- 26 apr 2011
86 Palestinians enter Gaza from Cairo airport
CAIRO (Ma'an) -- The Palestinian embassy in Egypt announced Tuesday that 86 Palestinians were allowed to land at the Cairo International Airport.
Airport staff escorted the group to the Rafah crossing and facilitated their return to the Gaza Strip
The embassy warned travelers trying to enter Gaza that Cairo's airport would be closed from Thursday until Monday.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=382317
Rezka: Haneyya expected to head to Egypt
GAZA, (PIC)-- Dr. Yousef Rezqa, political advisor to Palestinian Prime Minister Ismail Haneyya, has told the PIC he expects Haneyya will tour Egypt and other Arab states in the near future.
There are so far no initial arrangements for a specific date for [Haneyya's] visit to Cairo or any other Arab countries, but we expect it will be in the near future, Rezqa said Monday night.
His previously announced willingness to visit Egypt means that the conditions that came between him and visiting Cairo or visiting other Arab states have changed since the removal and departure of the regime of Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak.
What prevents the current visit are the current circumstances in Egypt, Rezqa said. Cairo is being reshaped, and there is a new way of dealing with the Palestinian government in Gaza.
Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya told Al-Quds Al-Arabi that the Egypt visit was on the table. I believe that the visit issue is not tied to the acceptance or refusal of parties. It is somewhat tied to Palestine's condition and the nature of the siege and the desire to end the siege, he said.
A delegation from Hamas recently made a diplomatic visit to Cairo after the Egyptian switch of power that followed revolutionary popular protests. Stronger ties between the neighboring states have been anticipated following the change.
Separately, Muqaddam Ayyub Abu Shaar, the general-director of the Rafah land crossing on Gaza's border with Egypt has called on the Egyptian revolutionary parties and Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, the recipient of power after former regime toppled, to find a solution for Palestinians who Egypt has blocked from travel through the crossing.
In the same statement televised Monday evening, Abu Shaar expressed hope that the Rafah border crossing would soon be opened commercially.
Abu Shaar confirmed that several names have been listed as security concerns for Egypt and have been banned from travel through the border crossing.
The Foreign Ministry and border and crossings authority has made contact with competent authorities in Cairo on a daily basis, but the Palestinian travel ban is still at a standstill despite the fall of state security in Egypt and the departure of its members from the Egyptian side of the crossing.
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Poll: More than half of Egyptians want to cancel peace treaty with Israel
Only 36 percent of Egyptians are in favor of maintaining the treaty, according to U.S.-based polling company.
More than half of all Egyptians would like to see the 1979 peace treaty with Israel annulled, according to results of a poll conducted by the U.S.-based Pew Research Center released Monday.
According to the poll results, only 36 percent of Egyptians are in favor of maintaining the treaty, compared with 54 percent who would like to see it scrapped.
The poll highlights the deep unpopularity of the three-decade-old treaty, which was scrupulously adhered to by former President Hosni Mubarak, who was ousted February 11.
The poll, based on interviews with 1,000 Egyptians around the country, was conducted between March 24 and April 7 as part of the Spring 2011 Pew Global. Attitudes survey that was conducted in 22 countries. The poll has a sampling error of plus or minus 4 percentage points.
Opinions varied according to income, with 60 percent of lower income Egyptians supporting the treaty's cancellation while only 45 percent of the wealthier classes thinking it should be done away with.
Only 40 percent of Egyptians with a college education thought the treaty should be scrapped, as well.
The poll also revealed that most Egyptians are optimistic about where the country is headed following the 18-day popular uprising, and they look forward to greater democracy in their country.
The country's youth-led pro-democracy movement, which rocked Egypt and reworked the political environment, had a dramatic effect on people's attitudes. The polls show a major rise in optimism and changing of national priorities.
In 2007, Egyptian were evenly split over which was more important, a strong leader or democracy, but in the recent poll 64 percent rated democracy higher.
Egyptians remained quite split on just who they wanted to lead them as new political forces emerge after the decades of repression. In September, elections will be held for a new parliament after the one overwhelmingly dominated by Mubarak's ruling party was dissolved.
The conservative Islamist Muslim Brotherhood and the largely secular April 6 movement - two groups closely involved in the uprising, had the highest approval ratings in society, with over 70 percent seeing them in a very or somewhat favorable light.
People also overwhelmingly approved of the army, which forced out Mubarak and is currently in the control of the country.
Of those whose names have been put forward as possible candidates for the upcoming November presidential elections, former Arab League head Amr Moussa was the most popular, with 89 percent giving him a very or somewhat favorable rating.
Former presidential candidate Ayman Nour trailed with a 70 percent rating while Nobel Prize Laureate and reform leader Mohamed ElBaradei only had 57 percent rating.
The United States continued to garner low approval ratings, with only 20 percent of Egyptians seeing it in a positive light, up from 17 percent in 2010.
Only 15 percent of those interviewed thought Egypt should have closer relations with the U.S. - as opposed to 43 percent who though the two countries could use some distance.
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4 mar 2012, 20:29 , Respect -
Maria 27 apr 2011
Egypt questions ex-ministers on Israel gas deal
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SeBbbBVacAo
Two former Egyptian ministers are to face trial for selling natural gas to Israel at a low price.
Sameh Fahmi and Mahmud Latif along with some others, are accused of costing the North African nation over 700 million dollars in losses because of exporting gas to Israel at a price lower than international rates, jeopardizing their own nation's interests.
Abdullah al-Ashel is the former deputy to the foreign minister of Egypt and blames the old regime for creating a culture of corruption.
Palestinian residents of Cairo welcome Egypt's new approach to handling business deals with Israel.
Roqayah is a member of the Al-Quds Club at the American University of Cairo and sees hope for Palestine as post-Hosni Mubarak.
While Egypt's interim government has moved to reassess certain deals with Israel, some seem to have taken matters into their own hands.
The pipeline in the Sinai which has supplied 40 percent of Israel's energy needs was blown up, halting deliveries.
Cairo University students were also loud and clear about the country's dealings with Israel as they staged an angry protest outside the Israeli embassy.
In post-revolution Egypt, many see some real discretion to support neighboring Palestine.
Many protesters have vowed to continue their fight until the Egyptian authorities decide to sever all ties with Israel. They are planning mass demonstrations in the coming weeks to mark the Palestinian Naqba, or Catastrophe of 1948.
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Egypt hosts initial signing of Palestinian reconciliation deal
CAIRO, (PIC)-- Egypt has hosted the first signing of a reconciliation deal between Hamas and Fatah, senior Hamas politburo official Izzat al-Resheq tells the PIC.
Egypt will invite various factions to sign the final agreement within the week in the presence of Hamas politburo chairman Khalid Mishaal and Fatah chief Mahmoud Abbas.
He said a press conference will be held at 8pm concerning the issue.
Head of the Palestinian center for studies Ibrahim Al-Derrawi said that delegations from Hamas and Fatah factions resumed on Wednesday the inter-Palestinian reconciliation talks in Cairo.
Derrawi added member of Hamas's political bureau Mousa Abu Marzouk and senior Fatah official Azzam Al-Ahmed led their delegations.
Sources told the PIC on Wednesday that the parties came to understanding on many pending issues related to Palestinian reconciliation.
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Cairo holds massive anti-Israel rally
Thousands of Egyptian Protesters have gathered in front of the Israeli embassy in the capital Cairo demanding an end to ties with the Tel Aviv regime.
The demonstration originated from the nearby Cairo University.
The protesters demanded that the Egyptian government abruptly sever all ties with Israel.
The protesters have also called for a freeze on all gas exports to Tel Aviv.
They have threatened to continue massive protest rallies if the current government does not move to cut off ties with the Israeli regime.
The new development is the latest in a series of major protest rallies that led to the downfall of the decades-long ruler Hosni Mubarak.
Under the US-backed Mubarak regime, Egypt consistently served Israeli interests and objectives by helping to impose a total blockade on the impoverished Gaza strip after the democratically elected Hamas government took control of the territory in 2007. The crippling blockade on the territory has triggered a humanitarian crisis.
A major Egyptian political party, the Muslim Brotherhood (MB), has recently demanded that the country's Supreme Council of the Armed Forces takes immediate measures in breaking the siege of Gaza.
Egypt's political parties say the Gaza blockade serves American and Israeli objectives in the region and threatens regional stability and independence.
Meanwhile, Israeli officials have been repeatedly threatening to launch a fresh major offensive against Gaza.
The Israelis boast that the next Gaza onslaught could be even more destructive than the previous one at the turn of 2009, which killed over 1,400 Palestinians, most of them civilians, including many women and children.
http://www.presstv.com/detail/177032.html
Nine Palestinians released from Egyptian prisons
GAZA, (PIC)-- Egypt released noon Wednesday nine Palestinians held in the Qanatir prison after they were promised to be released last Monday.
Imad al-Sayyid, spokesman for the committee of families of prisoners in Egypt, confirmed to the Palestinian Information Center that the men are already on their way home to the Gaza Strip.
Sayyid said the nine men released were Palestinians. Three of them were nabbed on political accusations, and the other six were suspected of smuggling goods from Egypt through secret tunnels, he said.
He added that Egyptian authorities promised about a week ago to release the men, but that was delayed until Wednesday because of holidays celebrating the liberation of the Sinai Peninsula.
23 more Palestinians remain detained in Egyptian prisons, Sayyid added.
He said there is news on the release of three others from the notorious Al-Aqrab prison, information he said has not yet been confirmed.
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Egypt gas pipe hit, flow to Israel halted
'Unknown armed gang' in Sinai peninsula blows up pipeline supplying gas to Israel, Jordan near Arish city, causing flames to break out, security source says. Authorities halt gas flow to extinguish fire.
Saboteurs blew up a pipeline running through Egypt's North Sinai on Wednesday that supplies gas to Israel and Jordan, a security source told Reuters Wednesday.
"An unknown armed gang attacked the gas pipeline near Arish city," the security source said, adding that the flow of gas to Israel and Jordan had been hit.
"Authorities closed the main source of gas supplying the pipeline and are working to extinguish the fire," the source said, adding there was a tower of flame at the scene.
An earlier attack on the same pipeline, located south of the North Sinai town of el-Arish, was staged on Feb. 5 during an 18-day-uprising that forced Hosni Mubarak from power on Feb. 11.
On Saturday, Egypt's public prosecutor ordered former Energy Minister Sameh Fahmy and six other officials to stand trial on charges of squandering public funds related to the natural gas deal with Israel.
The decision, part of a probe on graft during the 30-year-rule of Mubarak, said the deal in question caused Egypt losses worth more than $714 million and enabled a local businessman to make financial profits.
Israel gets 40 percent of its natural gas from Egypt, a deal built on their landmark 1979 peace accord.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4061005,00.html
4 mar 2012, 20:29 , Respect -
Maria 28 apr 2011
Inside Story: Egypt-Israel diplomacy
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nvUA0HfQ3YY
Egyptians demand severing relations with Israel
CAIRO, (PIC)-- Dozens of Egyptian citizens demonstrated in front of the Israeli embassy in Cairo on Wednesday demanding an end to their country's relations with Israel and to exporting gas to it.
The rally was organized only hours after unknown persons blasted the pipeline in El-Arish that carries Egyptian gas to Israel and Jordan for the second time in three months.
The demonstrators chanted the people want an end to normalization with and an end to natural gas exports to Israel.
The leftist activist and a blogger, Husam al-Hamalawi, said that the rally was in response to Israeli president Shimon Peres's call on the Egyptian youth to normalize relations with Israel after praising their revolution that toppled Hosni Mubarak's regime.
He said that if the Egyptian government did not cut gas exports the people would do it.
The explosion occurred two weeks after the Egyptian authorities decided to re-consider all previous gas deals including that with Israel due to growing complaints that the deals sold Egyptian gas at low prices.
http://fwd4.me/00Qd
Hamas and Fatah sign agreement of understandings in Cairo
CAIRO, (PIC)-- Deputy head of Hamas's political bureau Mousa Abu Marzouk said his Movement reached thorough understandings with Fatah delegation in Cairo and the Palestinian factions would meet on Wednesday to sign the reconciliation agreement.
Abu Marzouk made these remarks in a news conference following his signing of the understandings on Wednesday evening in Cairo.
He stated that full understandings were agreed upon by the delegations of Hamas and Fatah including the formation of a government of independent figures, the resumption of the legislative council work in the West Bank and the holding of elections.
The Hamas official said he signed the understandings agreed upon with Fatah delegation as well as Egypt's reconciliation paper and the next step is to form the government.
For his part, head of Fatah delegation to Cairo Azzam Al-Ahmed expressed his delight to see the Palestinian division come to an end and said Israel started to warn Mahmoud Abbas of signing any agreement in this regard with Hamas.
In the same context, different Palestinian resistance factions hailed Hamas and Fatah for signing an initial agreement of understandings in Cairo on Wednesday.
"We welcome this rapid and important progress in the file of the Palestinian reconciliation and bless the efforts that were made to end the internal division and remove the great suffering caused by the division from the shoulders of our people," senior Islamic Jihad official Khaled Al-Batsh told the Palestinian information center (PIC).
"We call for achieving the reconciliation quickly on the basis of maintaining the national constants, strengthening the Palestinian people's steadfastness, protecting the resistance and closing the file of political arrest," Batsh added.
He also stressed the need for real safeguards protecting the implementation of the reconciliation agreement.
For his part, senior official of the popular front for the liberation of Palestine Rabah Muhanna said that Cairo would invite the factions to engage in talks for two days and agree on the formation of a government assigned to prepare for elections within one year.
Khaled Abu Hilal, the head of Ahrar Movement, expressed his confidence in Hamas's ability to reach a reconciliation agreement protecting the resistance and meeting the Palestinian people's aspirations.
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Haneyya, Bahar laud Egypt reconciliation efforts
GAZA, (PIC)-- Gaza Prime Minister Ismail Haneyya has welcomed Egyptian efforts that succeeded in bringing closer the views of Fatah and Hamas and reaching a reconciliation agreement between them.
The premier praised in a brief statement on Wednesday Egypt's efforts to achieve reconciliation, restore unity and end the Gaza siege.
In a brief statement by the Gaza government's media bureau, Prime Minister Ismail Haneyya received a phone call by general director of the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt Dr. Mohammed Badi congratulating him on the deal signed by Fatah and Hamas.
Dr. Ahmed Bahar, deputy speaker of the Palestinian Legislative Council, called the deal a historic event in the life and path of the [Palestinians].
He said it signals a new stage in unity and reconciliation and marks the beginning of a new era of joint national work based on cooperation and mutual respect.
Bahar added that the event represents the beginning of the path in confronting the Israeli occupation and paying attention to major national issues, such as Jewish settlement, the Judaization of Jerusalem, the separation wall, the continued detention of Palestinian prisoners, the Gaza blockade, Israeli aggression and more.
He said it's time to renounce all trivial things and focus on the major national dividers with the aim of restoring respect for the Palestinian cause and cutting the path to all schemes and plots by the Israeli occupier.
Bahar praised both Fatah and Hamas over the signing and thanked Egypt, which hosted the signing, and those who took part in the deal's success.
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Radwan: Implementing reconciliation the practical response to Netanyahu
GAZA, (PIC)-- Dr. Ismail Radwan, a senior Hamas official, said that the proper response to Israeli premier Benjamin Netanyahu's comment on the national reconciliation was to sign and implement it.
Radwan in a press statement on Wednesday said that the practical response should also include insisting on national constants and halting political and security meetings with the Israeli occupation authority.
The Hamas leader said his movement appreciated the Egyptian efforts towards forging reconciliation, adding that the final signing of the agreement would take place next Wednesday in Cairo in the presence of all Palestinian factions, Hamas supreme leader Khaled Mishaal, Palestinian premier in Gaza Ismail Haneyya, and Fatah leader (and de facto president) Mahmoud Abbas.
Netanyahu said that Abbas should choose between peace with Israel and peace with Hamas.
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4 mar 2012, 20:29 , Respect -
Maria 29 apr 2011
Egypt soldier 'killed by Gaza tunnel smugglers'
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma'an) --An Egyptian soldier was killed Friday during a gun battle between forces and smugglers near the Gaza border, officials and medics said.
Egyptian security sources and medics told Ma'an that border guard Muhammad Reda, 22, was shot in the chest during clashes with Egyptian and Palestinian smugglers.
The soldier's body was taken to the El-Arish Hospital, medics said.
Egyptian authorities are investigating the incident, security sources told Ma'an.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=383258
4 mar 2012, 20:29 , Respect -
Maria 30 apr 2011
Egyptian official: Mubarak may face execution
Cairo Justice Ministry officials say deposed president could face death penalty or life imprisonment if convicted of corruption, complicity to murder.
Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak could face execution or life imprisonment if he is convicted of the charges of corruption, complicity to murder, and embezzlement of public funds, Cairo's al-Ahram weekly reported.
Mubarak, who has been hospitalized due to his failing health, has been remanded for an additional 15 days this week.
Egypt's Justice Minister Mohammed al-Gindi told the publication that Mubarak could face the death penalty if he was found guilty of ordering the shooting of demonstrators during the uprisings that brought him down.
El-Guindi blamed Mubarak for the country's widespread corruption during his almost 30-year-rule.
An official Egyptian Prosecution statement said that Mubarak has been questioned on two serious charges: ordering the killing of pro-democracy protesters in Tahrir Square and elsewhere in the country, and orchestrating the sale of Egypt's natural gas to Israel, at very cheap prices.
The questioning of Mubarak came just a few days after several of his defunct ruling National Democratic Party (NDP) senior officials and business tycoons came under investigation on charges of involvement in mass murder, corruption and profiteering.
Mubarak's sons and wife are also under investigation. Mubarak has vehemently denied ever giving orders to open fire on protesters.
An Egyptian committee of inquiry named by the new military governing council to probe the violence which took place during the Egyptian unrest, however, has ruled the statement a lie.
Several judicial experts believe that Mubarak may be executed or jailed for life if convicted of the charges against him. Zakaria Shalash, a legal expert, said Mubarak could face execution if found guilty of ordering the killing of protesters and peddling influence to embezzle public funds.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4062482,00.html
Muslim Brotherhood form political party
Islamist group establishes 'civil party' to contest up to half of parliament seats in September election.
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, the country's powerful opposition movement, announced on Saturday the formation of a party to contest up to half of parliament's seats in a September election.
Mohammed Hussein, the group's secretary general, said at a news conference that the movement's consultative council decided at a meeting to adopt a decision to form the new Freedom and Justice Party.
We have adopted the measures taken by the guidance council regarding the Freedom and Justice Party and adopted its program,he said.
He said the party, which will be headed by the Brotherhood's politburo member Mohammed al-Mursi, will be independent from the Brotherhood but will coordinate with it.
The party will contest only between 45 and 50 percent of seats in an upcoming election in September, the first since a popular revolt in February ousted president Hosni Mubarak.
The Brotherhood ran its candidates as independents in previous elections to circumvent a ban on the group in place since 1954.
It won a fifth of seats in a 2005 election, but fared much worse in a November 2010 election that was widely seen as rigged to favour the former ruling National Democratic Party.
The Brotherhood has sought to allay suspicions fears of an Islamist parliamentary majority and said it would be willing to cooperate with secular groups in upcoming election, while pledging not to field a presidential candidate for a November poll.
Mursi said at the new conference, held in the movement's new headquarters in the hilly Muqattam district, that the party was not theocratic.
Mohammed Hussein, the group's secretary general, said at a news conference that the movement's consultative council decided at a meeting to adopt a decision to form the new Freedom and Justice Party.
We have adopted the measures taken by the guidance council regarding the Freedom and Justice Party and adopted its program, he said.
He said the party, which will be headed by the Brotherhood's politburo member Mohammed al-Mursi, will be independent from the Brotherhood but will coordinate with it.
The party will contest only between 45 and 50 percent of seats in an upcoming election in September, the first since a popular revolt in February ousted president Hosni Mubarak.
The Brotherhood ran its candidates as independents in previous elections to circumvent a ban on the group in place since 1954.
It won a fifth of seats in a 2005 election, but fared much worse in a November 2010 election that was widely seen as rigged to favour the former ruling National Democratic Party.
The Brotherhood has sought to allay suspicions fears of an Islamist parliamentary majority and said it would be willing to cooperate with secular groups in upcoming election, while pledging not to field a presidential candidate for a November poll.
Mursi said at the new conference, held in the movement's new headquarters in the hilly Muqattam district, that the party was not theocratic.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4062520,00.html
4 mar 2012, 20:29 , Respect -
Maria 1 mei 2011
Egypt calls on US to recognise Palestinian state
CAIRO %u2014 Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi on Sunday called on the United States to recognise a Palestinian state, as rival Palestinian factions prepare to sign a reconciliation accord in Cairo.
Arabi urged visiting US Congressman Steve Chabot to "press Congress and the American administration to recognise a Palestinian state."
Recognition "would correspond with previous statements by the American administration supporting peace based on two states," the official MENA news agency quoted him as saying.
Arabi, who held talks on the Arab-Israeli conflict with Chabot, also called on the United States to "exert efforts to hold an international Middle East peace conference," MENA said.
Palestinian factions are preparing to sign a deal in Cairo on Wednesday after president Mahmud Abbas's Fatah faction and its bitter foe Hamas agreed to form a government that would prepare for elections in a year.
US President Barack Obama's administration relaunched direct peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians in September only to see them grind to a halt three weeks later over Israel's settlements construction in the West Bank.
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Mishaal arrives in Cairo at head of delegation
CAIRO, (PIC)-- A senior Hamas delegation led by its political bureau chief Khaled Mishaal arrives in the Egyptian capital on Sunday evening.
A responsible Hamas source said that Mishaal arrives in Cairo to attend the signing ceremony of the Palestinian reconciliation agreement next Wednesday. He added that the Hamas leader would meet with a number of Egyptian officials during his stay in Cairo.
The Egyptian authorities finalized preparation for the ceremony to which all Palestinian factions were invited.
Mishaal along with de facto Palestinian president and Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas would attend the ceremony.
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Egyptian soldier injured in clashes with smugglers
EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma'an) -- An Egyptian soldier was injured near the Israeli border on Sunday during clashes with smugglers, security sources said.
Husam Mustafa, 22, was guarding a 12-kilometer stretch of the border south of Kerem Shalom, when he saw a group trying to breach the border.
Security sources said smugglers were trying to enter Israel with undocumented migrants and drugs.
Clashes broke out between soldiers and the group, and Mustafa sustained gunshot wounds to his head, security officials said.
The soldier was transferred to the Rafah Hospital for treatment. The group of smugglers and migrants escaped into Egyptian territory, sources added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=383772
Netanyahu mulls sending envoy to Egypt for talks with interim leaders
PM's possible Egypt outreach seen as a response to a comment by the Egyptian army chief who advised Israel not to interfere in Cairo's decision to open the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is considering sending his special adviser Isaac Molho to Cairo for talks with Egypt's interim leaders, following a warning to Israel by the Egyptian army's chief of staff Saturday not to interfere in Cairo's decision to open the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza.
In remarks published on his Facebook page, Chief of Staff Sami Anan said the matter was an internal Egyptian issue.
Sources close to Netanyahu mentioned discussions about a possible trip by Molho to Cairo, though no decision has been made.
If Molho does make the trip, he would meet with Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi and senior Egyptian intelligence officials. It is unclear whether Molho would also meet with the head of the Armed Forces Council, Hussein Tantawi, or the interim prime minister, Essam Sharaf.
Foreign Ministry Director General Rafael Barak has been to Cairo since the Egyptian revolution at the end of January, as has Amos Gilad, the Defense Ministry's head of political and security affairs. But Molho would be the first personal adviser Netanyahu sends to the Egyptian capital since the uprising.
Netanyahu has been expressing concerns over the past few weeks to European ambassadors and U.S. senators over Egyptian remarks about Israel, as well as Egypt's closer relations with Iran.
In Cairo, Molho would convey a number of messages on this, as well as on the Palestinian unity government, the situation in the Gaza Strip, Egypt's intention to open the Rafah crossing and the prime minister's expected remarks to Congress.
The Prime Minister's Bureau declined to comment on the Egyptian chief of staff's remarks. A senior defense official said the remarks were "unofficial" but were a worrisome development, especially considering the good relations in the past between Anan and the former chief of staff of the Israel Defense Forces, Gabi Ashkenazi.
Al-Arabi said Thursday that preparations were underway to open the Rafah crossing. "In a week or 10 days steps would be taken to ease the closure on Gaza and the suffering of the Palestinian people," he said.
The statement signals the end of Israel's policy of closure on Gaza, which had been implemented jointly with the deposed Egyptian president, Hosni Mubarak.
IDF officials said yesterday that even in the past, the Rafah crossing was not hermetically sealed, and that it was hard to imagine that Egypt would allow the free passage of goods and people.
Egyptian capabilities in combating weapons smuggling into Gaza has been impaired since the revolution in Egypt. Defense officials are now concerned that the Rafah crossing will be used to bring in not only weapons, but also money and construction materials, which had been restricted and which Hamas used to build fortifications.
But a defense official said the opening of the crossing would also serve Israel "in terms of its continued disengagement from the Gaza Strip and would decrease international pressure regarding the export of merchandise from Gaza through Israel."
Haaretz has learned that a Middle East policy speech that U.S. President Barack Obama had planned for Wednesday in Washington is likely to be postponed for a week at least.
According to Washington Post foreign affairs columnist David Ignatius, the White House wants to see how the situation develops in light of the expected signing of the reconciliation agreement this week in Cairo, where Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and Hamas political leader Khaled Meshal will be on hand.
Senior Palestinian officials said over the weekend that Abbas does not plan to run for president in the elections scheduled for May 2012, a year after the expected signing of the agreement.
It is still unclear who the Fatah or Palestinian Liberation Organization's candidate for president will be if Abbas does not run. Two names mentioned recently are Nasser al-Kidweh - Yasser Arafat's nephew and the Palestinian Authority's former foreign minister - and Marwan Barghouti, who is in an Israeli prison.
For now, Abbas is leading the polls against a possible Hamas candidate. But things could change if a deal is made for the release of abducted soldier Gilad Shalit or if Abbas steps down.
Hamas leader Mahmoud al-Zahar said yesterday that Hamas would field a candidate in the upcoming elections, and senior Hamas officials reportedly believe that this candidate will be the Hamas prime minister in Gaza, Ismail Haniyeh.
Meanwhile, the chairwoman of the Congressional subcommittee on appropriations, Republican Kay Granger, and her Democratic deputy on that panel, Nita Lowey, wrote Abbas last week that the establishment of a unity government with Hamas jeopardized American aid to the Palestinian Authority.
They said U.S. aid is predicated on the premise that the PA government show a firm commitment to pursuing efforts to establish a just, lasting and comprehensive peace with Israel. As you know, U.S. law also requires a commitment to countering terrorism, confiscating weapons and dismantling terrorist infrastructure," they wrote.
"In addition, it prohibits aid to Hamas ... and any power-sharing government that includes Hamas until Hamas publicly acknowledges the Jewish state's right to exist and commits to a two-state solution. Your current course of action undermines the purposes and threatens the provision of United States assistance and support."
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Report: Mubarak's wealth came from Israel gas deal
Cairo's new justice minister says ousted Egyptian president owes his vast fortune to corrupt arms deals, gas sales to Israel.
Egypt's Justice Minister Mohammed al-Guindi said ousted President Hosni Mubarak accumulated his wealth from gas exports to Israel through a company owned by his friend, as well as from various arms deals, the Asian ANI News Agency reported Sunday.
Guindi said Saturday that the deposed president may face the death penalty if he is convicted of the changes brought against him, which include corruption, complicity to murder and embezzlement of public funds.
"Certainly, if convicted for the crime of killing protesters, it could result in the death sentence," he said.
Mubarak, who is hospitalized in Sharm el-Sheikh, is questions at his sickbed. According to Cairo's justice minister, the only person capable of pardoning Mubarak would be the new president.
"If I were the president, I will not pardon him for killing 800 martyrs," al-Guindi said.
Former First Lady Suzanne Mubarak and both of Mubarak's sons Gamal and Alaa are also facing allegations of corruption, he stressed.
Mubarak has repeatedly denied ever giving orders to open fire on protesters, but an Egyptian committee of inquiry named by the new military governing council to probe the violence which took place during the Egyptian unrest, has ruled the statement a lie.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4062779,00.html
Report: Egypt releases 2 Palestinian detainees
CAIRO (Ma'an) -- Egyptian authorities have released two Palestinian members of a Hezbollah-affiliated cell, Arabic media reported Sunday.
The men were detained during the rule of former President Hosni Mubarak, the Dubai-based Al-Arabiya satellite channel reported.
Muhammad Ramadan, 17, was detained in Egypt three years ago and sentenced to six months, but he was not released after serving the sentence, the report said.
Nidal Fathi Juda, 23, had been sentenced to three years imprisonment.
They were released following a week-long hunger strike, after which they met with the chief of the Egyptian prison service, Ramadan told Al-Arabiya.
The men sent a request to Egypt's Higher Military Council through the prison chief, and the request was referred to the Attorney General who agreed to release them, Ramadan said on arrival in the Gaza Strip.
"After a decision was made to release us, we were held temporarily at Al-Qanatir prison for two months waiting for the situation in northern Sinai to settle down.
"Three days ago, we were moved to the Rafah crossing and were asked to choose whether we prefer to go to Gaza or to Malaysia to avoid Israeli threats. We decided to go to Gaza so we can die in our homeland," Ramadan told Al-Arabiya.
The teenager said he had been blindfolded and tortured for six months by Egyptian state security in the city of Nasr prior to his trial.
He added that four other Palestinians remained in Egyptian custody serving sentences ranging from 10 to 15 years.
Ramadan identified them as Nassar Jibreel, Adel Abu Amra, Nassar Abu Amra and Nimir Taweel, and said Egyptian lawyers were trying to secure their release.
Other members of the Hezbollah cell managed to escape during the unrest in Egypt which led to the ouster of Hosni Mubarak, including a well-known leader Sami Shihab and other Egyptians within the group.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=383609
4 mar 2012, 20:29 , Respect -
Maria 5 mei 2011
'Egypt uncommitted to sell gas to Israel'
Egyptian Finance Minister Samir Radwan
The Egyptian finance minister has reportedly announced that Cairo is not obliged to sell natural gas to energy-hungry Israel despite a peace accord between the North African country and the Tel Aviv regime.
Samir Radwan said gas prices must be updated and adjusted to price levels of the global market regardless of whether the exports go to Israel, Jordan, Syria or Spain, Kuwaiti newspaper Al Anba reported on Sunday.
Egypt started exporting gas to Israel through the East Mediterranean Gas (EMG) consortium for the first time in May 2008 under an agreement signed in 2005 for the supply of 1.7 billion cubic meters a year over 15 years.
The consortium, which supplies 45 percent of Israel's gas requirements, has been accused of selling gas to Tel Aviv at below market prices.
The latest official remarks come as Egypt's ousted President Hosni Mubarak is under investigation over squandering public funds by supplying 'cheap' gas to the US-sponsored Israeli regime.
The Egyptian public prosecutor has ordered Egypt's former Energy Minister Sameh Fahmy as well as six other officials to be probed on charges related to the natural gas deal between East Mediterranean Gas and Israel.
The gas exports to Israel were cut off after the pipeline carrying the gas across the Sinai Peninsula was damaged in an explosion and the resulting blaze on February 5.
Egypt supplied nearly 40 percent of Israel's gas consumption.
Tel Aviv is worried that a regime change in Cairo could jeopardize its 31-year-old peace treaty with Egypt. In February, a leading Egyptian opposition group pledged to push for a referendum to decide the fate of Egypt's 1979 agreement with Israel.
Israeli media outlets have also expressed concerns over a possible revocation of the Egyptian accord with Israel.
If Egypt refuses to supply gas to the Tel Aviv regime, the Israeli market will have to function without natural gas for nearly a year until the Tamar drilling begins in 2014.
Israel plans to drill for gas in the Tamar gas field, discovered in the Mediterranean Sea in 2009. The gas field, however, is a source of dispute between Israel and Lebanon as Beirut says the field extends into its territory.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/178321.html
Egyptian committee to help Palestinians restructure security forces
A committee led by the undersecretary of Egypt's General Intelligence Service, Mohamed Ibrahim, will head to Gaza next week to help restructure its security apapratus, Palestinian sources said.
The move is part of agreements reached through an Egypt-brokered reconciliation deal clinched in Cairo on Wednesday by Hamas and Fatah, the largest Palestinian factions, and other groups.
The deal obliges Egypt to provide assistance in improving Palestinian security performance.
The committee will include security experts from other Arab states and will work on restructuring security services to improve efficiency away from partisan considerations, in an implicit reference to the four-year rift that Fatah and Hamas have agreed to repair.
The same sources said the committee will initially oversee the restructuring of police forces in Gaza and the West Bank before working with other security services.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
http://www.almasryalyoum.com/en/node/425136
...Read more 4 mar 2012, 20:29 , Respect -
Maria 6 mei 2011
Protest at Cairo embassy calls for intifada
Hundreds rally at Israeli embassy to call for annulment of peace, Jews to 'return to birthplaces'.
CAIRO Hundreds gathered before Israel's embassy in Cairo on Friday to protest against the peace agreement with the state. Protesters waved Palestinian flags and called for another intifada on May 15, on which Palestinians in Israel mark the Nakba.
Both men and women were present at the gathering, and participants were mostly young. They called to "return Palestine to the Palestinians" and held signs saying Jews should "return to their places of birth".
Speakers at the rally said Jews who wanted to stay in "Palestine" should agree to live under Islamic rule. "On May 15 we should hold a convoy of Egyptian cars to Rafah," one young speaker said.
Among the protesters were also those who demanded Egypt renege on its peace accord with Israel, and in addition refuse to sell natural gas to the state.
Gas has become a major point of contention recently, with a number of officials decrying a supposed deal Israel had with deposed President Hosni Mubarak guaranteeing the state reduced prices.
Egypt's military secured the protest with armored vehicles and dozens of soldiers. Buses and cars also halted traffic at the site in identification with the protesters.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4065520,00.html
4 mar 2012, 20:29 , Respect -
Maria 7 mei 2011
Report: Mubarak's son benefited from deal with Israel
Egyptian prosecutors suspect that ousted president's son took share of earnings in gas deal with Israel.
Gamal Mubarak, the son of Egypt's ousted president, is suspected of taking a 5% share of the earnings of the country's gas deal with Israel, Egyptian newspaper al-Masri al-Yaum reported Saturday.
According to the report, prosecutors presented their various findings on the case to Gamal Mubarak, including records of his assets outside Egypt. Former President Mubarak's son reportedly signed a power of attorney allowing officials to examine his dealings overseas.
According to the report, investigators suspects that an unnamed Egyptian businessman also took 5% of the earnings, while another Mubarak son, Alaa, took 2.5% of the proceeds.
The gas deal that enables Israel to import gas from Egypt has stirred controversy since the toppling of President Hosni Mubarak, who was also interrogated over the issue. In recent months, the pipeline used for transferring the gas to Israel had been blown up twice, prompting the gas supply to be cut off.
Prosecutors suspect that the gas was sold to Israel at a low price, while cutting the supply to local consumers, with mediators in the deal taking proceeds into their own pockets.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4065715,00.html
DFLP officials discuss unity with Egypt FM
CAIRO (Ma'an) -- Representatives of the Democratic Front for the Liberation of Palestine met Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Al-Arabi Thursday to discuss the formation of a Palestinian unity government.
The meeting followed the signing of a reconciliation agreement between Hamas and Fatah in Cairo, ratified by Palestinian factions.
Under the deal, factions agreed to form a transitional government of independent figures to lay the groundwork for presidential and parliamentary elections within a year.
DFLP representative Nayef Hawatmeh praised Egypt's role in brokering the reconciliation, which he said was in the interests of all Palestinians. He said it was important that Cairo continued to oversee the agreement to ensure its success.
Hawatmeh said he hoped the transitional phase would be completed as soon as possible, and that elections were held within six months.
The DFLP official condemned external pressure from Israel and the US which he said aimed to obstruct the unity deal. He said the national division had served Israeli interests and caused huge losses for Palestinians.
The Egyptian foreign minister pledged that Egypt would continue to sponsor the deal and support the implementation of the agreement.
DFLP officials Qais Abed Al-Karim and Khaled A'ttah also attended the meeting.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=385302
Mishaal meets with Egyptian elites in Cairo
CAIRO, (PIC)-- Head of Hamas's political bureau Khaled Mishaal met on Friday with a galaxy of Egyptian noted figures and intellectuals.
It was part of several meetings he intends to have with Egyptian officials and elites from different spectra during his stay in Cairo following the signing of the Palestinian reconciliation deal.
In his speech, Mishaal expressed thanks on behalf of Hamas Movement and the Palestinian people to the Egyptian leadership for the efforts it made for the success of the Palestinian reconciliation.
The Hamas leader stressed the need for Egypt to restore its leading role in the region. "We are ready to cooperate with Egypt strategically and tactically, for one of Egypt's new responsibilities that we hope is to devise a new strategy for the conflict."
"We are proud of the revolution that has happened in Egypt and reflected on the Palestinian spirit of understanding that led to the reconciliation; we hope to see Egypt recover and restore its role," he added.
Mishaal also talked about the developments and the details related to the reconciliation deal and answered the questions asked by the attendees.
He said that the deal would not have seen daylight without the flexibility that was demonstrated by his Movement, and highlighted the need for complete Palestinian partnership in the political, security, and military decision-making.
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4 mar 2012, 20:30 , Respect -
Maria 8 mei 2011
'New Egypt boosts Palestinian hope'
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HYm2ca38PCE
The recent popular revolution in Egypt, which led to the ouster of Cairo's former pro-Israeli regime, has brought about fresh hopes among the Palestinian nation, a political analyst says.
Palestinians feel very encouraged and very cheered by Egyptian support because we knew that Egypt's people have never accepted [former Egyptian dictator Hosni] Mubarak's policies of keeping the Palestinian population penned up and starving, said Ghada Karmi, author and co-Director of Center for Palestine Studies in a Press TV interview.
In February, a popular revolution in Egypt led to the ouster of pro-Israeli regime of Mubarak after three decades of authoritarian rule.
Karmi, describes the event as hugely important,% adding that positive developments emerging with regard to Palestine are the most significant.
Meanwhile, Palestinians are celebrating the signing of a unity deal which put an end to years of division between leaders in the West Bank and Gaza Strip.
On April 27, Hamas and Fatah issued a statement, confirming that they had reached an "understanding" in the Egyptian capital, Cairo to set up a transitional unity government and hold elections.
The unity deal comes as the UN General Assembly is expected to discuss the establishment of an independent Palestinian state during a meeting in September.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/178787.html
4 mar 2012, 20:30 , Respect -
Maria 9 mei 2011
Mishaal meets Egyptian revolutionary youths
CAIRO, (PIC)-- Supreme leader of the Hamas movement Khaled Mishaal met on Sunday night with a delegation of the Egyptian youth who took part in the revolution that toppled the former regime of Hosni Mubarak.
Mishaal reviewed the Palestinian reconciliation agreement, which was made under the patronage of Cairo and which could not have succeeded without the Egyptian revolution.
He advised the youth to stick to three points topped by insisting on the spirit of revolution and change.
Second, Mishaal told the youths that they should run the transitional stage wisely thus sending a positive message to the officials in the country while ascertaining national unity and tolerance in Egypt.
The Hamas leader said that the third point was preparing for the post revolution era, adding that they should devise a strategic plan boosting a prominent regional role for their country based on democracy, strong economy, scientific progress, and military power.
Mishaal concluded saying that Egypt's recovery is an Egyptian, Palestinian, and Arab necessity.
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Egypt pushing Hamas to soften stance on Shalit deal
Report: Hamas agrees in principle to new proposal; Hamas expected to compromise in order to gain popularity ahead of Palestinian elections.
Hamas has agreed in principle to a new proposal aimed at securing the release of captive Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, Al Jazeera television reported on its website Sunday. The report said the plan was forumated by Egypt.
Egyptian sources told Haaretz Sunday that although Egypt has renewed efforts to promote a deal for Shalit's release, no actual negotiations have begun. Egypt is trying to exert pressure on Hamas to soften its stance so that a deal can be concluded, which would include the release of Palestinian prisoners.
The Egyptians are aware that if there are Palestinian elections, Hamas would need to present accomplishments to the Palestinian public.
Palestinian sources said Egypt has been working hard to advance a deal to free Shalit, who has been in Hamas captivity since June 2006, since Hamas and Fatah signed a reconciliation agreement last week, according to the report. "Reliable" sources quoted in the report said the Egyptians intend to present their plan to an envoy who is due to arrive in Cairo shortly.
It was not immediately clear whether this was a reference to David Meidan, who was recently appointed Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's negotiator on the Shalit issue. Meidan is due in Egypt shortly, as Haaretz reported last week.
Senior Egyptian officials expressed optimism about the chances for a deal on Shalit's release. The Egyptians have resumed mediating Shalit negotiations and have made it clear to Hamas that they want an agreement on the issue wrapped up quickly.
Netanyahu referred to Shalit at a Memorial Day ceremony on Jerusalem's Ammunition Hill last night.
Not a day passes in which his government is not working to bring home Israel's captive and missing soldiers, "including Gilad Shalit, who is being held by a cruel enemy," Netanyahu said. (See Memorial Day coverage, Page A4. )
Prior to the resignation of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, Hamas was suspicious of his intentions on the matter, suspecting that he did not want a deal concluded because it would complicate matters for Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas. More than a week ago, two leaders of the Hamas military wing visited Egypt, where they reportedly made contact with Egyptian intelligence officials on the Shalit case.
The Al Jazeera website reported that Egyptian officials also discussed the Shalit case with Hamas political leader Khaled Meshal while Meshal was in Cairo last week for the signing ceremony.
So far the Hamas military wing has been standing in the way of a deal, but observers expect that it will be willing to compromise because political issues will garner increased attention with elections coming up. In addition, the military wing is currently seen as relatively weak.
Such a compromise could include willingness to accept Israel's release of Hamas prisoners to Gaza, rather than the West Bank.
The Egyptian officials responsible for maintaining ties with the Hamas leadership are Murad Muwafi, Egypt's new intelligence chief, and one of his deputies, Mohammed Ibrahim.
Muwafi has the trust of Hamas and Ibrahim has been involved in Shalit negotiations from the beginning. Since German mediator Gerhard Conrad has failed to get Israel and Hamas to agree on the terms for Shalit's release, Egypt has in effect taken over as the primary intermediary.
Noam Shalit, the captive soldier's father, told Haaretz yesterday that he had not been provided any new information on negotiations for his son's release and said Netanyahu's remarks yesterday were nothing new.
What's important is the results, he said, and by that measure, the bottom line is that his son has been in captivity for nearly five years.
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4 mar 2012, 20:30 , Respect -
Maria 10 mei 2011
'Egypt should seek end to Gaza siege'
Arab League Secretary General Amr Moussa
Egypt's presidential candidate Amr Moussa says the country should put pressure on Israel to lift the crippling blockade on the Gaza Strip.
"The whole world has said exactly what I am saying -- that the siege has to come to an end. The old regime was not of the same view," the Arab League chief said in an interview with The Washington Post on Tuesday.
"Blocking Gaza and enforcing the siege along Gaza -- people didn't like that. We should have insisted and used Egyptian-Israeli relations to try and undo and put an end to the siege that caused a lot of suffering to the people of Gaza," he added.
Eighteen days of protests in the North African country terminated Hosni Mubarak's long-time rule on February 11.
Moussa announced his candidacy for the presidency on February 27 following the announcement of constitutional amendments.
The new constitution limits presidency to two terms and allows for more competition. These elements had been denied under Hosni Mubarak's authoritarian regime for three decades.
The former Egyptian foreign minister, Moussa, enjoys wide popularity in the country, mainly on account of his strong criticism of Israel.
Most Egyptians regard Israel as an enemy despite the 1979 peace treaty between the two sides.
More than 1.5 million Palestinians are living under the relentless Israeli siege, which has been imposed on the coastal enclave since 2007.
The siege has caused a humanitarian disaster in the impoverished Gaza Strip, where many Palestinians are suffering from unemployment and poverty.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/179203.html
4 mar 2012, 20:30 , Respect -
Maria 11 mei 2011
Egypt activists say Israel behind Imbaba clashes
CAIRO, (PIC)-- Egyptian activists have accused Israel of trying to hamper Egypt's efforts to support calls for the third intifada due May 15 after the recent sectarian clashes in Cairo's Christian Imbaba district.
Parties behind the January 25 revolution in Egypt retracted plans to participate in the march set to mark the 63rd Nakba this Friday after sectarian clashes erupted in Imbaba killing 13 and injuring 238.
The decision not to participate was made in deference to the sentiments of the Egyptian people.
Calls for the May 15 march have drawn heavy attention on popular Facebook pages. Organizations in several countries bordering occupied Palestine have organized marches designed to peacefully besiege Israel.
Violent clashes involving gunfire and Molotov cocktails broke out in the Imbaba district after Muslims claiming to be Salafis confronted a Christian family that allegedly kidnapped one of their relatives who converted to Islam.
That woman's husband was among those who demanded her return ahead of the firefight.
The National Liberation Front Party said in an ensuing statement that an escalation in sectarian strife was recently noted in Egypt as plans for the third intifada neared.
The statement says that Israel is translating its resentment over the Egyptian revolution and its success in achieving Palestinian reconciliation and its intention to open the Rafah border crossing.
Israel's history of sowing discord in Egypt and the Arab world leaves no room for doubt that it is in some way behind the strife sweeping the country, the statement adds.
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Rezka: Cairo meet to name premier of unity government
GAZA, (PIC)-- Dr. Yousef Rezka, the political advisor to Palestinian premier Ismail Haneyya, said that the next week meeting in Cairo between Fatah and Hamas would agree on naming a premier for the national unity government along with its members.
Rezka noted in a statement on Wednesday that the national reconciliation agreement stipulated the formation of such a government out of honest and competent Palestinian figures.
He said that the premier should be from the Gaza Strip with full jurisdictions according to the Palestinian bylaw, adding that it would be a mistake to maintain all leaders, the president, the parliament speaker, and the premier, in the West Bank.
The advisor said that the premier should be based in Gaza to facilitate his movement in and out of the Strip through the Rafah terminal away from Israeli restrictions and searches as is the case in the West Bank crossings.
Rezka said that all parties were in harmony that powers should be divided between Gaza and the West Bank.
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4 mar 2012, 20:30 , Respect -
Maria 12 mei 2011
Egyptians to join Gazans on Nakba Day
Egyptians are preparing to cross into the blockaded Gaza Strip on the 63rd anniversary of the occupation of Palestine by the Israeli army.
Thousands of Egyptians plan to go to the besieged Palestinian enclave through the Rafah border crossing on May 15 to mark the Day of Nakba (Catastrophe).
In 1948, Israeli forces displaced some 700,000 Palestinians, forcing them to flee to different neighboring countries.
The soldiers wiped nearly 500 Palestinian villages and towns off the map, leaving an estimated total of 4.7 million refugees dreaming of an eventual return to their homeland more than six decades later.
The Egyptians are also planning to hold a protest against the years-long siege of Gaza by Israel.
The move indicates the popular stance in Egypt on the occupation of Palestine which had been suppressed for years under the rule of former President Hosni Mubarak -- Israel's closest ally in the region.
Mubarak collaborated with Tel Aviv in tightening the siege of Gaza, literally cutting off the populated coastal sliver from the outside world by refusing to open up the Rafah crossing -- the only gateway in Gaza not controlled by Israel.
Mubarak's ouster in late January has chilled relations between Cairo and Tel Aviv, and paved the way for a change in Egypt's foreign policy towards other regional countries and also its position toward the siege of Gaza.
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/179614.html
4 mar 2012, 20:30 , Respect -
Maria 13 mei 2011
Report: Hamas urges Egyptians to call off march
CAIRO (Ma'an) -- Hamas has urged Egyptians to cancel plans to march Friday through the Rafah crossing into the Gaza Strip, a statement posted on the website of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood party said Friday.
Hamas leader Khaled Mashaal said relief aid and political measures would be more effective at present, warning the protesters against a military confrontation with Israel, according to the report.
Mashaal was quoted as saying Palestinians "cannot expose Egypt to the burden ... We cannot call on it to engage in a direct clash or war with the Zionist Entity at the critical stage that Egypt is passing through."
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=387323
Egyptian FM backs unity deal, UN recognition
RAMALLAH (Ma'an) -- President Mahmoud Abbas met Thursday with Egypt's ambassador in Ramallah, Yasser Othman, who delivered a letter from the minister of foreign affairs.
In the letter, Nabil Al-Arabi called the reconciliation agreement signed in Cairo a "core step" to show that Palestinians were united to gain independence, the official Palestinian Authority news agency WAFA reported.
Al-Arabi said Palestinians were within their rights to make a declaration of independence because Israel was established in 1948 based on decision taken by the UN General Assembly in 1947.
Egypt intends to hold an international conference to address Palestinian aspirations, he added.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=387189
Egypt prepares to reopen mission in Gaza
GAZA, (PIC)-- The Egyptian embassy in Gaza is reportedly preparing to reopen its office in Gaza city as a high-profile delegation from the Egyptian intelligence is set to visit the Gaza Strip soon, Egyptian and Palestinian sources said.
Quds Press quoted eyewitnesses and local sources in Gaza city talking about activity inside the embassy's compound in the city's suburb of Remal that was closed for the past five years.
According to the sources, workers where seen cleaning inside the embassy and rearranging everything inside in order to make it ready once the Egyptian government decides to reopen it.
In Cairo, Egyptian sources said that the embassy will open its doors again and would transfer its office to Gaza city permanently once the new Palestinian unity government is established.
Egypt's Mubarak has transferred the embassy from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank in the aftermath of the internal clashes between Hamas and Fatah in 2007 in clear sign of support to Fatah leader Mahmoud Abbas.
The source also added that Lt. General Mohammed Ibrahim, the deputy-chief of Egypt's intelligence apparatus would pay a visit to the coastal Strip to follow up the implementation of the Palestinian national reconciliation agreement that Palestinian factions, including Hamas and Fatah have signed in Cairo a couple of weeks ago. No schedule yet was set yet for Ibrahim's visit to the Strip.
Ibrahim is the Egyptian official in charge of the Palestinian file in the Egyptian intelligence department and he was on top of the Egyptian security delegation to Gaza prior to the unfortunate events in 2007.
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