak turns power over to military
Egypt's vice president says Hosni Mubarak has handed power over to the high military council, despite millions-plus pro-democracy demonstrations.
In a brief announcement, Omar Suleiman said on Friday that Mubarak had "abandoned the presidency," handing over the power to the Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces.
The transition of power to the military comes while Mubarak, Suleiman and Prime Minister Ahmad Shafiq are all former military men. Analysts believe despite the transition Mubarak would still remain in power.
The transition means that Egypt, which has been under a state of emergency for the past 30 years, will continue to be ruled by the military.
This is while millions of Egyptians have for the past 18 days calling for the departure of Mubarak and a democratic establishment.
Earlier in the day vigilantes opened fire on pro-democracy protesters in Egypt in a move unprecedented over the past couple of days.
The shooting in El-Kharga came as protestors took over several government buildings in major cities across Egypt on Friday. The last time that live bullets were used against protesters was on Wednesday, when six protesters were killed and hundreds of others were injured -- some of them critically.
Reports say protesters have also clashed with security forces and attacked police stations in El-Arish. About 1,000 protesters attacked the police station in El-Arish in an attempt to free political prisoners held by the regime for their anti-Mubarak stance.
More than 20,000 Egyptians have marched towards the City Council in the port city.
Millions of protesters in various cities across Egypt are calling on President Hosni Mubarak to step down.
A large number of Egyptians have surrounded the Presidential Palace and the state Radio and Television building in Cairo as the Mubarak regime dispatches scores of vigilantes to attack pro-democracy protesters. The Army, however, has prevented protesters from entering the buildings.
According to a Press TV correspondent, the republican guards have been deployed around the palace with snipers positioned on the rooftop of the building.
The measure was taken after protesters began gathering outside the presidential palace following the Friday Prayers.
This is while, a huge crowd of pro-democracy protesters have already gathered in Cairo's Liberation Square.
Reports say protesters have marched to the US Embassy, which is under tight security. The families of US diplomats have already been evacuated from Cairo.
Aside from Cairo, Alexandria and the port city of Suez have also been the scene of large protests since the country's pro-democracy rallies began 18 days ago.
Suez has also seen some of the most violent clashes in the same timescale.
Police have used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters.
More than one million pro-democracy protesters have taken to the streets of Alexandria. Protests have also broken out in Mansura, Port Said and Beni Suef. About 10,000 people took to the streets of Ismailia.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/164761.html
Mubarak steps down after 3 decades
Egyptian vice President Omar Suleiman says President Hosni Mubarak has "abandoned the presidency," after millions of Egyptians demonstrated for 18 days.
In a brief televised announcement, Omar Suleiman said on Friday that Mubarak had abandoned the presidency handing over the power to the Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces.
The transition of power to the military comes while Mubarak, Suleiman and Prime Minister Ahmad Shafiq are all former military men. Analysts believe despite the transition Mubarak would still remain in power.
The resignation has triggered celebration among millions of protesters in Cairo and other cities across Egypt.
Earlier in the day vigilantes opened fire on pro-democracy protesters in Egypt in a move unprecedented over the past couple of days.
The shooting in El-Kharga came as protestors took over several government buildings in major cities across Egypt on Friday. The last time that live bullets were used against protesters was on Wednesday, when six protesters were killed and hundreds of others were injured -- some of them critically.
Reports say protesters have also clashed with security forces and attacked police stations in El-Arish. About 1,000 protesters attacked the police station in El-Arish in an attempt to free political prisoners held by the regime for their anti-Mubarak stance.
More than 20,000 Egyptians have marched towards the City Council in the port city.
Millions of protesters in various cities across Egypt are calling on President Hosni Mubarak to step down.
A large number of Egyptians have surrounded the Presidential Palace and the state Radio and Television building in Cairo as the Mubarak regime dispatches scores of vigilantes to attack pro-democracy protesters. The Army, however, has prevented protesters from entering the buildings.
According to a Press TV correspondent, the republican guards have been deployed around the palace with snipers positioned on the rooftop of the building.
The measure was taken after protesters began gathering outside the presidential palace following the Friday Prayers.
This is while, a huge crowd of pro-democracy protesters have already gathered in Cairo's Liberation Square.
Reports say protesters have marched to the US Embassy, which is under tight security. The families of US diplomats have already been evacuated from Cairo.
Aside from Cairo, Alexandria and the port city of Suez have also been the scene of large protests since the country's pro-democracy rallies began 18 days ago.
Suez has also seen some of the most violent clashes in the same timescale.
Police have used tear gas and rubber bullets to disperse protesters.
More than one million pro-democracy protesters have taken to the streets of Alexandria. Protests have also broken out in Mansura, Port Said and Beni Suef. About 10,000 people took to the streets of Ismailia.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/164759.html
18 sep 2011, 10:10 , Respect -
Maria 12 febr 2011
Egypt army vows to respect treaties
One day after the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak, Egypt's military authorities have said that they will respect all international treaties.
Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces says Cairo will remain committed to all its regional and international treaties.
Experts have interpreted this as Cairo implying its peace treaty with Israel will remain intact.
The announcement, which was read by a senior officer on state TV, also pledged to hand over power to a civilian-led government.
The developments come after Mubarak handed over the power to the council, which is headed by Defense Minister Gen. Mohammed Tantawi.
The transition of power to the military comes while Mubarak, Vice President Omar Suleiman and Prime Minister Ahmad Shafiq are all former military men.
This is while millions of Egyptians had been calling for the departure of Mubarak and the establishment of a democratic government.
Thousands of protesters vowed to stay in Cairo's Liberation Square until their demands are met.
Activists have demanded the release of political prisoners, the lifting of a 30-year-old state of emergency and the disbandment of military court. They say demonstrations will continue until the army accepts the reforms.
Political groups are also calling for the formation of a government led by civilians.
However, Israel has welcomed the pledge by the Egyptian military to respect a 1979 peace treaty between Tel Aviv and Cairo.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the announcement, saying the treaty was the cornerstone of stability in the Middle East as a whole.
Reports say Israel has shut down its embassy in Cairo following the transfer of power from Mubarak to the military.
Israel had suspended the activities of its embassy since the start of anti-government protests 19 days ago.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/164961.html
Egyptians must reject US interference in their internal affairs
By Khalid Amayreh
Note: This article was written before Mubarak's ouster
Under the pretext of encouraging democratic reforms in Egypt, the United States is trying hard to steer the Egyptian revolution in a different direction, one which would guarantee America's imperialistic goals and Israel's criminal interests, including Zionist regional supremacy and territorial aggrandizement at the expense of the Palestinian people.
In recent days, the tone of Washington's daily reactions to the ongoing revolution against the US-backed tyranny of the Hosni-Mubarak regime has become increasingly reserved and undemocratic.
Many members of the US Congress warned about the "risk" of the Muslim Brotherhood sharing power in any post-Mubarak arrangements.
Some congressional leaders claimed rather mendaciously that the Islamists played a minimal role in the current revolution and that they shouldn't be allowed to "hijack the movement toward democracy and freedom in Egypt."
Well, we all know that Congress, with its two chambers, is decidedly controlled by Jewish circles and bankers so much so that one can state with little exaggeration that nearly all members of Congress and Senate are effectively political whores working for Israel and its political arm in the US, namely the AIPAC organization.
This means that true democracy in Egypt is the last thing that comes to the collective mind of Congress or Senate. After all, the US has always embraced dictatorships and tyrannies in all parts of the world, tyrannies like that of Hosni Mubarak that repressed, tormented, savaged and humiliated their own masses on behalf of America's global imperialism.
Now, this arrogant global power, which itself is at Israel's beck and call, would like to decide and determine which political powers in Egypt will be included and which powers will be excluded from the new political process in the largest Arab country.
US officials would want us to believe that US objections to the possible inclusion of the Muslim Brothers into the political process in Egypt are motivated by genuine concerns for democracy. But this is a pornographic lie to say the very least as the US continues to be the world's premier power that embraces, supports and maintains dictatorships around the world.
In the final analysis, America is the supporter, maintainer, bankroller, enabler, sustainer, abettor and guarantor of dictatorship and tyranny in the Arab world from Casablanca to Bahrain.
Hence, one wonders when America will display some reasonableness and prudence, and above all some honesty, and starts showing some respect for other peoples around the world, especially those long tormented thanks to America's greed, rapacity and selfish policies around the world.
In the final analysis, it is an insult to 80 million Egyptians to tell them to outlaw the biggest and best organized political movement on no other account than this movement is opposed to Zio-Nazim and Israel's genocidal designs against the Muslim peoples of the Middle East. Besides, since when did political powers in other countries have to obtain a certificate of good conduct from the Zio-Nazi leaders in both New York and Israel in order to be allowed to be involved in delivering their countries from the claws of tyranny and dictatorship?
One Israel firster, Howard Berman, was quoted as saying that "I am skeptical about the Muslim Brotherhood's commitment to democracy."
Well, skeptical or not, democracy in Egypt is none of Berman's business. It is only the people of Egypt, not the people in Washington, who can determine the people who will sit in the seat of leadership in Cairo.
Berman is free to be at Israel's beck and call, he is free to support and back Israel's racist and genocidal policies in Occupied Palestine. He is even free to lend support to Nazi-minded Jewish settlers who adopt policies which are essentially similar to those adopted by the German Nazis several decades ago.
But he is not free to lecture the Egyptian people and the Turkish people and the Iranian people on the type of democracy they should have. In our Form of democracy, there is no room for benevolence toward Jewish Nazism, a venomous ideology which seems to have enslaved the political class in Washington.
Indeed, if democracy has to reflect the views of the people, it should be clear to all that our people reject Israel and all its racist policies and genocidal practices. If Berman and his colleagues in Washington don%u2019t like this fact, we can do very little to help them.
He may demand the severance of economic and military aid to Egypt. At the end of the day, Egypt's dignity and national pride are more important than the billion and a half or two billion US dollars paid to a tyrannical regime in exchange for ceding the country's sovereignty and independence.
In truth, the so-called American aid to Egypt has contributed to the exacerbation of poverty, deterioration of economical disequilibrium, and seriously compromised Egypt's sovereignty, effectively making Egypt a satellite state orbiting around Israel.
This untenable situation must come to an end. The eighty million Egyptians are already fed up with their country's subservience to Israel, the Jewish lobby in Washington as well as to a Congress that is a little more than a poodle dog groveling before the feet of self-absorbed and self-worshiping Jewish billionaires.
Another point. At a time when US officials voice their concerns about the possible inclusion of Islamists in the post-Mubarak government in Egypt, we notice a total silence in the United States vis-à-vis the participation in the Israeli government of manifestly fascist parties, including Talmudic religious parties, which condemn the rest of mankind as a matter of principle.
For example, Israel's Interior Minister Eli Yeshai is affiliated with a manifestly racist and anti-democratic religious party called Shas whose ultimate leader and spiritual mentor Ovadia Yosef views all non-Jews, presumably including members of Congress and Senate as merely animals of burden or donkeys that, he said, were created by the Almighty solely in order to serve Jews.
So, for God's sake, we would like to know why it is perfectly legitimate for Shas and other manifestly fascist and anti-democratic parties to take part in government in Israel while it is always objectionable to have Islamists, who would never hold blatant views even remotely similar to those held by these fascist Jewish parties, to participate in governments in Muslim countries.
Where is the honesty? Where is the rectitude? Where is the moral consistency?
The truth of the matter, however, is that America's objections about the Muslim Brotherhood, which has borne the brunt of the Mubarak regime's 30 years of repression and wanton lawlessness, have nothing to do with honesty, rectitude and moral consistency, and have every thing to do with safeguarding Israel's interests, especially making sure that the next government in Cairo doesn't interfere with the genocidal treatment meted out to the Palestinian people at the hands of the Zionist regime.
Isn't this the real secret behind America's fears of the Muslim Brothers?
http://bit.ly/guwYF8
Palestinian scholars call on new Egyptian rulers to end Gaza siege
GAZA, (PIC)-- The Palestinian Scholars Association, which tackles national issues from a religious perspective, congratulated the Egyptians on their removal of "the tyranny and injustice of the former Egyptian regime" led by ousted president Hosni Mubarak, calling on the new government to make serious changes for the better.
The scholars of Palestine followed over the past days the Egyptians' revolution, with all its sectors of scientists, politicians, youth, women and elderly, with close attention, until Allah enabled Egypt's people to oust the tyrannical, oppressive regime, the Association said in a statement on Saturday.
The Association called upon the new authorities to look at the Gazans as brothers and end the unjust siege on the small coastal enclave, and re-open border crossings.
Our enemy, the enemy of Egypt, and the enemy of the Arabs and Muslims and good people in the world is the Zionist enemy, Saturday's statement says.
In separate statements, Gaza's Health Minister Bassem Naeem said during a meeting with the ministry's pharmaceutical department that Arab and Muslim people are alive and able to make change, saying the Egyptian revolution was partly thanks to the Gazans.
%u201DNo one can stop the people's will. What happened in Egypt is live evidence of the beginning of winds of charge towards freedom,%u201D he said.
Gaza with its steadfastness vis-à-vis the siege and aggression created strong motivation for the Tahrir Square protesters, he said, adding the Egyptian youth "managed to hit a nail in Israel's coffin and light a candle of hope that shattered the darkness of long years of oppression".
http://bit.ly/fhZxdo
Abbas and Netanyahu keep their mouths shut after Mubarak ousted
GAZA, (PIC)-- De facto Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas and Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu are still quiet and refuse to issue any statements about the departure of their Arab ally Hosni Mubarak from power.
Abbas's authority, which had launched a scathing attack on Egyptian protestors in the past few days, preferred to keep silent and not to make remarks on Mubarak's ouster.
The Fatah-controlled Wafa news agency only published a brief report on the resignation of Mubarak without official comments.
Israel officially announced the closure of its embassy in Cairo until further notice. Israel is now deeply worried that Mubarak's ouster could lead to the emergence of an Egyptian government less friendly to it.
In another context, Israel Hayom newspaper reported that the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the Israeli government exchanged recently letters and telegrams to explore avenues for resuming direct peace talks between the two sides.
According to the newspaper, the PA is making concerted efforts under American auspices to hold this week a meeting between Abbas and Netanyahu at the latter's residence in occupied Jerusalem.
It quoted a senior PA official as saying that these developments came in the wake of the events that broke out in Egypt, especially since Mubarak's regime was acting like a central bridge of communication between Palestinians and Israelis.
http://bit.ly/go2HoF
Palestinian gov't congratulates Egyptian people on Mubarak's quitting
GAZA, (PIC)-- The Palestinian government in Gaza congratulated the Egyptian people and revolutionists after the announcement of Hosni Mubarak's resignation and wished them more progress, prosperity and a new era of freedom.
In a press release on Friday, the government hailed the Egyptian people for their steadfastness and determination to make better future not only for them but for the whole region.
It expressed hope that Egypt could restore its pioneering role in supporting the issues of the Arab and Islamic nations, especially the Palestinian cause against the Zio-American schemes in the region.
For his part, Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya said in a brief statement that the Egyptian revolution has made a new history for the Arab nation.
"Egypt is writing new history for the nation, and Gaza siege is reeling," Haneyya added.
The Palestinian legislative council also lauded the departure of Mubarak from power as a historic victory for both the Egyptian people and the Palestinian cause.
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri described the removal of Mubarak from power as an initial victory for the Egyptian revolution, stressing that his Movement stands by the Egyptian people and their just demands.
"We congratulate the Egyptian people on this outcome and consider it a victory for their will and sacrifices, and the start of a new era in Egypt and the region," the spokesman said in a press statement to the Palestinian information center (PIC).
In a separate statement issued by its information office, Hamas Movement congratulated the great people of Egypt on their successful revolution and their achievement of their goals.
"We mourn the martyrs of the Egyptian revolution who irrigated this great victory with their pure blood, and we wish all wounded heroes a speedy recovery," Hamas underlined.
In a related incident, thousands of Palestinians took to the streets in the Gaza Strip on Friday night to celebrate Mubarak's resignation.
Cars drove through the streets honking their horns and Hamas resistance fighters fired their guns in the air. Many Gazans all over the Strip distributed sweets and candies and exchanged congratulations on this event, according to PIC reporters.
http://bit.ly/hR7f1D
Turkey calls for constitutional democracy in Egypt
PM Erdogan urges Egyptian army to 'hand over its duty to new government following fair election process.' FM Davutoglu: Mubarak resignation historic development.
Turkey urged Egypt's military to pave the way for elections so that a new government can form a constitutional democracy following President Hosni Mubarak's resignation on Friday after nearly three decades in power.
"Since the start of the mass demonstrations in Egypt, Turkey has supported the Egyptian public's legitimate demands for democracy and freedom; moreover it has made a call for a peaceful transition to a pluralist and participatory regime based on human rights," a statement issued by Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan's press office on Saturday said.
"We hope that Egypt's Military High Council will act with common sense and hand over its duty to the new government to be formed as a result of a free and fair election process, and eventually Egypt will proceed to a constitutional democracy," said the statement, reported by state-run Anatolian news agency.
Though Turkey is a member of the Western NATO alliance, Erdogan has gained considerable clout in the Middle East through his vehement condemnations of Israel after its offensive in the Gaza Strip in 2008, which heralded a breakdown in Turkey's friendship with the Jewish state.
Turkey, as a relatively stable state with a secular constitution, vibrant economy and conservative, pragmatic government led by former Islamists, is often cited as a model Muslim democracy in the region.
Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu, speaking in the Georgian city of Batumi at the start of an official visit, said Mubarak's resignation was an historic development for the Arab world and the region.
He said the onus now lay with the military to ensure stability and review the election law to allow active participation by political parties.
"Firstly, continuity of the state and public order should be secured. Secondly, people's demands should be met and a stable and lasting democracy should be built in Egypt through evolution. Thirdly, a transparent road map that the people can follow closely together with the international community should be announced," Davutoglu was quoted as saying by Anatolian.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4027375,00.html
Security officials: Israel faces period of instability
On heels of Mubarak's resignation, security establishment concerned Egypt may eventually become hostile.
"Israel is facing a period of instability which requires us to closely follow the changes that are taking place," a security official said Friday night following Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's resignation, but added that he does not foresee any events that will have a significant effect on Israel in the near future.
The security establishment, which is concerned over the "negative winds" blowing from the region's countries, estimates that the revolution in Egypt may eventually lead to the opening of another front against Israel if extremists are included in the next government in Cairo.
Security officials said incoming IDF chief of staff Maj.-Gen. Benny Gantz will have to focus primarily on the Egyptian revolution and other regional developments.
Even prior to the dramatic events in Egypt, Israeli security officials said there was broad support within the Egyptian army for the peace treaty with Israel. Now they claim that as long as the army runs the country and prevents the Muslim Brotherhood from setting the tone, relations between Israel and Egypt are not expected to take a turn for the worse.
As of now, the Israeli army has not boosted its presence along the southern border, but security officials said the next few days will determine whether the IDF will have to take extensive measures.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4027367,00.html
European rights group calls on Egyptian army to free Palestinian prisoners
OSLO, (PIC)-- The Oslo-based European network to defend the rights of Palestinian prisoners congratulated the Egyptians on the success of their protests demanding a transition of authority, and expressed hope that the new phase would be a good omen for democracy and human rights.
In light of the new changes and the transfer of power to the Supreme Council of the Armed forces, we call for the freedom of all Palestinians detained in Egyptian prisons, those who many testimonies have reported their torture over the past years, which they spent during the former Egyptian regime, the network's chairman Mohammed Hamdan said in statements on Friday.
There are dozens of Palestinians detained unjustly in Egyptian prisons, committing no crime but to defend the people's dignity, Hamdan added.
We, in the European network, hope Egypt will always enjoy safety and security, and will fold the pages of tyranny forever, and that all will be ensured unity, and all present and future groups in Egypt will cooperate in the climate of freedom, justice, and equality to ensure oppression is wiped out in the prisons.
The Norway-based European network is an organization that specializes in defending the rights of Palestinian prisoners across the planet, and is the first of its class in Europe.
It works towards a Palestinian society free of prisoners and where ex-prisoners can enjoy all civil and social rights.
http://bit.ly/gMkiOy
Hamdan: Mubarak resignation will aid Palestinian cause
DAMASCUS, (PIC)-- Hamas foreign relations official Osama Hamdan said the resignation of once Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak and relay of power to the military on Friday are not only a historic turnover in Egypt, but for the Palestinian cause as well.
But the sudden political shift has angered Fatah, a large recipient of support from Mubarak's regime, despite the joy that prevailed in the Palestinian street that night.
Any positive developments on the regional level will serve the Palestinian cause, and the opposite is true, Hamdan told the PIC Friday night. We hope the situation in coming days will be better than now.
Egypt, the first Arab state to sign peace accords with Israel in 1979, has played a key role in hampering Gaza's economy through a blockade imposed on its northern border with the tiny enclave in cooperation with Israel.
I believe the normal situation in Egypt should be on the side of the choices of the Palestinians, namely in resistance, liberation, and right of return, Hamdan said.
Commenting on how the transition will reflect on the future of the Palestinian Authority in the West Bank, Hamdan said: Abbas and his team of negotiators with Israel must comprehend the lesson of the peoples' will to achieve freedom and stop negotiations and undermining the national rights of the Palestinians and begging to meet with Netanyahu.
Meanwhile, the announcement of Mubarak's stepping down has angered the West Bank-ruling Fatah movement.
Our correspondent, citing officials inside Fatah, said the Mubarak resignation has renewed authorities' concerns of a repeat in Ramallah.
PA security agencies had suppressed all activities staged in the West Bank to show solidarity with the Egyptians.
Palestinians in the West Bank began congratulating each other over the success of the Egyptian revolution via SMS in the same custom as during the holidays.
http://bit.ly/hr0jB7
Spokesman: Egypt must honor peace treaty with Israel
The White House says it is important that the next government of Egypt recognize existing accords with Israel.
Spokesman Robert Gibbs says the US partnership with Egypt has brought stability to the Middle East and, in particular, peace between Egypt and Israel. The two countries signed a peace treaty in 1979.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4027330,00.html
19 sep 2011, 22:32 , Respect -
Maria 13 febr 2011
Defense Committee to supervise Egyptian forces in Sinai
Knesset Speaker Reuven Rivlin has ordered the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee to supervise the entry of Egyptian forces to Sinai, which has been coordinated with Israel on the backdrop of the upheaval in Egypt.
Rivlin said in a statement that after consulting the Knesset's legal advsiro, he came to the conclusion that the committee's supervision was enough and there was no need to bring the matter to a Knesset vote.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4027788,00.html
Church attacked in Sinai
EL-ARISH, Egypt -- Unknown assailants attacked a church in Al-Arish, looting it and causing damage, a Ma'an reporter said.
Looters attacked a government building, set fire to a police station, and attacked the homes of regime security officials, he said.
The reporter said Bedouins sent armed residents to protect churches and government buildings in the northern Sinai.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=359409
Sources: Mubarak seriously ill
CAIRO (Ma'an) -- Ousted Egyptian leader Hosni Mubarak is suffering serious health problems and fainted before his last speech, informed sources in Egypt told Ma'an on Sunday.
Sources said Mubarak's condition was the reason his much anticipated speech on Thursday was delayed. Egyptian army leaders avoided exerting more pressure on the former president in the final days of his rule due to his poor health, sources added.
Mubarak on Friday stepped down and handed power to the Egyptian army after 18 days of mass demonstrations against his regime.
The Bahrain-based newspaper Al-Wasat reported Saturday that Mubarak had fallen into a coma, quoting sources close to the deposed leader.
The Egyptian newspaper Al-Masry Al-Youm said Sunday that Mubarak was in Baden, Germany for medical treatment.
He had earlier traveled to his residence in the Red Sea resort town of Sharm El-Sheikh with his family on board one of his private jets, the newspaper reported.
The report said Mubarak has previously undergone surgery in Germany to remove an inflamed gallbladder in March 2010. In 2004, he had back surgery in the country.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=359549
Barak telephones Egypt's Tantawi
TEL AVIV, Israel (Ma'an) -- Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak on Saturday telephoned Egypt's new military ruler Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, the Israeli news site Ynet reported.
Tantawi took power in Egypt following the ouster of veteran strongman Hosni Mubarak Friday.
Meanwhile, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu welcomed the Egyptian military's statement that it would honor the peace treaty between the countries.
"The longstanding peace treaty between Israel and Egypt has greatly contributed to both countries and is the cornerstone for peace and stability in the entire Middle East," Netanyahu said in a statement from his office.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=359578
Soldiers clash with protesters in Cairo
Clashes have broken out between the protesters and the army troops as large numbers of protesters gather at Cairo's Liberation square.
Thousands of Egyptian protesters have returned to the Liberation Square, shortly after the army tried to disperse them on Sunday.
The developments come two days after President Hosni Mubarak handed over the power to the Egypt's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, which is headed by Defense Minister Gen. Mohammed Tantawi.
The protesters say they would not leave until the army fulfils its promise of a peaceful transition of power to a democratic civilian system.
On Saturday, Egypt's military -- now in control of the country -- has pledged that it would oversee a transition to civilian rule.
The army said the existing cabinet would remain in place until a new one is formed.
Meanwhile, hundreds of policemen have protested in front of the interior ministry, demanding better wages and denying accusations that they tortured Egyptian protesters.
Security forces say they have fired in the air to stop policemen from entering the interior ministry.
This is while millions of Egyptians had for the past days called for the departure of Mubarak and the establishment of a democratic government.
Experts say the Egyptian revolution may fail to bring about reforms unless the military establishment is taken over by a civilian-led government.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/165033.html
Israel, Egypt's military make contact
Tel Aviv says Israeli officials have made initial contacts with Egypt's new military rulers as the army is clashing with protesters that refuse to leave Cairo's Liberation Square.
An Israeli spokeswoman said on Sunday that Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak spoke by telephone with Head of Egypt's Higher Military Council Mohamed Hussein Tantawi.
The contact came two days after the US-backed dictator Hosni Mubarak was ousted from power. The Egyptian military leadership said it would respect all the country's international treaties including a peace pact with Israel.
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu on Sunday welcomed the Egyptian army's stance toward the treaty.
The peace agreement was kept by Egypt throughout the years ... it is the cornerstone of peace and stability, not only for the two countries, but for the whole region as well, Netanyahu said during a cabinet meeting.
Egypt became the first Arab country to sign a US-brokered pact with Israel In 1979.
Soldiers on Sunday scuffled with thousands of protesters camping out in the Square, the focal point of massive rallies that brought down Mubarak on Friday, a Press TV correspondent reported.
Shouting slogans, protesters fought street battles with soldiers forcing them to back away, the report added.
The protesters, remaining in Cairo's central Liberation Square on Saturday night, warned of holding further rallies if the military fails to fulfill its promise of a peaceful transition of power to a democratic civilian system.
Eighteen days of revolution across Egypt forced the embattled Mubarak to leave office on Friday, handing over power to a military council.
The military promised "a peaceful transition of power" to an elected civilian government on Saturday in order to build "a free democratic state.
However, the new military leadership did not set a timetable to fulfill the pledge.
Thousands of protesters vowed to remain on the major landmark until their demands are met.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/165027.html
Gunshots heard near Egypt Ministry
Gunshots have been heard near Egypt's Interior Ministry as post-Mubarak protests turn violent on the second day after the US-backed tyrant's resignation.
Several gunshots were heard on Sunday as thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators refuse to leave the streets in the capital city Cairo, a Press TV correspondent reported.
Earlier reports said the Egyptian army beat protesters that refused to leave Cairo's Liberation Square, trying to disperse the stream of the masses.
Thousands of protesters chanting "revolution revolution until victory," streamed back to Liberation Square in the early hours of Sunday. They vowed to remain on the major square until their demands were met.
Pro-democracy protesters warned of holding further rallies if the military fails to fulfill its promise of a peaceful transition of power to a democratic civilian system.
Pro-democracy activists have demanded the release of political prisoners, the lifting of a 30-year-old state of emergency and the disbandment of military courts. They say demonstrations will continue until the army accepts the reforms.
Meanwhile, the military caretaker government is scheduled to meet for the first time after Mubarak's ouster.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/165016.html
Egypt's army clashes with protesters
Egypt's army has clashed with protesters that refuse to leave Cairo's Liberation Square two days after the US-backed dictator Hosni Mubarak was ousted from power.
Soldiers on Sunday scuffled with thousands of protesters camping out in the Square, the focal point of massive rallies that brought down Mubarak on Friday, a Press TV correspondent reported.
Shouting slogans, protesters fought street battles with soldiers forcing them to back away, the report added.
The protesters, remaining in Cairo's central Liberation Square on Saturday night, warned of holding further rallies if the military fails to fulfill its promise of a peaceful transition of power to a democratic civilian system.
Eighteen days of revolution across Egypt forced the embattled Mubarak to leave office on Friday, handing over power to a military council.
The military promised "a peaceful transition of power" to an elected civilian government on Saturday in order to build "a free democratic state."
However, the new military leadership did not set a timetable to fulfill the pledge.
Thousands of protesters vowed to remain on the major landmark until their demands are met.
Activists have demanded the release of political prisoners, the lifting of a 30-year-old state of emergency and the disbandment of military courts. They say demonstrations will continue until the army accepts the reforms.
According to the United Nations, the Egyptian revolution left more than 300 people dead and thousands more injured.
Reports say the Egyptian military has secretly detained hundreds and possibly thousands of pro-democracy demonstrators since protests erupted on January 25 demanding Mubarak's ouster.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/164997.html
Egyptians hold firm at Liberation sq.
Pro-democracy protesters in Egypt have rejected army's appeal to leave Cairo's Liberation Square, persisting on the demand for a civilian government two days after the downfall of Hosni Mubarak.
The protesters, who remained in Cairo's central Liberation Square on Saturday night, warned of further rallies if the military fails to fulfill its promise of a peaceful transition of power to a democratic civilian system, a Press TV correspondent reported on Sunday.
On Saturday, Egypt's military, in control of the country for the time being, pledged that it would oversee a transition to civilian rule.
The army said the existing cabinet would remain in place until a new one is formed.
Protest organizers say they are trying to form a council to hold talks with the military. They say their aim is to direct the revolution during the transitional period.
Weeks of pro-democracy rallies forced Mubarak to step down on Friday, handing over the power to a high military council.
Thousands held victory rallies in several Egyptian cities following Mubarak's resignation, ending his nearly three decade rule.
World rallies also voiced support for the Egyptians revolution, which left more than 300 people dead.
Despite army's appeal to leave the square in Cairo, thousands of protesters vowed to remain on the major landmark until their demands are met.
Activists have demanded the release of political prisoners, the lifting of a 30-year-old state of emergency and the disbandment of military courts. They say demonstrations will continue until the army accepts the reforms.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/164996.html
26 sep 2011, 09:40 , Respect -
Maria 14 febr 2011
Egyptian Paper: Mubarak In A Coma
Dr. Ahmad Shafiq, the acting head of the temporary Egyptian Government, stated that former Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, is currently in a coma in his residence in Sharm Al Sheikh Egyptian report, and that a decision to move him to a local or international hospital was not made yet.
Shafiq also stated that all minister of the former government with warrants against their departure from Egypt, are still in the country.
He stated that Mubarak went into a coma on Saturday, only two days after he and a number of his family members left Cairo to Sharm Al Sheikh.
According to Al-Masry Al-Youm Egyptian daily, Mubarak lost consciousness after he recorded a statement officially appointing his deputy, Omar Suleiman, to run the government until elections are held.
Forced to resign after 18 days of continuous massive protests by the Egyptians demanding his resignation and comprehensive reforms, Mubarak headed to Sharm Al Sheikh last Thursday. He fell ill on Saturday.
According to some Egyptian reports, Mubarak lost consciousness twice while recording his statement that was published by the official Egyptian TV on Thursday evening.
Al Masry Al Youm reported Saturday that the German government denied reports of an Egyptian proposal to move Mubarak to the country for medical treatment.
Mubarak has been under preventive medical intervention since 2010, and underwent several surgeries, including the removal of his gallbladder and benign tumor in his intestines.
http://bit.ly/gMWyHc
'Israeli, US meddling' angers Egyptians
Shortly after the victory of Egypt's popular revolution, the pro-democracy protesters urge any future government to prevent foreign interference in the country's domestic affairs.
People have refused to leave the streets ever since Friday, when three-decade-long President Hosni Mubarak handed power over to the Supreme Council of the Egyptian Armed Forces, giving in to 18 straight days of demonstrations. The people have urged the new military rulers to hand over power to a civilian government as soon as possible.
We are not with America or any other government. We are able to help ourselves. We don't need America, France or Israel. We have proved that we have a high degree of knowledge. If America needs help we can help. We are greater than the US, said one protester.
Downplaying the popular outrage on January 25, when the uprising began, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton rated the North African ally's government as a stable one. Later, however, Washington supported transition of power to the people as the protests gathered momentum.
The protesters also called on the future government not to undermine its legitimacy by recognizing Israel.
I don't think that Israel is a state. I don't believe in it. Israel is just an occupation. I personally, as an Egyptian, do not acknowledge the existence of Israel. Any Arab government that deals with Israel or works under Israel I do not acknowledge it either, he added.
The former government endorsed Israel as a 'state' in a sign of allegiance to Washington and has invariably cooperated with Tel Aviv's crippling siege of the Gaza Strip by closing its Rafah border-crossing with Gaza, which is the enclave's only terminal that bypasses Israel.
We are not with America. We are Egyptian and we can decide our fate on our own. We do not acknowledge any other foreign government to say that they will decide any fate for us. Only we decide, said another rallier.
The revolution followed one in Tunisia, which ended the 23-year-long rule of ousted President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Tunis kept a close relationship with Paris, which had reportedly ordered for weapons and riot control equipment to be sent to Tunisia to curb the as popular uprising.
We are against the US interfering in Egypt's establishment of a democratic government. We are against any foreign interference. We are against the involvement of America and France in our affairs, said another demonstrator.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/165272.html
'Quake in Arab world' puzzles Netanyahu
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has cast doubt on the future of the political situation in the Middle East following recent changes in the region.
"An earthquake is rocking the Arab and Muslim world, and we still don't know how things will end," Ynetnews quoted Netanyahu as saying at a swearing-in ceremony for new chief of staff of the military, Major General Benny Gantz.
The Israeli premier was referring to the ouster of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Tunisian President Zine El Abidine Ben Ali.
Netanyahu also praised the new commander, saying, "You have all the skills to succeed in this important mission."
General Gantz replaced former military chief Gabi Ashkenazi, who is accused of ethical and professional deficiencies and could no longer work with Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
The collapse of the Egyptian president has caused Israel to fear losing a key ally, which has cooperated with Tel Aviv in suppressing the Palestinian people.
Egyptian protesters, who gathered in Liberation Square for the 21st consecutive day on Monday, have called on the army to fulfill its promises following its takeover of power.
The ruling military council said it intends to retain power for six months or longer and govern by decree while the presidential election is being scheduled.
This comes while polls have shown that the majority of Egyptians do not want to have relations with Israel and the United States.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/165215.html
US military chief reassures Israel after Egypt revolt
JERUSALEM (AFP) -- The top US military commander reassured Israeli leaders on Monday that military ties between the allies remain as strong as ever in the face of the changes sweeping the Middle East.
US Joint Chiefs of Staff chairman Admiral Mike Mullen was dispatched to Israel and Jordan to reassure them the fall of veteran Western ally Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak after 18 days of mass protests would not affect the US alliance system in the region.
"The connection and the relationship with the Israeli Defense Forces goes back decades," Mullen said ahead of a meeting with President Shimon Peres.
"The strength of this relationship is something that we both depend on, and it's particularly relevant in these very difficult times," Mullen said, alluding to the events in Egypt and Tunisia.
Israel has been fearful that the events unfolding in Egypt could lead to the unraveling of the 1979 peace treaty between the two countries, a cornerstone of Israel's defense policy.
And Israel was critical of the United States for supporting the pro-democracy protests, saying that Mubarak had been instrumental in preserving the treaty and stability in the region.
Israel's fears were eased slightly when Mubarak handed power to the military, which said in a statement on Saturday that Cairo would continue to respect all its treaties, including with Israel.
But Israel still fears that a hostile Islamic regime could emerge from the turmoil.
The United States, which helped broker the peace deal is the main guarantor of the pact, giving both countries billions in aid, much of it military.
Peres reiterated how important US support was for Israel.
"For us, the US is the best friend we have and we are full of respect for the American military and see it as one of the most important institutions. The greatness of the US is that you draw strength from giving and not from taking," he said.
During his visit, Mullen met Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, their offices said without giving details of the talks.
He also attended a ceremony in which Lieutenant General Benny Gantz took over as armed forces chief of staff.
Before arriving in Israel, Mullen met Jordan's King Abdullah II and chief of staff Lieutenant General Meshaal al-Zabn.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=360145
Up to 150 Palestinians stranded in Egypt
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma'an) -- A Palestinian stranded in the Egyptian city of El-Arish said Monday that up to 150 Gaza residents were waiting for the Rafah crossing to open to return to the Gaza Strip.
Egyptian authorities closed the Rafah border crossing when mass anti-government protests erupted across Egypt in late January. The demonstrations led to the ouster of veteran strongman Hosni Mubarak on Friday. Mubarak handed power to the military, but the interim Egyptian government has yet to reopen the border terminal.
Gaza resident Anwar Abu Matar headed a delegation to the Cairo International Book Fair, which was canceled due to the uprising. He said his group was stranded in Egypt.
A delegation of Palestinians who attended a prisoners' conference in Morocco was also in Egypt waiting for the crossing to open, he said.
Matar noted that Palestinians could not travel between districts in Egypt, while all other foreign nationals could.
He appealed to the new Egyptian leadership and the Palestinian Authority to resolve the issue.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=359988
Mullen: Ties with Egypt haven't changed
Chairman of US Joint Chiefs of Staff bids farewell to outgoing IDF Chief Gabi Ashkenazi, estimates his country's relations with Egyptian military leaders will remain strong.
Chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Michael Mullen, who was present Monday at the swearing-in ceremony http://bit.ly/h0SX7h of Israel Defense Forces Chief of Staff Benny Gantz, estimated that his country's relations with the Egyptian military leadership would remain strong. http://bit.ly/fzCpjY
Mullen, who congratulated his good friend and outgoing Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, said that the relations with the Egyptian army haven't changed and that "maintaining a friendship at such a challenging time is very important."
He said there were many challenges and difficulties in the new situation and that the American military leaders continued to maintain close contact with their counterparts in the Egyptian army.
Mullen said he had met with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and discussed "the current challenges".
Meanwhile Monday, Egypt's military delivered an ultimatum http://bit.ly/euby9M to dozens of committed protesters in Tahrir Square, nerve-centre of a movement that toppled Hosni Mubarak, to leave and let life get back to normal or face arrest. http://bit.ly/dUwwg4
Some protesters insisted on staying in Cairo's central square, determined to see through their demands for civilian rule and a free, democratic system.
"We have half an hour left, we are cordoned by military police," protester Yahya Saqr told Reuters. "We are discussing what to do now," he said, adding that a senior officer "told us we have one hour to empty the square or we will be arrested."
Protest leaders say Egyptians will demonstrate again if their demands for radical change are not met. They plan a huge "Victory March" on Friday to celebrate the revolution, and perhaps remind the military of the power of the street.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4028332,00.html
Friedman: White House disgusted with Israel
Senior New York Times columnist describes Israeli cabinet as 'out-of-touch, in-bred, unimaginative and cliché-driven'; says Jerusalem unable to adjust to changes in Egypt.
The Israeli cabinet is cliché-driven and Jerusalem used the crisis in Egypt to score propaganda points to the point where the White House was disgusted with Israeli interlocutors, New York Times columnist Thomas Friedman wrote Sunday.
Friedman, who visited Cairo following the recent uprising, described the Israeli government as out-of-touch, in-bred and unimaginative. He expressed concern over Israel's future due to its inability to adjust to changes in the region as it sided with Mubarak until the very last moment.
Instead of listening to what the democracy youth in Tahrir Square were saying, Friedman says, the Israeli government frantically called the White House telling the president he must not abandon Pharaoh and "used the opportunity to score propaganda points: 'Look at us! Look at us! We told you so! We are the only stable country in the region, because we are the only democracy.'"
End of Mubarak era
Friedman continues: "Israel's government seemed oblivious to the irony of its message: 'We are your only reliable ally because we are a democracy and whatever you do don't abandon Mubarak and open the way there for democracy.'"
He admits that Israel's concerns are valid "The peace treaty with Egypt has been the cornerstone of Israeli strategy and economic growth for 30 years", but claims the way Jerusalem was handling itself wasn't not helping.
"When young Egyptians looked around the region and asked: Who is with us in this quest and who is not?, the two big countries they knew were against them were Israel and Saudi Arabia. The children of Egypt were having their liberation moment and the children of Israel decided to side with Pharaoh."
Friedman argues that Israel will ultimately have no choice but "to make peace with 80 million Egyptians" when a democracy is established in Cairo.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4028189,00.html
27 sep 2011, 20:44 , Respect -
Maria 16 febr 2011
Ahronoth: Israel allowed Egypt to deploy forces in the Sinai
OCCUPIED JERUSALEM, (PIC)-- Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper said Wednesday that Israel raised its military cooperation with Cairo by allowing the latter to deploy its forces in the Sinai Peninsula to protect installations and gas pipelines.
The Israeli premier's office refused to confirm or deny this news, according to the newspaper.
It added that Israel would allow Egyptian forces to be stationed in the Sinai for a specific period of time in order to be able to control the rebellion of local Bedouin tribes.
Ahronoth affirmed that former intelligence director Omar Suleiman asked Israel at the outset of the events in Egypt to allow 3,500 Egyptian soldiers to be deployed in the Sinai in order to protect Mubarak's residence in Sharm Asheikh and other government buildings in Rafah area.
http://bit.ly/gUXHV6
Gaza's Mubarak hospital renamed
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- A hospital in Gaza named after Egypt's deposed president has been renamed, officials said Wednesday.
The Hosni Mubarak Children's Hospital in Khan Younis will now be known as Tahrir Hospital, the health minister in Gaza said.
Cairo's Tahrir square was a gathering point for the millions of Egyptians whose 19-day uprising brought down Egypt's regime.
Yousef Al-Mudalal said that "a decision was taken on this issue and the change was delivered to all relevant departments."
Al-Mudalal added, "Through their revolution, Hosni Mubarak was ousted by Egypt's people. So we won't cling to him."
The hospital was established during the late president Yasser Arafat's administration. Arafat proposed the name in gratitude for Mubarak's efforts in supporting peace talks and the Oslo accords in 1993.
Linked to Nasser medical complex, it houses wards for maternity, nursery, and physiotherapy.
Israel has also backed away from the former Egyptian leader.
The Nation reported Monday that Mubarak was cropped out of a photo in the Israeli Prime Minister's Office at least four days before the Western-backed regime fell last week.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=360491
29 sep 2011, 16:53 , Respect -
Maria 17 febr 2011
Report: Mubarak refused to talk to Obama
Al-Quds al-Arabi says former Egyptian leader felt 'humiliated' by US president's call to resign.
Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak refused to accept a phone call from US President Barack Obama, the London-based al-Quds al-Arabi reported Thursday.
The report says Mubarak feels "humiliated and embittered at Obama's most recent statement about the need for him to resign immediately", so he rejected the call.
The report adds that the former president is residing at his palace in Sharm el-Sheikh and maintaining a similar lifestyle, though he has hired additional guards.
Israel has also approved the entry of two Egyptian army battalions into the southernmost Sinai city in order to help guard the palace.
Mubarak's health is deteriorating rapidly, the report says, and has been since he was forced to leave his Cairo residence. Saudi King Abdullah has offered him asylum in his country, but the former leader refused, saying he would like to die on Egyptian land.
In addition, Mubarak continues to employ the aides who worked under him during his term as president, the report says, adding that the military has apparently "decided to grant Mubarak an honorable
resignation" as no one has threatened him with charges of unlawful activity, though other officials have been accused of corruption.
Meanwhile, CBS has broadcast footage of Mubarak leaving Cairo by chopper, apparently on his way to Sharm el-Sheikh. The footage was apparently filmed last week, immediately after Mubarak relayed power to his deputy, Omar Suleiman.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4030262,00.html
30 sep 2011, 12:27 , Respect -
Maria 18 febr 2011
Abu Marzouk: Egyptian paper is no longer valid after ousting Egypt's regime
DAMASCUS, (PIC)-- Dr. Mousa Abu Marzouk, the deputy-head of Hamas's political bureau, said on Thursday that the Egyptian paper proposed for Palestinian national reconciliation is no longer valid after the revolution in Egypt ousted Mubarak's regime.
The paper, according to Hamas, was full of vague items that forced the Movement to raise a number of reservations on it but the deposed Egyptian regime insisted that Hamas should sign it without further changes.
"Dealing with the Egyptian paper at this point of time isn`t possible after the dramatic political changes in Egypt that toppled the regime of Husni Mubarak, and I think it is about time for the Palestinian people in the West Bank to move against the practices of Abbas's authority there", said Abu Marzouk in an interview with the PIC.
He added that the big political changes in Egypt will have a strong impact on the entire Arab world, especially the Palestinian issue, and thus, the way we should deal with the Egyptian paper should also change in light with the compromises the PLO made as far as the Palestinian legal rights are concerned.
"We think that a big change would occur on the Egyptian foreign policies especially in dealing with the Palestinian issue, and therefore, the consultations on how to deal with the PLO's compromises will take different dimensions", the Hamas official underlined.
Reacting to calls by certain quarters affiliated with Fatah faction urging the people of Gaza to revolt against Hamas, Abu Marzouk said:" Revolution is good if it indeed expressed the people's will, but in Gaza only dozens heeded the call that indeed indicates that there was no popular will to revolt against the legitimate government".
He underscored that the West Bank which is under the Israeli occupation and which has been torn up by occupation roadblocks, in addition to the presence of an oppressive Palestinian authority that fights the Palestinian resistance, is in need of popular movement although there are such movement needs additional factors for it to surface.
Furthermore, Abu Marzouk linked the political developments in Tunisia and Egypt in addition to the secret documents published by Al-Jazeera satellite TV channel on the Palestinian Authority betrayal of the Palestinian people's legal rights and constants put the PA an unpleasant position that made it to escape forward and take preemptive steps including calling for general elections and the resignation of Saeb Erikat, the former chief PLO negotiator, describing such step as "tranquilizers" to the Palestinian people.
In this regard, Abu Marzouk explained that the fact the PA in the West Bank lacks credibility and legitimacy making it ineligible to conduct general elections, and the fact that the Palestinian political division is still unresolved, in addition to the internal struggle between Fatah faction and the PA and within Fatah itself make the election process practically impossible.
Abu Marzouk further said that his Movement supports holding elections being a popular obligation but he stressed that the elections must be conducted in a better atmosphere to ensure credibility, transparency, and honesty.
http://bit.ly/f64cZd
West Bank youth watch Egypt and wonder: could it happen here?
Young people of Nablus closely follow unrest across region as city celebrates removal of notorious checkpoint.
I went to Nablus in the West Bank this week to try to find out whether young people there were in revolutionary mood similar to their counterparts across the Middle East.
But before I even spoke to anyone, I was struck by the bustling and relaxed atmosphere in the city, famous not so long ago for its suicide bombers and nightly incursions by the Israeli military to round up militants and demolish the homes of their families.
The economic revival across the West Bank, and increased security control by Palestinian Authority forces, has included Nablus in its sweep. And earlier this week the Israeli authorities dismantled the notorious Hawara checkpoint at the entrance to the city, http://bit.ly/gJeCLo where Palestinians seeking access to or from the city - for work, study, shopping, family visits, medical treatment - were kept waiting, often for several hours. Many were denied passage.
Traffic - both vehicles and people on foot %u2013 now flows freely. Other checkpoints and roadblocks are still in place around the city, but the dismantling of the symbolic and hated Hawara barrier has been welcomed by locals. Not so the inhabitants of nearby Jewish settlements, who have bitterly criticised the move, saying it compromises their security.
In Nablus itself, young Palestinians I spoke to were full of admiration for their Egyptian brothers and sisters but doubtful about whether similar pro-democracy protests were in prospect in the West Bank.
Officially, of course, there already is democracy here - the Palestinian Authority (PA) has just announced that long overdue elections for the presidency and legislature will take place by September http://bit.ly/hMcqmb (though it has also warned they may be postponed again if Hamas boycotts them). But democracy means more than elections: freedom of expression, freedom of assembly, a free press, equality and so on. http://bit.ly/eba96U
The Hawara cehckpoint as it used to be.
Several of those I spoke to glanced over their shoulders to see who might be taking an interest in our conversation, and some were reluctant to give their full names. The PA is thought to have recruited a network of informants, reporting on dissent among neighbours, friends and even family. Hardly a hallmark of democracy.
"People here are afraid to express themselves," said Ahmed, 18, a civil engineering student at the local university. But, he added, internet sites were buzzing with congratulations for the Egyptian protesters.
Asked if pro-democracy protests could spread to the West Bank, Mahmoud, 27, said: "Inshallah [if God wills it]. I'm not against the PA, I'm against oppression." He was held by PA security forces for six months, and then released without charge, and the experience had embittered him.
But, he said, "the situation here in Palestine is very different compared to Egypt because of the occupation. We feel we have no chance to change the situation. The Israelis are always trying to restrict or prevent change."
Across the Arab world, he said, young people faced the same problems: lack of economic opportunity, absence of social recreation and inhibitions on political expression.
Youssef Qarqesh, 24, said people's biggest concern was to end the division between Fatah in the West Bank and Hamas in Gaza. "It affects the way we are seen in the world - other people say if the Palestinians are not united, how can they have their own state?"
He didn't think that an uprising along Egyptian lines would happen in the West Bank. "It's completely different. In Egypt there was a tyranny - they had no choice but revolution. Here we are an occupied people."
Mohammed, 22, a recent graduate who now works in his father's glass shop, said: "They say that the PA will do things better here after Egypt, to reduce the pressure on people." The lack of job opportunities was the main problem, he said. "The vast majority of people graduate from university and then sit at home."
Could that prompt unrest in the West Bank? "Things will happen if the pressure continues," he said.
Naim al Rajabi, a 19-year-old studying to be an anaesthesia technician, said young people were not organised but there was some political expression on Facebook groups. What happened in Egypt, he said, was the result of a "hidden rage for 30 years".
Corruption in "the system" meant that if you didn't know the right people, it was difficult to get work, he said. "I can't feel optimistic while we're living under occupation. But if people revolt, they will revolt against both Israel and the PA. This is what I expect."
On Thursday, hundreds of Palestinians protested in Ramallah to demand reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas http://bit.ly/fhVG5m . It was organised on social networking sites, such as Facebook and Twitter, "to bring down divisions". Those behind this week's protest are said to be co-ordinating with people in Gaza.
Both the PA and Hamas usually prevent or break up demonstrations that they have not called. That may be changing as political leaders cast an eye over their shoulders at what happened in Egypt and Tunisia, and what is now happening elsewhere in the region. As across the Arab world, the Palestinian territories have a large proportion of young people who frustrated by economic, social and political restrictions.
The Israeli military is reported to be preparing for the possibility of dozens of simultaneous protests against the Israeli occupation across the West Bank, although it anticipates that any wide-scale movement would not take off until the autumn.http://bit.ly/h384cJ But one lesson of the past few weeks is that it's impossible to predict what might happen.
http://bit.ly/f3UxE7
3 oct 2011, 07:02 , Respect -
Maria 19 febr 2011
14 Palestinians released from Egyptian custody
GAZA CITY (Ma`an) -- Egyptian authorities released 14 Palestinian prisoners who were arrested on the Gaza-Egypt border, a detainees affairs official said Saturday morning.
Imad Al-Sayyed told Ma'an that the prisoners were released Friday night from the Al-Aqrab and Burj Al-Arab prisons in Cairo.
Their release has been confirmed and they are en route to the Gaza Strip, Al-Sayyed said adding that there were 19 others Palestinians who remained behind bars in Egypt.
Egyptian authorities said Saturday that they would briefly open the Rafah border crossing into Gaza.
The border will open to allow Palestinians stranded in Egypt to return to their homes for the first time since Egypt's uprising began.
Hundreds of Palestinians from Gaza are in Egypt - either at the airport or nearby. Many were turned back because their transfer documents to enter Gaza did not contain appropriate permits to remain in Egypt.
Ghazi Hamad, head of the Gaza crossings authority, said Friday that the Rafah terminal would initially open in one direction. He added that efforts were underway to open it permanently.
The Palestinian ambassador in Cairo, Barakat Al-Farra said the embassy demanded that the crossing open in both directions for medical cases.
The crossing was to open Saturday from 11:00 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Rafah, the only entrance into Gaza that bypasses Israel, has been closed since anti-government protests erupted in Egypt and led to the overthrow of president Hosni Mubarak.
Before he stepped down, Mubarak handed power to a military junta, and Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi has become the country's de facto leader.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=361363
4 oct 2011, 12:55 , Respect -
Maria 21 febr 2011
Abu Marzouk: Israel most concerned over Egypt power shift
DAMASCUS, (PIC)-- Dr. Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy chief in Hamas's politburo said Israel is most concerned of repercussions following the shift of power in Egypt.
That is because peace agreements were left undefined after the Egyptians ousted the ruling regime.
"Israel fears Arab regimes will turn towards democracy, which will change positions on the Israeli occupation as time passes, Abu Marzouk said in an interview Monday with Palestine Today.
Abu Marzouk added that the fall of the former Egyptian regime had cast its shadow on the West Bank-ruling Fatah authority, and cost it its main support.
"The Arabs and Muslims are living in a new era and vigorous aspirations for full freedom and an end to humiliation and oppression they lived in for a long period.
"The Arabs managed to break the barrier in the face of oppressive regimes forcing them to change and respond to just popular aspirations, he said, adding that reforms should have a direct reflection on the Palestinian cause.
"There is still much scramble between forces of change and conservative forces, and the barrier of fear has fallen. The Arabs are living a new stage leaning towards freedom and ending favoritism and longtime rule, and the depletion of wealth for western interests, and consumption of political attitudes and relations with Israel.
"The change process has been launched and will turn back its wheels. The revolution had changed decades of dictatorship and will constrained by colonialism, he said, adding that current changes will show face on the entire region, with Palestine at the forefront.
Separately, Abu Marzouk said Hamas's take on Egypt's papers had changed radically after leaked documents revealed the Palestinian Authority had offered unprecedented concessions in negotiations with Israel.
He maintained that reconciliation remains a national priority.
http://bit.ly/erEY1f
5 oct 2011, 15:51 , Respect -
Maria 22 febr 2011
Telegraph: Hosni's removal raised Israel's fears about its cold peace with Egypt
LONDON, (PIC)-- The British newspaper Daily Telegraph stated that Egypt and Israel maintained a stable cold peace in the past 33 years, but the removal of Hosni Mubarak raised Israel's fears about its relations with Egypt.
Daily Telegraph on Monday said that Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu accused Iran of trying to exploit the unrest in the region and expand its influence through sending two warships to Syria.
The newspaper quoted Netanyahu as saying that Israel has to increase its defense budget because of the Arab uprisings in the region, especially if Iran utilized these events to get stronger.
It stressed that Egypt's decision to allow the two Iranian ships to cross Suez Canal for the first time since 1979 is an indication that Cairo wants to end tension and estrangement with Tehran, the thing which Israel considers a change in the balance of power in the region.
http://bit.ly/dIlh9N
Mubarak and the Fall of the Zionist Running Dogs!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ok_ITfeUEY8
Good riddance to Mubarak and all Zionist Running Dogs. The revolution is coming, not just to the Mideast but to the whole world against International Zionism and Globalism.
10 oct 2011, 01:33 , Respect -
Maria 1 mrt 2011
Gaza man lands in Khan Younis after being released from Egypt prison
GAZA, (PIC)-- Nabil Mansur al-Bashiti, 38, landed in the Gaza Strip Monday evening after he was released from Egyptian detention.
After the turn of power in Egypt, another Palestinian had reportedly been freed, but more than 37 others are apparently becoming more and more desparate.
Bashiti was released from the notorious Aqrab prison after serving one year of a 15 year sentence, our correspondent says, adding that he has arrived at his Khan Younis home warmly welcomed by the public.
Meanwhile, disgruntled detainees not yet freed have threatened to set themselves ablaze and clash with the prison administration as prisons under the changed regime fail to implement court decisions ruling that they be released.
Our children detained in Egyptian jails, particularly in the Al-Aqrab prison, have gotten rulings for their release, but none of them have been released, said Emad al-Sayyid, the spokesman for the association of families of Palestinians detained in Egypt. They have gone on their twelfth straight day of hunger strike.
Our children had begun wrapping on doors and yelling intensely until security tried to raid ward 4, Sayyid said. Our children then threatened to clash with security and burn themselves alive if their departments were raided.
http://bit.ly/hcRuAB
Gaza man returns home from Egyptian prison
GAZA CITY (Ma'an) -- A Palestinian man detained in Egypt for a year and a half returned home to the southern Gaza city of Khan Younis on Monday, after an early release from prison.
Palestinian sources in Gaza identified the man as Nabil Mansour Al-Basheety, 38, and confirmed that he was the 9th Palestinian to be released from Egyptian prison since the revolution in that country succeeded in ousting former President Hosni Mubarak.
During the revolution, 14 Palestinians were released. All had been detained at the Egypt-Gaza border since 2007.
Al-Basheety was sentenced to 15 years incarceration for involvement with resistance groups, and had been appealing for release.
At least four of the freed Palestinians escaped from Egyptian prisons, when thousands broke out of jails across the country amid an absence of police and chaos sparked by nationwide riots demanding the end of Mubarak's regime.
On their return, many of the prisoners said they were detained without being told what charges were laid against them.
Mu'tasem Al-Quka, jailed seven years in Abu Za'bal prison, escaped in early February. He told Ma'an that many Palestinians were with him in the prison, eight of them from Hamas and Islamic Jihad.
http://bit.ly/giTB0g
12 oct 2011, 13:18 , Respect -
Maria 2 mrt 2011
Palestinian detainees in Egypt go on twelfth day of hunger strike
GAZA, (PIC)-- Palestinians held in Egyptian prisons have gone on their twelfth day of hunger strike as they demand freedom after the power shift in the country and court rulings that they should be released.
Around 44 Palestinians remain inside the prisons after the Egyptian revolution that ousted former president Hosni Mubarak, although eight had escaped amid unrest across the country and reached Gaza soil.
The recipient of power there, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, had announced it would release 14 detainees, but has only released two so far.
Palestinians held at the notorious Aqrab prison had begun banging on prison doors Monday and screaming for their freedom, said Emad al-Sayyid spokesperson for the association of families of Palestinians detained in Egyptian prisons.
They had threatened to burn themselves alive if they were not set free, Sayyid told the Quds Press.
Deputy Speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council Ahmed Bahr has called upon the Egyptian armed forces chief Al-Mushir Mohammed Hussein Tantawi to set free the Palestinians detained in Egypt.
According to Nabil Mansour al-Batishi, who had been officially released from Egypt on Monday, four Palestinians who had managed to escape the Abu Zabel prison during the revolution were found by helicopters and arrested.
He added to the Safa news agency that those prisoners were known to have been subjected to severe torture during their arrest.
http://bit.ly/hNYsog