The Egyptian revolution topples additional equations

Arab Affairs

Editorial: The Egyptian revolution topples additional equations
The Egyptian popular revolution is proving to be the only historical event on which this description applies during the era of the Arab action. It might also be the only one that could herald the upcoming spring which will soon change the face of the Arab region, and converge with the resistance and independence bloc to achieve liberation from colonial hegemony and confront the Israeli enemy.
– Firstly, the social dimension constitutes a decisive factor at the level of the suffering of the Egyptian people and their ongoing revolution. Indeed, it seemed clear since Mubarak’s toppling, that none of the influential political powers enjoyed a program to induce economic change, while the military council and the command of the Muslim Brotherhood organization appeared to be determined to follow in the footsteps of the former regime at the level of the adoption of the policy of submission to loans and aid. This will keep Egypt the hostage of the American and Western economic and financial directives via international and regional funds, without any serious assessment of the Egyptian economy which was subjected throughout thirty years to the destruction that affected the productive structure in favor of privatization serving the companies of the influential figures that pillaged public wealth.
– Secondly, in addition to the social factor, the Egyptians in the post-revolution phase suffered a state of security mayhem and organized attempts to spread anarchy and sectarian strife. The revolutionary youth groups were right on the mark when they held the military council and Issam Sharaf’s government accountable for the non-prevention of this situation, knowing that this military council, along with the MB command, constitute the fictive axes assigned by the American-Turkish-Saudi-Qatari understanding to lead Egypt in a way serving the American-Israeli interests and preventing the revolution from crossing the line of fire in Sinai.
– Thirdly, it is natural for the current popular uprising to topple the equation of the authority which was supposed to be enhanced via the elections in favor of the MB-military council alliance, along with the remnants of Mubarak’s party who –based on the facts - appear to have been reactivated in preparation for the elections and the stage that will follow.
This is Egypt whose economic rise cannot be seen without unity with other Arab countries and whose agriculture cannot be strengthened without regaining sovereignty over the Nile Basin. Moreover, it cannot go back to being an influential regional power without the decisive confrontation with the Zionist hegemony plans at the heart of the Arab-Israeli conflict. Egypt, with its young revolutionaries, is going to restore consideration to its status and topple many governments and leaders until it settles down, just as it should be, away from the American hegemony plans, Erdogan’s advice and Qatar’s money which is drenched in blood.

News analysis: The Arab League of negligence and the conspiracy against Syria
The ordinary Arab citizens and especially the ordinary Syrian citizens do not need much research and insight to discover the truth about what is being concocted in the backstage against the region and against the only Arab country that fought the projects of Israeli hegemony throughout thirty years, and stood fast against the arrogance of the colonial-Zionist alliance, its hostile adventures and its dictations since Camp David.
– Firstly, the Arab League which was caught off guard a few days ago by the uprising of the Egyptian people – one that claimed the lives of many victims due to the violent oppression - did not find this issue to be worthy of discussion, just as it did not find there was any need to discuss the crushing, lynching and killing seen in the streets of Manama among other areas in Bahrain. The protection of the people is not the one mobilizing the League whose integrity is questioned on the moral and political levels, while the people do not come ahead at the level of the calculations of the Gulf governments led by Qatar. The priority is to earn the American and Israeli consent, as these governments funded the July war to get rid of the Lebanese resistance and the Gaza war to annihilate Hamas, also spending billions of dollars to ensure Israel’s provision with the weapons and ammunition that allowed it to exercise the widest extermination during the last few years.
– Secondly, ever since the launching of the Arab League’s interference in the Syrian issue, one could see the preparations for a foreign intervention aiming at toppling Syria and destroying its capabilities. Intentional provocation thus governed the handling of the Syrian file ever since the implementation of the Arab initiative was turned into a request to see the Syrian authorities succumbing to the formula prepared in advance in Jeffrey Feltman’s office, in collaboration with the American and Israeli intelligence apparatuses and with direct support from the government of the Ottoman illusion and the De Gaulle government of disappointment. The Syrian people are aware of what is happening in their country and what is being weaved around it and are following what the protests which emerged eight months ago have turned into. Indeed, the main character of the Syrian incidents has become limited to terrorism and foreign intervention in the total disappearance of reform and dialogue behind a curtain of anarchy, blood and espionage, which constitutes the core of the project of the oppositions harbored by Syria’s enemies.
– Thirdly, the events erupted in Cairo a few days ago and dead and wounded fell on the roads surrounding the League’s headquarters. The concerned leaders thus transferred their meetings to the hotels in order to continue their escalation against Syria, while implementing the urgent task which they were assigned to conduct by the American administration prior to the exit of the occupation forces from Iraq.
The Turkish foreign minister is also eager to participate in the League’s meetings for Syria in order to offer the Turkish government’s services and escalate its sabotage campaigns by hosting armed gangs carrying out massacres against the Syrian people. This rush is due to the American determination to trigger the biggest amount of fires possible in parallel to the exit of the defeated occupation forces from Iraq, particularly in the country which the Americans held responsible for supporting and hosting the Iraqi resistance and toppling the new Middle East project by embracing the resistance movements in Lebanon and Palestine.
The American time granted to the implementers extends over months and not weeks as many think and the battle is being waged based on the principle “let us start and then we will see what will happen.”

International affairs

News analysis.: Israel seeking alliance with Africa’s Christians
In light of the political and social chaos witnessed in the countries of the region, the reshuffling of the cards produced by the ongoing events in a number of Arab states since the beginning of the year and what was witnessed by some of these countries in terms of the changing of the ruling elite and rise to power of the Muslim Brotherhood organizations in Tunisia and Libya, a new door was opened through which Israel is trying to penetrate the African Christian states by trying to give these states the impression that this Islamic tide will cause the displacement of the Christians from the African territories and that Israel is the savior which will prevent such a scenario through its willingness to offer assistance on the military, political and security levels. It is thus using this Christian fear towards the Islamic rise, especially following the sectarian clashes recently activated by the extremist in Egypt.
Today, Israel is trying to use Islamic-Christian strife to impose itself as an influential state in the region, to exit its isolation, earn more international legitimacy and establish diplomatic relations with the biggest number possible of African states to carry out other economic and security activities. It is consequently trying hard to establish alliances with the Christian states in Africa to appear as though it is concerned about these sates’ security. According to the Israeli Debka Website, this African alliance includes Ethiopia, Kenya, South Sudan and Tanzania.
The Israeli website also revealed that Israeli President Shimon Peres and his prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu promised the Kenyan prime minister the establishment of an alliance against extremist Islam, adding that Israel was willing to supply the armies of these states with all necessary military assistance to help them carry out their war against Al-Qaeda organization and the other extremist Islamic organizations.
In conclusion, it is no secret to anyone that Israel does not carry out any strategic steps without American consultation and without coordination with President Barack Obama’s administration in Washington. Indeed, America is conducting rapprochement with the Muslim Brotherhood to allow it to reach power in the countries witnessing change while on the other hand coordinating with Israel to open up to the Christian states in Africa. It is an American-Israeli policy based on the separation of the states of the region while using the divergence between the people in order to tighten their control over our natural resources.
Moreover, the Israeli-American infiltration of Africa via this new method aims at besieging the Arab world and especially the resistance forces, by using the gaps affecting the relations between those states and the non-realization of the strategic transformations by the Arabs. In the meantime, an influential state such as Egypt is being depleted and drowned in economic and security problems while an influential Arab power such as Syria is being besieged via the Arab League which has not dealt with any article related to the Israeli aggression or plans since the beginning of the year.

The Arab file

Syria
• Once again, a Syrian delegation which travelled to Cairo to express its rejection of the Arab League’s decision and foreign interference in Syria’s domestic affairs was fiercely beaten at the hands of oppositionists living abroad in front of the Arab League headquarters in Cairo. In the meantime, the Syrian army and the security forces are being targeted with explosions and attacks in parallel to the continuation of the demonstrations against the Arab League’s decision and foreign intervention in Syria.
• On the other hand, the Arab League General Secretariat turned down Syria’s request to introduce amendments to the protocol document of the Arab monitors. For its part, the Syrian government did not respond to the calls of the Arab League Council on Thursday to see this government signing the special protocol defining the tasks of the League’s monitors in Syria based on the formula adopted by the council. On Saturday, the Council thus called for the consideration of the imposition of economic sanctions on Syria, including the discontinuation of the flights into it, the halting of the commercial and financial trade with the Syrian government and the freezing of its accounts.
• Russia and China for their part confirmed their insistence on the respect of the sovereignty of the states and the non-interference in their domestic affairs. They thus called on the international community to play a constructive role aiming at alleviating the tensions on Syria. In Iraq, the parliamentary State of Law Coalition led by Prime Minister Nouri al-Maliki condemned the Arab League’s position towards Syria, while Muktada al-Sadr also condemned this position and perceived it as being a form of sponsorship of injustice. In the meantime, Jordanian Minister of Information and Communication and official spokesman for the Jordanian government Rakan al-Majali, revealed arms smuggling operations between Jordan and Syria for commercial purposes and that Jordan was trying to stop them.

Egypt
• Tahrir Square at the heart of Cairo witnessed a massacre in which a number of dead and wounded fell following an attack waged by the security forces and the military police against hundreds of protesters among the revolution youth, while the clashes extended to several other Egyptian cities. Head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi announced in a speech he addressed to the people the acceptance of the resignation of Issam Sharaf’s government and its assignment to tend to the country’s affairs until the formation of a new government. He also expressed his willingness to immediately surrender power via a popular referendum, stressing that the armed forces will not substitute the authority of the people and do not wish to monopolize power.
• Later on, the council issued an official statement in which it apologized for the fall of martyrs and promised to investigate the incidents. Former, Prime Minister Doctor Kamal al-Janzouri was then assigned to form the new government. However, this appointment was met with wide rejection on the Egyptians street, considering that the man was very active under the former regime. For his part, candidate to the presidency Mohammad al-Baradei expressed his willingness to relinquish his candidacy and to head the transitional government in order to save the country.
• It is worth mentioning that on Saturday, the statements delivered by a member in the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces generated controversy after he announced that the new parliament will not have the power to withdraw confidence from the Egyptian government.

Yemen
• Yemeni President Ali Abdullah Saleh headed to Saudi Arabia and personally signed the Gulf initiative stipulating the transfer of power to his deputy Abed Rabo Mansour Hadi who remained in the capital Sana’a, while Saleh for his part stayed in Saudi Arabia to undergo medical tests.
• The United Arab Emirates also signed the agreement as the head of the current session of the Gulf Cooperation Council and was represented by Foreign Minister Sheikh Abdullah Ben Zayed al-Nahyan. Following the signing, President Saleh delivered a speech in which he assured: “What is important is not the signing of the initiative, rather the existence of good intentions and the launching of the action,” stressing his personal willingness to engage in real partnership to reconstruct what was destroyed by the crisis and collaborate with the next government to ensure the success of the initiative. Prior to the signing of the Gulf initiative, King Abdullah Ben Abdul Aziz had delivered a speech in which he assured that Yemen’s stability was the responsibility of all the sides, calling on the Yemenis to allow the prevalence of reason, reject division and forget the past.
• On Saturday, Abed Rabo Mansour Hadi’s first decision was to organize presidential elections on February 21, 2012.

Saudi Arabia
• Two young men passed away in the Saudi Al-Qatif province Wednesday night in protests which erupted during the funerals of two other men who had fallen earlier. This province had been witnessing large scale protests against discrimination and the imprisonment of Shiite leaders and citizens because they voiced their opinions. During the last couple of days, anti-royal slogans and graffiti emerged throughout the province. Saudi Arabia’s Mufti, Sheikh Abdul Aziz al-Sheikh, assured: “The troublemakers of Al-Qatif are affiliated with a gang taking orders from abroad,” in reference to Iran.

Bahrain
• On Thursday evening, the security forces shot tear gas bombs against hundreds of demonstrators who tried to stage a march in the southwestern part of the Bahraini capital Manama, following the funerals of a boy who was hit by a Bahraini police car on Wednesday. The report of the independent committee assigned to investigate the events that took place last March held the Bahraini government responsible for the violations seen during the protests which were organized to demand political and constitutional reforms. Moreover, the committee denied the accusations cast against Iran of being involved in the incidents and considered that Tehran had nothing to do with these events.

Palestine
• Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and Hamas Politburo Chief Khaled Meshaal announced following their meeting in Cairo on Thursday that a new Palestinian partnership had been launched. In this context, Abbas said: “There are no longer any disputes between us and we agreed to work as partners and with the same level of responsibility.”

Israeli file

• The Israeli papers issued this week lengthily tackled the developments on the Egyptian arena and the Israeli fears over the future of the relations with Egypt. The Israeli papers also followed the meeting between Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and Hamas Politburo Chief Khaled Meshaal which ended with the announcement of partnership but without any agreements.

• In the meantime, Netanyahu considered that the embarrassment of Hamas’s embracing constituted a slap to Israel.

• The Israeli papers intensively covered the blog of American national Richard Silverstein who indicated that Israel was behind the detonation of a warehouse belonging to Hezbollah in the Sadqin village in Tyre. The Israeli papers then addressed the blow inflicted to the CIA by Hezbollah following the announcement of the exposure of CIA agents in Lebanon, at a time when the Israeli army is carrying out intensive training to face the possible war with Hezbollah against the backdrop of the war on Iran.

Lebanese file

• President Michel Suleiman stressed in the independence speech “the importance of unifying our national and deterrence capabilities and maintain our right to liberate or restore the Shebaa farms, the Kfarshouba hills and the northern part of the Ghajae village via the legitimate and available means.” He also added: “My message to you is not shift away from the national principles guaranteeing Lebanon’s stability and prosperity and to distance yourselves from anything which might negatively affect national unity, civil peace and your legitimate dreams. We remain committed to dialogue, logic and moderation.”

• Prime Minister Najib Mikati said: “We are not ready to take any risks at the level of the Lebanese issue so that we do not eventually lose. We cannot rely on wagers, adventures or gambles since it is in our interests not to interfere in anything that does not concern us.” Asked about the funding of the tribunal, Mikati said: “I personally committed to the funding of the tribunal which goes in line with the international resolutions and I committed to seeing this funding ratified via constitutional means. I informed all the concerned parties about that, including Speaker Nabih Berri. We have now reached the deadline and the issue is in the hands of the Cabinet, while everyone should assume their responsibilities.”

• It is worth mentioning that the head of the Change and Reform Bloc in parliament, General Michel Aoun, responded to this statement by reaffirming that his ministers will vote against the funding of the tribunal. As a result, the ministers of the bloc boycotted the Cabinet session which was supposed to be held on Thursday in the presidential palace in Baabda, thus preventing the achievement of the necessary quorum. Minister Jibran Bassil noted that while the prime minister was threatening to resign, “we also threaten to pull out our ministers as we believe there are many other items which are much more important than the funding of the tribunal that need to be tackled, and are not being included on the agenda.”