Egypt’s Morsi accused of complicity in protest deaths

Egyptian women from the Muslim Brotherhood shout slogans and hold portraits of ousted president, Mohamed Morsi, as they gather in Cairo to attend a march in his support on August 11, 2013

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/08/19/319523/morsi-charged-over-protest-deaths/

Ousted Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi, has been accused of complicity in the deaths and torture of demonstrators outside his presidential palace in 2012, judicial sources say.

On Monday, Egypt’s prosecution extended Morsi’s detention for another 15 days which starts from next week. He already stands accused of crimes related to his 2011 escape from jail.

In December 2012, violent clashes erupted between Morsi’s supporters and opponents in the capital, Cairo, after he issued a controversial constitutional declaration in November of the same year to expand his powers.

On December 5, five people were killed in the clashes between backers and opponents of Morsi in the capital.

Earlier in July, a court in the Arab country ordered Morsi's detention over allegations of collaboration with Palestinian resistance movement, Hamas, “to undertake aggressive acts in the country, as well as attacking police facilities, officers and soldiers.”

On August 12, the Egyptian Judiciary extended the Morsi’s detention pending an inquiry into his alleged links with Hamas.

Morsi was due to be questioned on whether he collaborated with Hamas in attacks on police stations and prison breaks in early 2011, when he and some members of the Muslim Brotherhood escaped from jail during a revolution against the regime of former dictator, Hosni Mubarak.

Hamas reacted to the allegations on July 26 and condemned Morsi’s detention, saying “it is based on the premise that the Hamas movement is hostile.”

The movement’s spokesman, Sami Abu Zuhri, noted, “This is a dangerous development, which confirms that the current powers in Egypt are giving up on national causes and even using these issues to deal with other parties - first among them the Palestinian cause.”

Egypt plunged into chaos after the head of the country’s armed forces, General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, ousted Morsi on July 3, suspended the constitution and dissolved the parliament.

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Morsi reinstatement only way to end crisis: Muslim Brotherhood

Source: Press TV - Click on link for Video Report

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2013/08/05/317361/bring-back-morsi-to-end-crisis-mb/

Muslim Brotherhood says the only solution to the crisis in Egypt is full restoration of constitutional legitimacy, rejecting calls from Western and Arab envoys to accept that Mohamed Morsi will not return as president.

Brotherhood’s spokesman, Gehad al-Haddad, said on Monday that only Morsi can “solve the mess” in the North African country, adding that the only solution to the crisis was “full restoration of constitutional legitimacy and reversal of the coup.”

His remarks came in reaction to US Deputy Secretary of State William Burns’s meeting with Muslim Brotherhood official Khairat el-Shater in prison on the same day.

Official MENA news agency reported that Burns along with senior diplomats of Qatar and the United Arab Emirates visited Shater at Cairo's high security prison in Tora.

Shater was arrested on charges of inciting violence nearly a month ago. He is due to stand trial on August 25 together with senior Brotherhood leader, Rashad Bayoumi, and Brotherhood supreme leader, Mohamed Badie.

Earlier on Monday, European Union envoy Bernardino Leon also met with Egyptian Prime Minister Hazem al-Beblawi.

According to Haddad, Shater cut the meeting with Burns short and urged him to talk to the ousted president instead.

The meeting was part of Western and Arab efforts to end the Egyptian crisis.

Senior US senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham are also in Egypt to hold talks with the country’s officials with regard to the crisis.

Meanwhile, supporters of Morsi remain camped out in two major cross-roads in Cairo, demanding his return to power.

The National Defense Council has warned protesters against the continuation of the sit-ins.

Tension has intensified in Egypt since July 3 when the head of the Egyptian armed forces, General Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi removed Morsi from office. Sisi also suspended the constitution and dissolved the parliament.

Scores of Egyptians, most of them supporters of Morsi, have been killed or injured in the violence ever since his ouster.

 

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Morsi ousted, constitution suspended, army in control (PHOTOS, VIDEO)

Video Source: Russia Today YouTube

http://youtu.be/fgXbq7BdKHg

News Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/news/army-egypt-roadmap-protest-633/

President Mohamed Morsi was stripped of his power and detained by the Egyptian army as the constitution has been suspended. Those gathered on Cairo’s Tahrir Square welcomed the news with cheers, although post-coup Egypt remains highly unstable.

Morsi has reportedly been detained, separated from other officials and taken to a Ministry of Defense facility, according to the Muslim Brotherhood. Arrest warrants have been issued for some 300 members of the Islamist movement. The head of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party, Saad El-Katatni, as well as Muslim Brotherhood’s deputy chief, Khairet el Shater, were arrested.

"The address of the president yesterday did not meet the demands of the masses of the people," General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi said in a statement, adding the military held talks with various groups throughout Wednesday to work out a roadmap "putting an end to the state of division."

Millions across Egypt erupted into celebrations after the announcement by the military was made, with crowds chanting pro-army slogans and setting off fireworks.

“The mood remains one of jubilance. All of this however against a backdrop of a deeply divided and dangerous Egypt,” RT’s Paula Slier reported from Tahrir Square early on Thursday morning.

Morsi had earlier stated that he does not recognize the "military coup" and called on Egyptians to stand against it.

Supporters of the ousted President clashed with the anti-government activists overnight with the death toll amounting to 32 people.

“We are being told that the army is making its way to a pro-Morsi demonstration outside Cairo University. It is trying to isolate pro-Morsi demonstrators,” Slier reported from Cairo, saying the situation their remains fluid.

Meanwhile, an Egyptian security official in the border area with Israel, speaking on condition of anonymity, has confirmed that about 50 tanks were deployed in the area overnight.

 

Protesters, who are against Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi, react in Tahrir Square in Cairo July 3, 2013 (Reuters / Suhaib Salem)

The military have taken Al-Jazeera’s Egyptian broadcast off air. Its offices in Cairo were reportedly raided and at least five members of staff arrested. All media outlets associated with the Muslim Brotherhood have gone black.

In his first decision following Morsi's ouster, Egyptian Interior Minister Mohamed Ibrahim moved to close all “religious channels,” which include the Salafi oriented Al-Nas and Al-Hafez channels, reports the Egypt Independent. However, it came to light early Thursday morning that all detained heads of religious TV channels had been released from custody.

It was further announced that Egypt's chief justice of the constitutional court, Judge Adly Mansour, is set to become the interim president

"The military's roadmap consists of dissolving the constitution and holding early presidential elections," Sisi stated. He called for a panel would review the constitution and a national reconciliation committee which would include youth movements. He said the roadmap had been approved by a range of political groups.

The time frame of the presidential and parliamentary elections will be determined by an interim administration, the spokesman told Reuters.

 

An image grab taken from Egyptian state TV shows Egyptian Defence Minister Abdelfatah al-Sissi delivering a statement on July 3, 2013 announcing the ousting of Islamist President Mohamed Morsi (AFP Photo / Egyptian TV)

Egyptian opposition leader Mohamed El-Baradei said the Arab Spring revolution has been relaunched as a result of the army-sponsored roadmap.

He added that the roadmap met demands for early presidential elections as called for by the liberal coalition. Egypt’s second largest Islamist group, the Nour Party, has also agreed to the army’s roadmap.

Egypt's Pope Tawadros, head of the Coptic Orthodox Church of Egypt, says the roadmap ensures security for all Egyptians and offers a political vision, local media reported.

World leaders urge non-violence and return to democracy

US President Barack Obama on Wednesday called for Egypt’s military to “move quickly and responsibly to return full authority back to a democratically elected civilian government.” Obama also outlined in his statement the expectation that the military would “ensure that the rights of all Egyptian men and women are protected, including the right to peaceful assembly, due process, and free and fair trials.”

Senator Patrick Leahy (D-VT), the chairman of the budget committee for the State Department and foreign assistance, slammed the ouster of Morsi in a statement, warning Egypt that US aid to the country may subsequently be cut off. The US currently provides Egypt with some $1.5 billion in annual financial assistance, most of which is in the form of military aid.

“Egypt’s military leaders say they have no intent or desire to govern, and I hope they make good on their promise. In the meantime, our law is clear: US aid is cut off when a democratically elected government is deposed by military coup or decree.”

 

An Egyptian family on motorcycle celebrates in Cairo on July 3, 2013 after a broadcast confirming that the army will temporarily be taking over from the country's first democratically elected president Mohammed Morsi (AFP Photo / Khaled Desouki)

Senator Leahy has authored the most recent stipulations on US military aid to Egypt, which were enacted last year. Though, as Leahy’s own website notes, former secretary of state Hillary Clinton and her incumbent John Kerry had previously “used their authority to waive the Leahy conditions.”

By contrast, President Obama’s statements on the Egyptian military’s actions also mentioned aid, but were more general in nature. The president said his administration was "concerned," and that there would be a review of aid given to the country.

The US ordered a mandatory evacuation of its embassy on Wednesday, and announced a travel advisory for all citizens.

The European Union has urged Egypt to return to civilian rule and the restrain from the use of force.

“I urge all sides to rapidly return to the democratic process, including the holding of free and fair presidential and parliamentary elections and the approval of a constitution,” EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said in a statement. “I strongly condemn all violent acts, offer my condolences to the families of the victims, and urge the security forces to do everything in their power to protect the lives and well-being of Egyptian citizens,” she added.

 

Fireworks light up the sky as Hundreds of thousands of Egyptians celebrate after Egytptian Defense Minister Abdel Fattah al-Sisi's speech announcing The Egyptian army toppling Islamist President Mohamed Morsi in Egypt's landmark Tahrir square on July 3, 2013 in Cairo, Egypt AFP Photo / Khaled Desouki)

UN chief Ban Ki-Moon urged non-violence in Egypt and called on the people to stay calm and show restraint, also urging dialogue between the country's political factions.

Gulf nations welcomed the ouster of Morsi. Saudi Arabian King Abdullah sent a message of congratulations to the head of the Egyptian Constitutional Court, Adli Mansour, who had been appointed as interim head of state.

"In my own name and on behalf of the people of the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, I congratulate you on assuming the leadership of Egypt at this critical point of its history," the message cited by SPA state news agency reads.

The United Arab Emirates have expressed their satisfaction with the developments in Egypt, according to the WAM state news agency which cited the country’s Foreign Minister Abdullah bin Zayed al-Nahayan as saying that “the great Egyptian army was able to prove again that they are the fence of Egypt and that they are the protector and strong shield that guarantee Egypt will remain a state of institutions and law."

 

 

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Morsi says ongoing Israeli attacks on Gaza puts region at risk

 

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/11/18/273023/morsi-warns-of-ongoing-israel-airstrikes/

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has warned that the ongoing airstrikes by the Israeli regime on the blockaded Gaza Strip will jeopardize security in the region.

Morsi made the remarks at a joint press conference with Turkish Prime Minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Cairo on Saturday. He also warned of dire consequences of a possible ground operation by Israeli forces against Gaza.

The Israeli regime has authorized the mobilization of up to 75,000 reservists, preparing for a possible ground invasion of Gaza.

Erdogan arrived in Cairo on Saturday for talks with the Egyptian president to discuss the issue of the latest Israeli airstrikes.

The two sides announced that Cairo and Ankara condemn the deadly attacks.

Speaking at Egypt’s Cairo University on Saturday, Erdogan said Israel has once again committed every type of inhumane act to turn the region into a bloodbath.

The Turkish premier said the Israeli regime will pay a price, sooner or later, for killing children in the attacks. He also expressed Turkey’s support for the Palestinians in Gaza.

Nearly 50 Palestinians have been killed and more than 400 others wounded in the Israeli airstrikes since November 14.

On November 16, Morsi said, “Egypt will not leave Gaza on its own… What is happening is a blatant aggression against humanity.”

“I tell them (Israelis) in the name of all the Egyptian people that the Egypt of today is not the Egypt of yesterday and that the Arabs of today are different than the Arabs of yesterday.”

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Clashes erupt on Egypt’s Tahrir Square, over 100 injured - Updated Oct 13 (VIDEO, PHOTOS)

Opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood and President Mohamed Morsi throw Molotov cocktails towards government supporters during clashes in Tahrir square in Cairo on October 12, 2012 (AFP Photo / Khaled Desouki)

Source: Russia Today

http://rt.com/news/clashes-egypt-tahrir-square-287/

Thousands of supporters and opponents of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi are battling for control of Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the recent revolution. Over one hundred protesters are reported injured in the violence.

Supporters and opponents of Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi are battling for control of Cairo’s Tahrir Square, the epicenter of the recent revolution. Over one hundred protesters have been reported injured in the violence.

Protesters hurled rocks and bottles at each other, fists flew and gunshots were heard during the melee in downtown Cairo on Friday. The ongoing conflict is the first major street fight between liberals and Islamists since Morsi's election in June.

Bel Trew, a Cairo-based journalist, told RT about the chaotic scene unfolding on Tahrir, saying she had “personally witnessed rock throwing, several very heavy head injuries, Molotov [cocktail] throwing; we have heard gunshots, though I can’t confirm that myself as I wasn’t able to see.”

She also said there were small fires by a museum adjacent to the square caused by petrol bombs and fireworks. Trew believes the violence is unlikely to end soon, as “there has been no police presence whatsoever, even though in Morsi’s 100-day plan, he did say that he would up security in the country and reassure people that they wouldn’t see scenes like this.”

The Health Ministry said 110 people had sustained light to moderate injuries, state media reported.

Mounira Public Hospital chief Muhammad Shawky said earlier in the afternoon that his hospital had received at least ten injured protesters, the Egypt Independent reports. One man was hospitalized after receiving a serious eye injury, while nine others were treated for minor wounds and later released. Since then, the number reported injured has continued to increase without any signs of abating.

Eyewitnesses said many of the injured had been pelted with rocks.

Egyptian protesters hold a national flag as they walk past a burning bus during clashes in Cairo on October 12, 2012 (AFP Photo / Str

Some 2,000 people poured onto the square on Friday after tensions erupted between pro- and anti-Morsi forces when a court acquitted Mubarak-era officials accused of ordering camels to charge against protesters during last year’s uprising.

The February 2011 incident, known as the "Camel Battle," left nearly a dozen people dead. It was one of the bloodiest incidents in the 2011 revolution that toppled the Mubarak regime.

The so-called "Judgement Day” protest on the square had originally been organized by left-leaning activists hoping to draw attention to their disaffection with President Morsi and the Constituent Assembly. Islamists arrived to protest the contentious "Camel Battle" ruling, which saw 25 figures in the Mubarak regime set free.

While all sides to the conflict were united in their opposition to the acquittal, long simmering tensions between the rival parties quickly spilled over.

The coalition of liberals and secular-minded groups was particularly concerned with Islamist control of the body drafting the country's new constitution.

Fighting commenced after Muslim Brotherhood supporters tore down a podium belonging to a group chanting anti-Morsi slogans, AFP reported.

“Down, down with rule by the guide,” Morsi's detractors chanted in reference to Mohammed Badie, the leader of the Muslim Brotherhood. Morsi officially resigned from the Brotherhood upon assuming office, but his opponents believe that he maintains control over the president.

On Friday Morsi was in Egypt's second largest city, Alexandria, where he vowed that the former regime's figures would be held accountable in spite of Wednesday's ruling.

Morsi moved to dismiss the country's prosecutor general – a Mubarak appointee – following the controversial verdict. The prosecutor, Abdel-Maguid Mahmoud refused to resign and accept an offer to be Egypt's envoy to the Vatican.

Following Friday's altercations on Tahrir Square, the April 6 movement, which played a key role in ousting Mubarak from power, said its supporters would march on the prosecutor's office.

Egyptian opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood and President Mohamed Morsi (top) confront government supporters in Tahrir square in Cairo on October 12, 2012 (AFP Photo / Khaled Desouki)

Egyptians evacuate a wounded man during clashes between government supporters and opponent of the Muslim Brotherhood and President Mohamed Morsi in Tahrir square in Cairo on October 12, 2012 (AFP Photo / Khaled Desouki)

Egypt on the road to Islamization?

Fears that Egypt's controversial new draft constitution will lead to the establishment of an Islamist state were expressed by Trew, who argued that a "massive Islamization of the constitution" is underway.

“Key articles in the constitution, like Article 2 and Article 36 relating to the Egyptian penal code and also relating to women’s’ rights, are really seeing a lot of Islamization, in which people are saying Egyptian law should not only derive from Islamic Sharia, but actually follow Islamic Sharia. This is one of the ongoing battles in the Constituent Assembly," she said.

Trew also said that many fear that draft Article 36 will put women directly under the thumb of "Islamic jurisprudence."

"In addition, they have to reconcile their domestic responsibilities with the other sides of their life. Basically implying that [for] women, the home comes first," she continued.

But Barah Mikail, a senior researcher on Middle Eastern issues at the FRIDE think tank, told RT that talks of Egypt becoming an Islamist country were premature.

“I wouldn’t talk about any danger when it comes to Egypt’s global reorganization of social and political aspects. We haven’t got a clear picture of what could occur in the future. What we know [is that] whenever the constitution is definitely drafted, it will also be submitted to a vote. This is why I think there is no real threat on the future of Egypt when it comes to [talking] about its [return] to an authoritarian regime or a dictatorship,” he said.

“At the same time, whatever result we receive with the constitution, we will still have growing frustrations among the Egyptian population.”

Jerusalem Post journalist Yaakov Lappin was less optimistic about Egypt's constitution, telling RT that many of the current draft laws being debated were disconcerting "for anyone who would like to see Egypt remain a secular, democratic state."

"There was a draft clause that would make Al-Azhar – the foremost Sunni Islamic learning institution – some sort of body that would be able to decide whether new laws are compatible or incompatible with Islamic law. These are the basic steps that one would take if one wanted to set up an Islamist state," he said.

"As long as a majority of people who are setting up the new constitution are Islamists, they will naturally seek to create an Islamist state, and at this stage I don’t see how that could be avoided."

Egyptians help to evacuate a wounded man during clashes of opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood and President Mohamed Morsi with government supporters in Tahrir square in Cairo on October 12, 2012 (AFP Photo / Khaled Desouki)

Egyptian opponents of the Muslim Brotherhood and President Mohamed Morsi confront government supporters (top) in Tahrir square in Cairo on October 12, 2012 (AFP Photo / Khaled Desouki)

Anti-Muslim Brotherhood demonstrators tackle a Muslim Brotherhood member and supporter of Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi at Tahrir Square, the focal point of the Egyptian uprising, in Cairo October 12, 2012 (Reuters / Mohamed Abd El Ghany)

Pro and anti-Morsi forces clash in Cairo October 12, 2012 (Reuters / Mohamed Abd El Ghany)

 

 



 

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Gazas Hopes Dashed by Morsi and Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood

 

By: Rami Almeghari

Source: Global Research

http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=32552

Ever since the toppling of the Mubarak regime in Egypt, Palestinians in Gaza have hoped that they would see an end to the punishing restrictions on their movement through the Rafah crossing with Egypt, their only gateway to the outside world.

I know first-hand about the hardships these restrictions cause, not only because as a reporter I have covered them for years, but because my family has borne them personallyas we have had to go back and forth from our home in Gaza to Egypt for my wife’s medical treatment.

But though there was a loosening of the restrictions since the fall of Egypt’s Mubarak regime, 1.6 million residents in Gaza now face the return of the tight closure imposed on their movement since 2007, as Israel, the occupying power, works with Egypt to impose a tight siege on the area.

Punishing Palestinians for electing Hamas

Israel claimed that the siege was necessary because Hamas, in power in Gaza, represented a threat; meanwhile Egypt bowed to international pressure by shutting down Gaza’s main gateway to the outside world. The goal was in fact the same — to tighten the siege on Gaza to make Hamas’ rule unviable, even though it had won an election in 2006.

Egypt then contended that the Rafah crossing terminal should operate according to the terms of the 2005 “Agreement on Movement and Access” brokered by the United States. This agreement required the presence of European Union “observers” who acted as Israel’s eyes, ears and hands, and the forces of the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah.

However, Hamas’ election victory has changed the rules of the political game, and hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who need to be able to move in and out of Gaza have been the victims.

Instead of welcoming one of the rare democratic exercises in in the Arab world, years before the Arab uprisings that have, so far, led to the fall of long-time rulers in Tunisia, Libya, Yemen and Egypt itself, the so-called international community imposed a boycott on the Palestinians to punish them for the result.

A year and a half after Hamas won legislative elections in both Gaza and the West Bank — declared free and fair by international monitors — Hamas and the western-backed Fatah faction of Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas, architect of the Oslo Agreement between Israel and the Palestine Liberation Organization, engaged in a brief civil war.

Abbas’ forces aimed to prevent Hamas from gaining hegemony despite their election victory, while Hamas wanted to consolidate its control and prevent what it saw as a coup against its legitimate authority.

In June 2007, the conflict reached a climax, and Hamas ousted the forces loyal to Abbas and established sole control in the interior of Gaza. This only led Israel and its international allies to tighten the siege and closure.

In 2008, Israel declared Gaza — of which it is still legally the occupying power — a “hostile entity” that is dedicated to the destruction of the state of Israel.

Gaza — a hostile entity? Half of the population are children and more than a million are registered refugees with UNRWA, the UN agency for Palestinian refugees, and are dependent on regular food aid.

Taking back their Dignity

The civilian population of Gaza were “stripped of their dignity” and plunged into a “struggle to survive,” in the words of former UNRWA chief John Ging.

Just months before Ging uttered those words, Palestinians blew up the border wall with Egypt and hundreds of thousands of Gazans burst through it seeking basic supplies, to rejoin family members, to seek urgent medical treatment, and to take back their stolen dignity.

For a few days, the Arab Republic of Egypt — under its president and main US ally, Hosni Mubarak — had no choice but to allow the people of Gaza to cross the border into nearby Egyptian towns.

Mubarak apparently did not understand the message delivered by the Palestinian crowds, and reimposed the closure of the border with Gaza. Palestinians invented their own means of breaking the siege — digging underground tunnels that became, until now, the mainstay of the economy.

Mubarak's Overthrow Offered Hope

Meanwhile, the Rafah crossing terminal remained closed until just after February 2011, when Mubarak was toppled by a great popular uprising.

In May 2011, Palestinians from Gaza, including patients, students and men over the age of 40 and those with residency permits in Egypt or in some other Arab countries began to move in and out of Gaza through Rafah as restrictions were eased. Since then, tens of thousands of Gazans have enjoyed the fruits of the Egyptian Spring, and some of their dignity appears to have been restored.

In June, Egyptians elected Mohammad Morsi of the Muslim Brotherhood party as president. Morsi spoke of further easing restrictions and supplying more desperately-needed electricity to Gaza. In July, the new Egyptian president met Gaza’s Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh of Hamas, the highest-level meeting for Gaza’s rulers since their election, which was made possible only by the uprising of the Egyptian people.

Haniyeh returned to the Gaza Strip from Cairo through the Rafah crossing, filled with hope and expectation to the extent that some Hamas leaders in Gaza hinted at the possibility of establishing a free trade zone on the Gaza-Egypt border line, which would eliminate the need for the current tunnel economy.

Hopes Dashed by Sinai Attack

All these hopes — shared by Gaza’s population — were swiftly dashed in the aftermath of the 5 August attack during Ramadan by unknown gunmen that killed 16 Egyptian soldiers in the northern Sinai near the border with Gaza.

Despite no evidence that the attackers came from Gaza, no history of such attacks by Palestinians against Egyptians, and widespread condemnation from the Palestinian people, leaders and political factions in reaction to this attack, Egyptian media and some authorities began quickly pointing the finger at Gaza. Egypt shut down the Rafah crossing and moved to shut down the underground tunnels that have been a lifeline.

Many Egyptian media outlets and officials said to be affiliated with the Egyptian regime launched an anti-Hamas campaign, accusing elements from the Gaza Strip of involvement in the terrorist attack.

Until the findings of ongoing investigations into the attack are revealed, the people of Gaza, especially patients in need of medical care, will again lose their dignity that has been stolen for more than five years. Some may lose their lives.

New Restrictions?

Media reports from Gaza suggest that more than 40,000 registered travelers, including patients, students and those with residency permits in Arab countries, are unable to get out of the tiny coastal enclave after Egypt ordered new restrictions on travel for their Palestinian brothers and sisters. From now on, Rafah will be open for no more than 1,000 travelers each working day.

Other media reports suggested that more than 10,000 Israelis and Palestinians with Israeli citizenship recently managed to cross into the Sinai peninsula through the Taba crossing at the Egyptian-Israeli border — into the same Sinai desert area where the attacks happened — to enjoy the weekend and Eid holidays at Red Sea resorts.

Meanwhile, Palestinians in Gaza watch and continue to ask: who is hijacking our dignity?

Rami Almeghari is a journalist and university lecturer based in the Gaza Strip.

 

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Egypt’s president selects new defense minister, retires top commander

Former Egyptian Defense Minister Hussein Tantawi (file photo)

Source: Press TV

http://www.presstv.ir/detail/2012/08/12/255890/morsi-appoints-new-defense-minister/

Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi has appointed a new defense minister and vice president, cancelling a constitutional declaration issued by the military restricting presidential powers.

On Sunday, Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi was replaced as defense minister with Major General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.

Morsi also ordered the retirement of military chief of staff Sami Anan, replacing him with Sedqi Sobhi Sayyid Ahmed.

Mahmoud Makki, a former judge, was also appointed vice president.

Last week, Morsi sacked the country’s intelligence chief, the Republican Guard commander and the head of the military police days after gunmen killed 16 Egyptian border guards at a checkpoint near Egypt’s border with Israel.

The Egyptian president also fired Abdel Wahab Mabrouk, the governor of North Sinai, where the deadly attack took place.

The moves seem to be in response to the deadly violence at Egypt's border with Israel.

Under a constitutional declaration issued on June 17, the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF), which assumed power following the ouster of the Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, took control of the state budget and gave itself veto power over a new constitution, diminishing president’s powers.

Morsi was elected president on June 24 in a runoff against Ahmed Shafiq, who had served as Mubarak's last prime minister.

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