Egypt a coup for Islamic fundamentalists

[Mark]

Egypt's New President: Our Capital 'Shall Be Jerusalem, Allah Willing'

http://www.breitbart.com/Breitbart-TV/2012/06/24/Egypts-New-President-Our-Capital-Shall-Be-Jerusalem-Allah-Willing

Supporters mass, chant 'Allahu Akbar!'

http://www.reuters.com/article/2012/06/24/us-egypt-election-idUSBRE85G01U20120624

MUSLIM B'HOOD TAKES EGYPT

http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/06/201262412445190400.html

[Psalm 51:17]

Heard this on NPR on my way back from Louisiana today - yeah, it seems like the Islamists are slowly taking over the ME. Obviously, it's not going to last long for obvious reasons...

[Psalm 51:17]

http://www.jewishworldreview.com/cols/gaffney062612.php3?printer_friendly

Muslim Brotherhood's bait-and-switch

Egypt's newly elected president, Mohammed Morsi, says he will be a "leader for all Egyptians." That sounds a lot like the sorts of lies his fellow Muslim Brothers have been telling for months, only to renege on them when they can. We ignore the true character and ambitions of the Muslim Brotherhood — in Egypt, elsewhere in the Mideast, in the wider world and here — at our extreme peril.

In fact, the Brothers' bait—and—switch gambits are standard operating procedure for their secretive organization. After all, from the Brotherhood's inception in Egypt in 1928, it has been a revolutionary organization committed to the imposition worldwide of a totalitarian, supremacist Islamic doctrine they call Shariah.

The unattractiveness of that brutally repressive agenda to non—Muslims, and even many Muslims, has forced the group to operate largely in the shadows. It wages a stealthy, pre—violent "civilization jihad" to advance its goals until circumstances are ripe for conquest via violent jihad.

In the hope of attenuating the military's opposition to the Muslim Brotherhood's rise, the latter has utilized myriad subterfuges. In previous rounds of elections, the Brotherhood promised that it would not seek a parliamentary majority. Then, it did. It promised not to run a candidate for president. Then, it actually ran two of them.

As its power grew, the Brotherhood cynically abandoned others in the opposition in the hope of cutting deals with the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF), the junta that ruled Egypt following the overthrow of longtime U.S. ally Hosni Mubarak. When the SCAF cracked down on the eve of the second round of the presidential election, however, the Brothers were back in Tahrir Square making nice with those unlikely to fare well under Shariah — Christians, secular liberals and women to whom Mr. Morsi's soothing words are obviously intended to appeal.

Another Brotherhood bait—and—switch was laid bare in a Wall Street Journal interview with the Brotherhood's formidable deputy supreme guide, Khairat Al Shater. As writer Matthew Kaminski put it, "If the Muslim Brotherhood came to power, Mr. Al Shater would be in charge." In other words, Mr. Morsi is a puppet for the leader of an outfit described by Mr. Kaminski as "a closed, rigidly hierarchical and disciplined quasi—Trotskyite organization."

Khairat Al Shater revealed one more gambit in his interview with the Journal. Mr. Kaminski quoted him as saying, "the priority is 'a close partnership' with the U.S. which the [Brotherhood] expects to help it unlock credit markets and gain international legitimacy."

On the occasion of Mr. Obama's first "outreach to the Muslim world" speech at Cairo's al—Azhar University in June 2009, he insisted that Brotherhood operatives be in the audience. He threw Mr. Mubarak under the bus within a few days of demonstrations erupting in Tahrir Square and elsewhere in Egypt (in stark contrast to his indifference to far larger and longer—running ones in Iran).

What is more, since the first "Arab Spring" uprisings in February 2011, Team Obama has engaged with the Brotherhood extensively — both here and in the region — and signaled its willingness to do so in government. Notably, in April, after the Brotherhood dominated parliamentary elections, Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton ordered the transfer of $1.5 billion in a lump—sum, no—strings—attached grant to Egypt.

The best hope for those who legitimately fear the Muslim Brotherhood and its unwavering — if only intermittently acknowledged — determination to impose Shariah in Egypt may be for the military there to continue to resist pressure to yield power to the Muslim Brotherhood.

Unfortunately, that pressure will be immense. It will emanate from, among others, the Obama administration. Team Obama's support for the Brotherhood has become more and more aggressive and reckless. In the process, it is empowering not only the most serious enemy of any hope for freedom in the Middle East, but avowed enemies of this country, as well.

The next shoe to drop in that regard may be a decision by President Obama to agree to a demand from Egyptian Islamists to free one of their most dangerous leaders, Omar Abdul Rahman, the notorious "Blind Sheik" who ordered the first attack on the World Trade Center in 1993. That unrepentant terrorist subsequently tried to use his attorney, Lynne Stewart, to communicate from federal prison an order to his followers to conduct still more murderous jihadist acts.

Rahman's return to Cairo — a jihadist triumph that would likely make the Islamists' rapture at the return of Ayatollah Khomeini to Iran in 1979 pale by comparison — has been urged most recently during high—level meetings in Washington by Hani Nour Eldin. Mr. Eldin is a member of the Blind Sheik's designated terrorist organization, Gama'a al—Islamiyya. An incredulous House Homeland Security Committee Chairman Peter T. King, New York Republican, has written to Homeland Security Secretary Janet A. Napolitano asking why such a dangerous individual was granted a visa by the Obama administration and for her position on the release of Rahman.

Subterfuge, subversion and sedition in the name of Shariah are the tradecraft of the Muslim Brotherhood. Team Obama's enabling of the Brothers' ascendancy in Egypt and its embrace of their operatives and those of other Islamist organizations in this country (see MuslimBrotherhoodinAmerica.com) is, if not actually illegal, certainly dangerous in the extreme.

[Psalm 51:17]

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4252618,00.html

Egypt arrests 68 migrants trying to reach Israel

Published:  07.08.12, 12:20 / Israel News 
 
An Egyptian security official says border guards have arrested 68 African migrants trying to illegally cross into Israel.

The official says guards spotted the group close to the barbed wire border in the Sinai Peninsula late Saturday and shot in the air, forcing them to stop and surrender. The official says the 68 Africans included Sudanese, Ethiopians and Eritreans. (AP)

[Mark]

Egypt Declared 'Islamic State' in New Constitution; Christians and Jews Protected?
Critics Point to Ultra-Orthodox Islamists' Aggressive Push to Implement Sharia Laws


The Constituent Assembly committee tasked with drafting Egypt's new constitution has revealed articles of the document, which declares that "Islam is the religion of the state" informed by Islamic Sharia principles. However, those statements seem to contradict an included provision for Christians and Jews to be governed by their own religion, according to observers.
The draft for Article 1 reads, according to Egyptian newspaper Ahram: "The Arab Republic of Egypt is democratic, consultative, constitutional and modernized; based on the separation of powers and the principle of citizenship. Egypt is part of the Arab and Islamic nation, with strong ties to the African Continent."

Article 2's draft reads: "Islam is the religion of the state; Arabic is the official religion of the state; and principles of Islamic Sharia are the major source of legislation. Al-Azhar is the major reference on interpreting the principles of Islamic Sharia and that non-Muslims, especially the followers of Christianity and Judaism, should refer to their religions on personal matters, religious affairs, and the selection of their religious leaders."

The proposal for Article 3 reportedly reads: "Sovereignty is for the people alone and they are the source of authority. The people shall exercise and protect this sovereignty, and safeguard national unity in the manner specified in the Constitution."

The Egypt Independent reported this week that drafts of the first two articles of the new constitution had been agreed upon by various religious members of the Constituent Assembly. Those involved in crafting the drafts were reportedly careful to appease those concerned with the direction of the country after the removal of former President Hosni Mubarak, and the installation of Mohammad Morsi.

Evangelical leader Safwat al-Bayady was cited by the Egypt Independent as backing the draft articles, as were representatives of the Catholic Church and the Coptic community, the largest Christian group in Egypt.

The only dissension seemed to be among the committee's ultra-orthodox Salafists, who took issue with Article 2 stating that "the principles of Islamic Sharia are the major source of legislation." According to Amrah Online, which reported on the assembly meeting on Thursday, Salafist assembly members have been aggressively pushing to implement Islamic Sharia law as more than just a guiding principle in legislative matters.

"They also believe that Sharia law, not its principles, should be the main source of legislation to ensure that the hudood, or the ordinances of God – such (as) stoning non-believes and amputating the hands of thieves – be applied. The imposition of hudood, according to most Islamist conservative forces, is a necessity so that Egypt does not become a secular state and that it is committed to implementing God's laws," the publication reports.

This aggressive push for Sharia in the draft of the new constitution, being framed around Egypt's 1971 constitution, has been interpreted as a warning sign among some observers who believe a reference to the Islamic religious code contradicts provisions for Christians.

Middle East affairs expert Barry Rubin, commenting on what these proposed changes could mean, writes:

"Finally, Christians, it is implied, will be governed by their own religious laws. But this is a peculiar formulation. If Egypt is not governed by Sharia law then why would Christians need to be exempt from it? If this provision is restricted only to matters of personal status (principally marriage, divorce, and inheritance) then Christians would mostly be living under Sharia law in any state court. And what does this constitutional provision mean for example regarding the status of women, where Egyptian law has granted more rights than Sharia would do? Another important issue will be the appointment of future judges since many of the current magistrates oppose Sharia law as that of the state."

Expressing skepticism over the appearance of a moderate Egypt emerging, Rubin adds: "No doubt though the Constitution will be interpreted by many Western observers of proof that the Brotherhood and Salafists have moderated."

Although newly instated President Morsi, of the Muslim Brotherhood, vowed that the new Egypt would be democratic and more inclusive of its minority segments, doubts have persisted among some observers who believe the new president could be overpowered by hardline Islamists.

Insisting last week that "Egypt is an Islamist state," David Schenker, also an expert in Middle East affairs, suggested that what was most important is understanding what kind of Islamic state Egypt would become.

"Already, the Salafis have threatened to withdraw from Morsi's presidential team if he follows through on his commitment to include a woman and a Coptic Christian among his six vice presidents," he wrote.

"In his victory speech, Morsi spoke about reconciliation. But going forward, nervous about being outflanked on its right, the Muslim Brotherhood will see little alternative to adopting the positions of its Salafi rivals, including a stricter interpretation of Islamic law," Schenker concluded.

The Constitutional Assembly's present suggestions are not set in stone and will likely be debated further as the full body of representatives from among Egypt's population gather to decide what powers the executive, legislative and judiciary branches of government will hold.

But even the assembly, which fell apart earlier this year amid protests from Christians, moderate Islamists, liberals and other groups claiming unfair representation, is in danger of being dissolved again. The current committee tasked with drafting Egypt's new constitution is facing the same accusations, with several lawsuits filed challenging its legality.

http://www.christianpost.com/news/egypt-declared-islamic-state-in-new-constitution-christians-and-jews-protected-78120/

[Mark]

Muslim Brotherhood anti-army coup in Cairo. Tanks move up to Israel border

Having gained control of the Egyptian parliament, government and presidency, the Muslim Brotherhood has made itself the unchallenged ruler of Egypt. Demoting the heads of the military leaves the MB in control of the biggest army in the Arab world.

Two months after assuming the presidency, the Muslim Brotherhood’s President Mohamed Morsi swept away the powerful pro-American Supreme Military Council heads ruling Egypt since Hosni Mubarak’s overthrow.  Sunday. Aug. 12, he fired the Egyptian Defense Minister, Field Marshal Mohamed Tantawi, the Egyptian chief of staff Gen. Hafez Sami Annan and three more generals and appointed Field Marshall Abd al-Fatah Sissi defense minister and Gen. Sidki Sobhi chief of staff in their place.
The three generals also sacked were Air Force chief Rezza Abd al-Megid, Navy commander Mahab Muhamed Mamish and Air Defense chief Abd Al-Aziz Muhamed Seif.
President Morsi also annulled the law amendments endowing the military with broad powers.
debkafile reports: Field Marshal Tantawi and Gen. Annan were regarded as the last major impediments to the Muslim Brotherhood’s complete takeover of Egypt. Morsi’s action has cast Egypt’s military caste out into uncertain territory with regard to its future status in government.

Morsi’s actions in the last month have aroused serious concern in the United States and Israel. His coup Sunday will give them more unsavory food for thought. They will not have missed the sudden arrival of Egyptian army M-60 tanks (made in the US) right up to the Israeli border of Sinai while the new appointments were announced in Cairo.

It is still not yet clear whether the Israeli government and army were caught off guard or gave permission for this extreme exception to the demilitarized clauses of their 1979 peace treaty. However, last week, the Egyptian president said that treaty clauses not deemed beneficial to Egyptian interests by the new regime would have to go. Israel did not respond to this statement.

In another new departure, he appointed a former senior judge Mohamed Mahmud Makki vice president, a new office in Egyptian government.   http://www.debka.com/article/22262
debkafile was the only publication to report that the Muslim Brotherhood and Morsi were exploiting the terrorist attack in Sinai to rid Cairo of the pro-Western military control of the Egyptian government.
debkafile was the only publication to report that the Muslim Brotherhood and Morsi were exploiting the terrorist attack in Sinai to rid Cairo of the pro-Western military control of the Egyptian government. A faster worker, Morsi has achieved this in exactly seven days.

http://www.debka.com/article/22268/muslim-brotherhood-anti-army-coup-in-cairo-tanks-move-up-to-israel-border

[Mark]

Egypt considering violating peace treaty with Israel
Islamist president sending troops, tanks to border region

 Egypt’s Islamist President Mohammed Morsi is studying the possibility of keeping tanks in the Sinai Peninsula on a permanent basis, according to a senior Egyptian military official who spoke to WND.

The military buildup would violate a key provision of peace accords signed with Israel in 1979 that calls for the total demilitarization of the peninsula.

Over the last two weeks, there have been reports of Egypt sending in light tanks, armored vehicles and attack helicopters in the Sinai purportedly to fight Islamic groups blamed for a spate of attacks and attempted attacks against both Israel and Egyptian police.

The Jewish state has kept largely quiet about the Egyptian military deployments, choosing instead to let Cairo’s military attempt to root out the jihadists that have taken up positions throughout the Sinai.

The Egyptian military leadership has long been considered a quiet ally of Israel’s own defense establishment.

However, Morsi’s most recent unilateral sacking of the Egyptian military brass has now sent alarm bells ringing across Israel. The move signals the centralization of Morsi’s Muslim Brotherhood coalition and his presidency’s dominance over the military, which has long been seen as an independent force.

Muslim Brotherhood leaders over the years have called for Egypt to abandon the peace treaty signed with Israel. The treaty was the basis for the opening of billions of dollars in U.S. aid that built the Egyptian military into one of the strongest forces in the Middle East today, perhaps second only to Israel.

Asked on Tuesday about calls to amend or cancel the peace accords, Morsi’s spokesman, Yasser Ali, told reporters, “The state respects international accords but at the same time serves the interest of the nation and Egyptian citizens.”

http://www.wnd.com/2012/08/egypt-considering-violating-peace-treaty-with-israel/?cat_orig=world

[Mark]

Israel deploys Iron Dome air-defense system on border with Egypt - @AJELive


http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2012/08/2012820942036202.html

[Mark]

Israel Asks Egypt to Remove Tanks From Sinai


— Israel is “troubled” by the entry of Egyptian tanks into the northern Sinai Peninsula without coordination with Israel, a violation of the terms of the 33-year-old peace treaty between the two countries, and has asked Egypt to withdraw them, an Israeli government official said Tuesday.

The Israeli request was conveyed within the last few days, the official said, adding that it was likely that the Obama administration had made a similar approach to Cairo.

The Israeli official was speaking on the condition of anonymity because of the fragility of Israel’s relations with Egypt, already strained by the recent upheavals there. The overthrow of President Hosni Mubarak last year stripped Israel of a trusted regional ally.

The reported request from Israel elicited contradictory reactions from Egypt. A spokesman for the Egyptian president, Mohamed Morsi, denied receiving any complaints from Israel. Citing an unidentified military source, Al Ahram, the flagship state-run newspaper, dismissed the matter as a fabrication of the Israeli news media and said that the move had been fully coordinated with the Israeli military.

The dispute over the tanks’ entry into Sinai earlier this month appeared to be part of a delicate balancing act as Egypt’s new leadership, which is interested in changing the terms of the military aspects of the treaty, tests Israel’s limits. For its part, Israel seeks to encourage Egypt’s efforts to restore order in the increasingly chaotic Sinai Peninsula but without posing a threat to its own security.

With Egyptian forces in Sinai strictly limited by the military appendix of the peace treaty, the vast desert area has until now served as a demilitarized buffer zone. But Egypt has long chafed at the restrictions, contending that restoring security in Sinai, which is a joint Israeli-Egyptian interest after all, requires additional forces and heavier weaponry.

“It is clear to everyone that the Egyptians — whether they succeed in dealing with the terror in Sinai or don’t — at some point are going to ask to open the military appendix,” Alex Fishman, a military affairs analyst, wrote Tuesday in Yediot Aharonot, a popular newspaper. “The meaning of this is that the demilitarization of Sinai will be eroded, which is one of the most important anchors of the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt.”

Long bound by a so-called cold peace, the atmosphere between the two countries has grown chillier since the election of Mr. Morsi, a former leader of the Muslim Brotherhood. Adding to the uncertainty, Mr. Morsi forced out leading members of the military old guard this month, including many of the faces most familiar to Israel, in a move to regain political power that the military seized after the revolution last year.

The purge came soon after a brazen Aug. 5 attack by gunmen who opened fire on an Egyptian Army checkpoint in the northern Sinai Peninsula, killing 16 soldiers. The gunmen then exploded a truck packed with explosives at the border fence with Israel and drove an armored vehicle, also loaded with explosives, about a mile into Israel before Israeli airstrikes destroyed it.

The attack has underscored the urgency of the challenge that Sinai now presents for both sides, and added layers of complexity to an already fraught relationship. Israel says it has already shown flexibility, eager to encourage Mr. Morsi’s clampdown on militants operating in the peninsula.

“Israel also looks at the glass half-full,” the government official said. “It welcomes the new Egyptian assertiveness.”

Officials have noted that the military appendix to the treaty was modified two years ago, when the situation in Sinai began to deteriorate, to allow seven additional Egyptian battalions into the area, though Egypt has yet to fill that quota.

About a week ago, the Israeli cabinet authorized the use of Egyptian helicopter gunships in Sinai as the Egyptian military took on the militants. But the official said that the entry of the tanks was not coordinated with Israel, as required under the treaty.

Other officials said that it would be a significant overstatement to say that the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty was in trouble, and that Israel and Egypt had a history of working through their problems together.

One acknowledged that communications between the two might not be flowing as smoothly as before, given the new faces and the chaotic aftermath of the Aug. 5 attack. But he added that the American administration was encouraging Israel and Egypt to keep working together, as they have in the past.

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/08/22/world/middleeast/israel-asks-egypt-to-remove-tanks-from-sinai.html?_r=1&hp

[Kilika]

— Israel is “troubled” by the entry of Egyptian tanks into the northern Sinai Peninsula without coordination with Israel, a violation of the terms of the 33-year-old peace treaty between the two countries, and has asked Egypt to withdraw them, an Israeli government official said Tuesday.

I don't think the new government in Egypt gives a hoot what Israel or the treaty says now. We know prophecy. And it says they will surround Israel, and eventually attack it. So buckle up and get your head down because it's coming Israel.

[Mark]

Egypt’s moves in Sinai alarm Israel

Israel expressed concern on Wednesday over Egypt bolstering of its military presence in the Sinai desert in possible violation of the 1979 peace pact.

Cairo was reported this week to be deploying troops and tanks in Sinai for the first time since the two countries fought a war in 1973.

rest: http://www.ft.com/intl/cms/s/0/1f405ec4-ec71-11e1-8e4a-00144feab49a.html#axzz24MumMimL

[Mark]

Islamists Installed in Egypt State Institutions

Egypt's Islamist leadership took a new move Tuesday to put its stamp on the country's government, appointing members of the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood as provincial governors and installing ultraconservatives and other Islamists in the state's top human rights body and a powerful media council.

The shake-up was the latest step by President Mohammed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood to reshape state institutions that were long the monopoly of ousted autocrat Hosni Mubarak, his ruling party and the military that backed him.

Supporters have praised the moves as part of a drive to cleanse the system of Mubarak loyalists after Morsi was inaugurated in late June as the country's first freely elected president. But the heavy infusion of Islamists into government institutions has raised fears of Brotherhood domination monopolizing power as much as Mubarak did and moving Egypt into a more religious rule.

The governorships of Egypt's 27 provinces have long been prime posts for solidifying the president's power. The governors are appointed by the president and generally implement his policies. Under Mubarak, the positions went to retired military generals or ruling party loyalists.

rest: http://abcnews.go.com/International/wireStory/mubarak-culture-minister-charged-corruption-17147722

[Psalm 51:17]

http://www.todayszaman.com/news-293003-mideast-ambitions-turkey-and-egypt-seek-alliance.html

Mideast ambitions: Turkey and Egypt seek alliance

21 September 2012 / AP, CAIRO

The image of an Ottoman sultan glowered at the gridlock from a highway billboard in the Egyptian capital, hands clasped, his feathered headgear and gold-hewn epaulettes in elegant contrast to the grind of traffic below. The poster for a Turkish-made movie about the 1453 fall of Constantinople recalled the early feats of an empire that eventually ruled the Middle East and beyond.

Egypt, like Turkey, has its own grand history - evident in the pyramids and other monuments that its ancients left behind, and in a national pride that's distinctive in the Arab world.                   

The descendants of yesterday's sultans and pharaohs, so to speak, also have ambitions of an outsized role for their respective countries. Each wants to speak for the Middle East.                   

But they can't go it alone so Turkey and Egypt now talk of working together. In some ways, it's an odd couple.                   

Turkey is relatively stable and prosperous, though its foreign outreach has soured in some quarters, forcing it to tone down ambitions to become a statesman above the Mideast fray.                   

Egypt, the most populous Arab country, is struggling with problems at home. Analysts believe it will be at least several years before Cairo can play a robust role in a region that rolls from one crisis to the next, divided over everything from religion to modernity.                   

Their alliance could work if Egypt follows Turkey's moderate creed of reform and pragmatism, along with Western ties and Islamic piety. Then again, once Egypt gains more confidence, the two nations might jostle for influence.                   

Turkey's outreach (in this case, deep pockets) was on show Monday in Cairo. Turkish Foreign Minister Ahmet Davutoglu said his government would give $2 billion in aid to Egypt to "increase trust" in its economy, beset by a drop in productivity, a tourism slump, strikes and protests since the fall of authoritarian leader Hosni Mubarak in an uprising last year.                   

"The Egyptian territory is a fertile land where great civilizations were formed. We will witness Egypt's rise in the future," Davutoğlu said. "With Egypt and the participation of other states, we will build a new Middle East."                   

The two nations both want President Bashar Assad of Syria to quit and Iran, his ally, to stay out of the civil war there.                   

In the Middle East, though, diplomacy and compromise seem in perpetual peril.                   

Israel ponders a military strike on Iran's nuclear facilities, fearing its enemy wants to build a bomb. Syria's civil war resembles a proxy conflict with a sectarian edge. Violence surrounding a film that insults Prophet Muhammad and was produced in the United States points to old tensions between Western and Islamic thought.                   

Turkey, a NATO member with a mostly Muslim (but not Arab) population, has been touted as a democratic model for a region swept by popular revolts.                   

But rough-and-tumble foreign relations have removed some of the shine. Turkey split with former ally Israel and sparred with traditional rival Iran. It doesn't get along well with the Shiite-led government in Iraq, sheltering its Sunni vice president even after a Baghdad court sentenced him to death for running death squads.                   

The pivot to Egypt offers welcome relief, though a closer alliance with another major state with a Sunni Muslim majority could feed suspicions that the Sunni-Shiite sectarian divide in the Middle East is deepening.                   

Turkey is not quite a regional power and it has its own internal challenges such as a Kurdish insurgency, noted Arda Batu, editor in chief of the Turkey-based Kalem Journal, a website about regional affairs.                   

Turkey is in a state of "having a degree of influence in the region, and having the power to impact certain outcomes - not solely, but through alliances," Batu wrote in an email to The Associated Press. Of its troubled ties with several neighbors, he said: "Turkey doesn't have the luxury to have so many enemies."                   

Egypt's Islamist president, Mohammed Morsi, has sought to reassert Cairo's leadership in the Middle East with condemnation of the Syrian regime. But his administration is beset with domestic problems, including security, unemployment, poor infrastructure and divisions between Islamists and secularists.                   

Michael Hanna, an Egypt expert at the New York-based Century Foundation, said it will take a while for Egypt to become a "really engaged player" in the region - and only if the country becomes unified and the economy gets moving.                   

According to Hanna, there is a "certain yearning among many in the Arab world to see Egypt restored to its rightful place" as a leader. Pride in Egypt stems partly from its ancient past, a pan-Arab ideology under President Gamal Abdel Nasser half a century ago that ultimately fell short, and the trove of films, literature and other cultural exports.                   

Then there's the question of how public a role should religion play. Turkey's creed of religious piety and secular ideals, still a source of domestic division, has not always traveled well in the region. Egypt's new government is dominated by the Muslim Brotherhood, which espouses an "Islamic identity" for the country.                   

Morsi might have an edge if Egypt and Turkey compete as peacemakers in the Israeli-Palestinian conflict, said Nora Fisher Onar, an assistant professor of international relations at Bahceşehir University in Istanbul, Turkey.

[Psalm 51:17]

US Embassy issues terror warning for Americans in Egypt

Citing credible threat to women engaged in missionary activities, diplomats urge citizens to exercise vigilance

http://www.timesofisrael.com/us-embassy-issue-terror-warning-for-americans-living-in-egypt/

9/29/12

he US Embassy in Cairo issued a terrorist threat warning on Friday for American citizens living in Egypt.
 
The diplomatic mission stated on its website that it has “credible information suggesting terrorist interest in targeting US female missionaries in Egypt.”
 
The embassy urged US citizens to “exercise vigilance, taking necessary precautions to maintain their personal security.” Americans in Egypt were also advised to maintain valid travel documents and to regularly monitor the US Department of State’s Bureau of Consular Affairs website, which lists updated travel warnings and alerts.
 
On August 4, the US issued a travel warning to Americans to “take precautions in travel to the Sinai.” It warned that “overland travel from Israel to the Sinai in particular is strongly discouraged.” That warning came soon after Israel urged its citizens to get out of the Sinai. The next day, Sinai terrorists killed 16 Egyptian border guards in an assault at the Egypt-Gaza-Israel border.
 
Also on Friday, the chairwoman of the House of Representatives committee that oversees foreign aid said she would block $450 million in US assistance to Egypt in light of tense relations between the two countries.
 
“This proposal comes to Congress at a point when the US-Egypt relationship has never been under more scrutiny, and rightly so,” the chairwoman of the Appropriations subcommittee on foreign operations Rep. Kay Granger, R-Texas, said in a statement. “I am not convinced of the urgent need for this assistance and I cannot support it at this time. … I have placed a hold on these funds.”
 
The relationship between the United States and Egypt has been rocky since the overthrow of US ally President Hosni Mubarak last year. The Egyptian government angered Washington when it cracked down on numerous democracy advocates and groups, including three US-funded nongovernmental organizations, earlier this year.
 
More recently, demonstrators breached the US Embassy in Cairo to protest an anti-Islam video, and some in Congress have called for cutting off aid. The United States provides Egypt with $1.55 billion annually — $250 million in economic aid and $1.3 billion in military aid.

[Mark]

US Embassy issues terror warning for Americans in Egypt

Im sure Obama will blame another Amerikan citizen for the problem

[Psalm 51:17]

10/2/12

The United States government continues to funnel billions of dollars into Muslim countries like Egypt.  Egypt and other so-called friendly Islamic nations are more than happy to receive our money while at the same time hating our guts and laughing at President Obama’s foolish gestures of peace.
 
These so-called friendly Islamic nations seem to be collectively on a mission to drive out every Christian in their lands.  Nearly every day another Christian church burns to the ground.  Pastors are tortured, beaten, imprisoned or killed.  Others Christians suffer the same fate except few of them are being imprisoned; rather they are just being beaten, tortured, raped and killed.
 
Egypt’s President Morsi has already announced that everyone in his country will have to convert to Islam, pay an exorbitant tax or leave the country if they are not Muslim.  With police and government forces participating in the persecution of Christians in Egypt, it seems highly unlikely that any will be allowed to survive to pay the tax.
 
Consequently, the billions of dollars the U.S. keeps throwing at Egypt and other Muslim countries are partially going to the people responsible for the all of the Christian persecution.

But wait, there’s more.  Besides helping to pay them to burn down churches and murder Christians, we are still in the business of rebuilding their mosques and minarets.  The U.S. Agency for International Development, operating under the U.S. State Department, is spending millions of taxpayer dollars for the Mosque Restoration Program.  The program is busy rebuilding and restoring mosques and minarets in 27 different Islamic countries.
 
Even though all of us are funding the mosque restoration, the State Department is not telling us how much the entire program is costing.  One project, the restoration of a 1,300 year old mosque is part of a $770 million program that also includes rebuilding Cairo’s sewer system.
 
That’s right, we are also paying to repair Cairo’s sewer system when there are many communities here in the U.S. that need their own sewer systems repaired and can’t afford it.  There are also many churches in the United States that are in need of repair and restoration, especially those that have been the targets of arsonists and vandalism, but we can’t afford to help them because we’re spending all our money rebuilding 1,300 year old mosques for people that hate us and want to destroy us.
 
If these aren’t the acts of a Muslim White House and Muslim driven State Department, I don’t know what is.  A president who allows these things to happen cannot be a Christian as he claims.  If so, I would place him in the same category as Judas Iscariot who betrayed Jesus in the garden, only I believe that Obama is receiving far more than 30 pieces of silver for his betrayal.


Read more: http://godfatherpolitics.com/7265/u-s-taxpayers-paying-to-burn-churches-and-build-mosques/#ixzz28OQVmVHm

[Psalm 51:17]

http://www.radicalislam.org/analysis/six-things-450-million-aid-egypt-will-pay

Six Things the $450 Million Aid to Egypt Will Pay For

Tue, October 2, 2012

The U.S. government is about to add $450 million to its $16 trillion debt for the sake of Muslim Brotherhood-run Egypt.
 

According to the New York Times, the emergency cash transfer is part of a $1 billion aid package pledged in May. The original plan was to provide $190 million as soon as possible, but the declining economic conditions of Egypt convinced the Obama Administration to more than double that amount.  Another $260 million will be delivered once Egypt secures a $4.8 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund.
 
And it doesn’t stop there. The Times reports:
 
“In addition to the $1 billion in assistance, the administration is working with Egypt to provide $375 million in financing and loan guarantees for American financiers who invest in Egypt and a $60 million investment fund for Egyptian businesses. All of that comes on top of $1.3 billion in military aid that the United States provides Egypt each year (emphasis mine).”
 
Here are six things that American taxpayers’ money will pay for once it arrives in Egypt:
 
1. The Unraveling of the Peace Treaty With Israel.
 
The pledge by Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood President Mohammed Morsi to honor the peace treaty with Israel means nothing. The Brotherhood’s line has always been that Israel is the one violating, and therefore nullifying, the treaty.
 
After a meeting with Secretary of State Clinton, the Egyptian Foreign Minister said, “Mr. President [Morsi] has repeatedly reaffirmed, on all occasions, that Egypt continues to respect all treaties signed as long as the other party to the treaty respects the treaty itself.”
 
He then implied that Israel was in violation of the treaty. “…Egypt’s understanding of peace is that it should be comprehensive, exactly as stipulated in the treaty itself. And this also includes the Palestinians, of course, and its right to – their right have their own state on the land that was – the pre June 4, 1967 borders with Jerusalem as its capital.”
 
Secure America Now’s excellent new pamphlet about Morsi quotes him as saying on April 24, 2004 hat a parliamentary committee is needed “to draft a popular political program to restructure Egyptian-American relations and set a timetable to dispose the so-called peace agreement with the Zionist entity.”
 
There is no reason to believe that his opinion has changed, especially when the Brotherhood openly states its objective as the destruction of Israel. The Brotherhood Supreme Guide, Mohammed Badie, said on June 14 that Muslims are required to perform “jihad of self and money” for the sake of “imposing Muslim rule throughout beloved Palestine.”
 
2. Supporting Hamas.
 
The charter of the Hamas terrorist group states it is “one of the wings of the Muslim Brothers in Palestine.” In December 2011, Hamas even changed its name to “The Islamic Resistance Movement—a branch of the Muslim Brotherhood-Palestine.” The Brotherhood has never condemned Hamas. On the contrary, it has endorsed the terrorist group at every turn and preached to the Muslim world that it is the “resistance” to Israel.
 
In June 2007, Morsi said, “Muslim Brotherhood support of Hamas is a support of the Palestinian resistance.” In 2011, he told CNN, “We do not use violence against anyone. What’s going on [in] the Palestinian land is resistance.”
 
At one of Morsi’s campaign stops, a musician performed a song with lyrics that included “brandish your weapons, say your prayers” and “Come on, you lovers of martyrdom, banish the sleep from the eyes of all Jews. Come on, you lovers of martyrdom, you are all Hamas. Indeed, all the lovers of martyrdom are Hamas.”
 
Hamas, with good reason, believes Egypt will end cooperation with Israel’s blockade of the Gaza Strip. Hamas chief Khaled Meshal praised the “new era” in the Egyptian-Palestinian relationship after he met with Morsi in June. The next month, Morsi told Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh that “Egypt and Palestine are one entity.”
 
3.  Sharia Law.
 
Don’t be fooled by the Brotherhood’s adoption of popular terms like “democracy.” Its senior cleric, Sheikh Yousef Qaradawi, explains that their version of “democracy” is different than that in the West. To them, democracy means the level of freedom permitted within the confines of Sharia Law.
 
Consider the Muslim Brotherhood’s official motto: “Allah is our objective/The Prophet is our leader/The Quran is our law/Jihad is our way/Dying in the way of Allah is our highest hope.”
 
On April 21, Morsi pledged his commitment to “instituting the religion of Allah” because “every aspect of life is to be Islamicized.” He even promised the radical Salafists, who are even more radical than the Brotherhood, that he’d appoint a clerical council to review all legislation to make it is in compliance with Islam as they see it. Of the 27 members of the National Council for Human Rights, 9 are Islamists, including two Salafists and the Secretary-General of the Brotherhood.
 
On May 13, Morsi recited the Brotherhood pledge to an adoring audience.
 
“The Sharia, then the Sharia and finally, the Sharia…I take an oath before Allah and before you all that regardless of the actual text [of the constitution]…Allah willing, the text will truly reflect [Sharia], as will be agreed upon by the Egyptian people, by the Islamic scholars, and by legal and constitutional experts,” he said.
 
Morsi’s government has arrested a Coptic Christian for allegedly posting the anti-Islam “Innocence of Muslims” film online. Another was sentenced to six years in prison for posting cartoons of Mohammed on Facebook. This is only the beginning. The Brotherhood follows a doctrine of "gradualism" where Sharia Law is implemented in stages. For example, Sheikh Qaradawi advised Egypt to wait five years before cutting off the hands of robbers.
 
On September 30, a Brotherhood preacher named Wagdy Ghoneim (who used to be an imam in California until he was arrested in 2004) called for prosecution secularists for apostasy. “If anyone tells you that he is a liberal, tell him directly that he is an infidel,” he said.
 
4. Anti-Semitism and Anti-Americanism
 
The Brotherhood views the U.S. and Israel essentially as one unit. To them, the U.S. is secretly controlled by the anti-Muslim Zionists. In July 2004, Morsi talked about the “crisis of the Zionist and American enemy.” In 2010, Brotherhood Supreme Guide Badi preached that “resistance is the only solution against the Zio-American arrogance and tyranny.” The context of the statement clearly referred to violent jihad. He opined, “The U.S. is now experiencing the beginning of its end, and is heading towards its demise.”
 
Morsi has insinuated that the 9/11 attacks were an “inside job” on numerous occasions, claiming in 2007 that the U.S. “never presented any evidences on the identity of those who committed that incident.” This conspiracy theory almost invariably holds that “Zionist” elements within the U.S. government collaborated with Israel to carry them out.
 
The Muslim Brotherhood’s former Supreme Guide, Mohammed Akef, came to Ahmadinejad's defense in 2005 about “the myth of the Holocaust.” Strangely, Ahmadinejad caused a furor in the U.S. and around the world when he said the 9/11 attacks were an “inside job” and denied the Holocaust but not a word is said when the Brotherhood says the exact same things.
 
The Brotherhood’s anti-Semitism is just as vulgar as anything that has come from Ahmadinejad’s mouth. In November 2004, Morsi said the “Quran established that the Jews are the ones with the highest degree of enmity towards Muslims” and “there is no peace with the descendants of the apes and pigs.” In July 2007, he talked about the “way to free the land from the filth of the Jews.”
 
The charter of Hamas is explicit in its anti-Semitism, quoting an Islamic verse that reads, “The time will not come until Muslims fight the Jews (and kill them); until the Jews hide behind the rocks and trees, which will cry: O Muslim! There is a Jew hiding behind me, come on and kill him!”
 
5. Building the Caliphate
 
This isn’t an exaggeration. The Brotherhood and its allies won the elections in Egypt, Tunisia and Somalia. Hamas controls the Gaza Strip. In Yemen, the Brotherhood’s Islah affiliate is the strongest party as the country undergoes a transition. The Brotherhood is a major force behind the rebels in Syria and the Brotherhood is gearing up to destabilize Jordan. The Sudanese regime says it is instituting full-blown Sharia Law and if it doesn’t, the Muslim Brotherhood’s affiliate may overthrow it. The Brotherhood suffered a major setback in Libya’s elections, but it remains a potent force in that country.
 
Resurrecting the Caliphate sounds like a fantasy but the Brotherhood is certain that it is destiny and, if you look around the region, it’s easy to see why they are confident that it will happen soon. At one of Morsi’s campaign rallies, a cleric proclaimed, “We are seeing the dream of the Islamic Caliphate come true at the hands of Mohammed Morsi” and “the capital of the Caliphate and the United Arab States is Jerusalem.” Morsi nodded.
 
6. Keeping the Brotherhood in Power
 
If American money helps the Egyptian economy succeed, it helps the Brotherhood succeed. It’s as simple as that. If Morsi succeeds in improving the economy, even if it’s because of international assistance, he gets the credit.
 
At the same time, Morsi is doing whatever he can to preserve the Brotherhood’s hold on power. There was an argument to be made in favor of U.S. financial assistance when the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces were the real power-brokers and served as a check on the Brotherhood’s power. That is no longer the case. Morsi was able to depose the top leaders and replace them with Brotherhood supporters.
 
At the same time, Morsi is issuing administrative orders to shut down independent television stations. About 50 editors of state newspapers have been replaced with his allies. The state television is giving him positive coverage. The individual who was arrested for posting “Innocence of Muslims” online was also charged with insulting the President and a newspaper that criticized Morsi was confiscated, the best examples attacks on free speech you could ever ask for.
 
This is what Americans are paying $450 million for. And there’s no money-back guarantee if they are unsatisfied.

[Psalm 51:17]

http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=287623

Brotherhood head calls for 'jihad' to liberate J'lem

By JPOST.COM STAFF

10/13/2012 00:28

Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader Mohammed Badie says "jihad for the recovery of Jerusalem is a duty for all Muslims."

Egyptian Muslim Brotherhood spiritual leader Mohammed Badie called on Muslims worldwide to liberate Jerusalem by means of jihad, according to AFP.

In his weekly message to supporters, Badie reportedly asserted that “The jihad for the recovery of Jerusalem is a duty for all Muslims,” stressing that the city's conquest “will not be done through negotiations or at the United Nations.”

The Brotherhood's Supreme Guide has in the past called on Arab forces to confront Israel and for the international community to pressure the “Zionist government to withdraw from the land of Palestine.”

In a written statement issued in May to commemorate the "Nakba," a term meaning catastrophe used by Palestinians and other Arabs to describe Israel’s creation in 1948, Badie demanded that “The international community rectify the historic injustice [of Israel's birth]" and claimed that Muslims had "begun the era of liberation of all peoples, first of all the Palestinian people, [suffering from] the worst occupation known to man – the Zionist occupation.”

more

[Mark]

Egyptian TV shows president in fervent prayer as cleric delivers anti-Semitic address

Egypt’s President Mohammed Morsi participated in prayers over the weekend in which the preacher urged Allah to “destroy the Jews and their supporters.”

In footage of the service from Matrouh governorate’s el-Tenaim Mosque screened on Egyptian state television on Friday, Morsi was shown in fervent prayer as cleric Futouh Abd Al-Nabi Mansour, the local head of religious endowment, declared, “Oh Allah, absolve us of our sins, strengthen us, and grant us victory over the infidels. Oh Allah, destroy the Jews and their supporters. Oh Allah, disperse them, rend them asunder. Oh Allah, demonstrate Your might and greatness upon them. Show us Your omnipotence, oh Lord.”

According to the Anti-Defamation League (ADL), Morsi could be seen mouthing “amen” to these sentiments.

rest: http://www.timesofisrael.com/in-morsis-presence-egyptian-preacher-urges-allah-destroy-the-jews/

[Mark]

Troubles Continue for Christians in Egypt as MB Majority Gov't Drafts Sharia Law

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood majority government continues to debate the phrasing used while drafting its new constitution that will more than likely have Islamic Sharia law as its foundation. A religious persecution watchdog group says the implementation of such a constitution is expected and can only mean deepening trouble for Christians in the country.

"It is hardly a surprise that the Muslim Brotherhood is now pushing Sharia as the law of the land in Egypt," said Jerry Dykstra, director of communications at Open Doors USA. "Strict Islamic law has always been its main agenda for Egypt. President Morsi attempted to disguise this before the election, saying his government would be moderate. Now the true face of extreme Islam is being unveiled to the world. The high hopes of the revolution and overthrow of Mubarak have now been replaced by the reality of another form of extremist government – an Islamist one."

Since last year's removal of longtime President Hosni Mubarak, Islamists have dominated every election and the Muslim Brotherhood's Mohammed Morsi is the president. However, the Brotherhood is being pressured by ultraconservatives known as Salafis to make sure Sharia is followed nearly to the letter if not entirely.

On Wednesday, The Associated Press reported that the Brotherhood was "committed to enshrining Islamic Sharia law as the main source of a new constitution."

"The principles of Sharia" are the basis of law in Egypt according to the old constitution. The Salafis want the phrasing of the new constitution to read "the rulings of Sharia." This would mean that Egypt's laws would have to mirror Islamic law as outlined by the clerics, according to AP.

While a government panel continues to draft a resolution, Coptic Christian leaders, who were accommodated by the previous administration by allowing them to hold at least 10 percent of the parliamentary seats, are voting on a new Pope. More than 2,400 clergy and community leaders gathered in Cairo on Monday for the first time in nearly 40 years for the election.

Pope Shenouda III, who died at the age of 88 earlier this year, had been an important part of the lives of Copts in Egypt, estimated to be a population of anywhere from 5 to 20 million. Evangelical Christians also make up part of the demographics as well, but the numbers are said to be smaller.

Coptics say a new pope is needed to bring some stability and sense of authority for Christians worried about the future under a Muslim Brotherhood majority in government.

"The reality is the persecution of Christians and other minorities inside Egypt has increased dramatically since Mors' election this summer," Dykstra said. "The kidnapping of Christians has increased. Qualified Christians are not getting jobs. Christians have been driven out of their churches and communities. That is just the tip of the iceberg. Thousands of Christians are fleeing the country as they face even more erosion of their 'freedom' to worship the true God."

He added, "But the good news is Christians are coming together in fervent prayer and worship. In October, 10,000 young people gathered for worship in the desert north of Cairo. An evangelistic festival drew huge numbers this past weekend. The Lord is moving hearts in Egypt. There is revival. Please pray with the Christians there during the International Day of Prayer for the Persecuted Church, which will be held Nov. 11 in the United States, or Nov. 4 in some other countries."


Read more at http://www.christianpost.com/news/troubles-continue-for-christians-in-egypt-as-mb-majority-govt-drafts-sharia-law-84294/#cJprr56KlDehsfuT.99

[Mark]

Egypt's new Coptic Christian pope speaks out against Islamic tone in draft constitution

Egypt's new Coptic pope said Monday the constitution now being drafted will not be acceptable if it is overtly religious, a sign he would campaign with his Christian minority and secular groups against increasing Islam's role in the new charter.

In an interview aired Monday, a day after he was selected patriarch of Egypt's Coptic Church, Pope Tawadros II said the uprising that toppled President Hosni Mubarak last year has opened the way for a larger Coptic public role.

He said as pope, he will encourage the Christian community to participate more in political and public life, as well as elections. He charged that the country's Christian minority has been "intentionally" marginalized for years.

"After tens of years of marginalization and fake democracy, this has made some Copts isolated," he said in the interview aired on the private TV station ONTV.

"This is changing bit by bit, and it will take time. It needs encouraging, and so long as society is fair, and democracy is built fairly, you will see participation."

Tawadros said Egypt's richness lies in its cultural mix between Muslims and Christians.

Tawadros appeared to addressing his wary community about the rising political power of Islamists. A series of violent attacks on churches and a crackdown on freedom of worship and expression have caused them to worry about their future.

The election of Egypt's Islamist President Mohammed Morsi heightened fears among the Copts that their rights might be curtailed. The fears have been further fueled by the process of writing a new constitution, which is dominated by Islamist groups seeking to increase the role of Islam in legislation.

Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood has said the constitution must be based on Islamic Shariah law, though that statement is open to different interpretations.

Tawadros said the country's new constitution, being drafted by a panel led by Islamists, will not be acceptable if it is too religious. He said religious laws have no place in the constitution.

"The constitution is for us all to live together, a common life, we need each other. This is the constitution that will bring us together," he said. "Any additions or hints that make the constitution religious will not be acceptable, not only to Copts but to many sectors in society."

Tawadros called on Morsi to reassure the Copts because of what he said were repeated messages through the media or in public that have constituted "threats" or "disrespect" to the community. He called them "unacceptable."

Tawadros didn't name specific incidents, but there have been increasing reports of crackdowns against Christian places of worship. Court cases were recently filed against Christians accused of insulting Islam, and villagers have reported they were denied access to their place of worship.

Egypt's Coptic Christians have long complained of discrimination by the state and the country's Muslim majority. Clashes with Muslims have occasionally broken out, sparked by church construction, land disputes or Muslim-Christian love affairs.

Tawadros succeeded Pope Shenouda III, a charismatic leader who died in March after four decades at the head of the Coptic Church.

The new pope takes office during a shift in Christian attitudes on their relation to the state. For years, Christians largely relied on the Church to secure some protection for their rights, using Shenouda's close relationship with Mubarak.

With Mubarak's ouster in a popular uprising last year and Shenouda's death, many have been emboldened to act beyond the Church's hold and participate more directly in the nation's politics to demand rights, better representation and freedom of worship.



Read more: http://www.foxnews.com/world/2012/11/05/egypt-new-pope-says-coptic-christians-marginalized-for-years-calls-for/#ixzz2BRwCbGCC

[Mark]

Egypt Protestors Demand Sharia Law

Thousands of Egyptian protestors filled Cairo's Tahrir Square Friday demanding that the strict Islamic law known as Sharia be implemented under the country's new constitution.

Laws under the Sharia code are discriminatory to non-Muslims and Muslim women, and can include honor killings, where family members kill a woman who is accused of dishonoring Islam.

Sharia law also allows for women to be stoned to death for adultery - even if the woman is the victim of ****.

The call for Sharia law in Egypt comes amid controversy over the role of religion in shaping Egypt's future.

http://www.cbn.com/cbnnews/world/2012/November/Egypt-Protestors-Demand-Sharia-Law/

[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.yahoo.com/thousands-protest-egypt-against-israeli-attacks-gaza-083345191.html

Thousands protest in Egypt against Israeli attacks on Gaza

11/17/12

CAIRO (Reuters) - Thousands of people protested in Egyptian cities on Friday against Israeli air strikes on Gaza and Egypt's president pledged to support the Palestinian enclave's population in the face of "blatant aggression".

Western governments are watching Egypt's response to the Gaza conflagration for signs of a more assertive stance towards Israel since an Islamist came to power in the Arab world's most populous nation.

President Mohamed Mursi is mindful of anti-Israeli sentiment among Egyptians emboldened by last year's Arab Spring uprising but needs to show Western allies his new government is no threat to Middle East peace.

His prime minister, Hisham Kandil, visited Gaza on Friday in a demonstration of solidarity after two days of strikes by Israeli warplanes targeting Gaza militants, who had stepped up rocket fire into Israel in recent weeks.

more

[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.yahoo.com/turkish-pm-cairo-vows-support-gaza-160526617.html;_ylt=AoVrhRmU6EHFxV2p8BaCVzwbANEA;_ylu=X3oDMTVxcGt0YjBxBGNjb2RlA2dtcHRvcDEwMDBwb29sd2lraXVwcmVzdARtaXQDQXJ0aWNsZSBNaXhlZCBMaXN0IE5ld3MgZm9yIFlvdSB3aXRoIE1vcmUgTGluawRwa2cDZWY2ZGIxYzMtYmJhMi0zNTBiLWEzNTMtOGUwMWNlMmU2M2M2BHBvcwM2BHNlYwNuZXdzX2Zvcl95b3UEdmVyA2IxZjIxN2EwLTMwZDAtMTFlMi1hZmRiLWVjOGEwOTg5MjVmYQ--;_ylg=X3oDMTNhNmFpam9oBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDM2E3MDAwYTMtNjAxMy0zMjc0LWFmZjgtYTFlYjI0NmQ1N2NmBHBzdGNhdANzY2llbmNlfHNwYWNlLWFzdHJvbm9teQRwdANzdG9yeXBhZ2U-;_ylv=3

11/17/12

Turkish PM in Cairo vows support for Gaza

CAIRO (AP) — Turkey's prime minister has vowed support for Palestinians in the Gaza Strip.

Recep Tayyip Erdogan described Egypt's uprising that ousted longtime autocratic leader Hosni Mubarak from power last year as a point of hope for Palestinians. The Turkish leader delivered his remarks in a speech at Cairo University Saturday.

He also met President Mohammed Morsi in Cairo for the first time since the Egyptian Islamist leader was elected late June.

The Turkish leader is in Egypt with a delegation of 12 ministers and 350 businessmen.

Meanwhile, hundreds of people protested outside the Arab League headquarters in Cairo, where Arab foreign ministers are meeting to discuss Israel's expanded fierce air assault on rocket operations in Gaza, which is run by the Islamic militant Hamas group.

[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.yahoo.com/egypt-president-vows-stand-gaza-163608071.html;_ylt=AoIqNPV3gxn0N7E25wv1gfsbANEA;_ylu=X3oDMTVxZTdxbHRmBGNjb2RlA2dtcHRvcDEwMDBwb29sd2lraXVwcmVzdARtaXQDQXJ0aWNsZSBNaXhlZCBMaXN0IE5ld3MgZm9yIFlvdSB3aXRoIE1vcmUgTGluawRwa2cDNGQzM2U1MzktYzcwOS0zODZlLTljZWUtZmU2YjI2ZGY3N2Q2BHBvcwM3BHNlYwNuZXdzX2Zvcl95b3UEdmVyA2FmN2RlMzYwLTMwMGMtMTFlMi1iYjNkLWU2MWIzZDkyY2YzZA--;_ylg=X3oDMTNhNmFpam9oBGludGwDdXMEbGFuZwNlbi11cwRwc3RhaWQDM2E3MDAwYTMtNjAxMy0zMjc0LWFmZjgtYTFlYjI0NmQ1N2NmBHBzdGNhdANzY2llbmNlfHNwYWNlLWFzdHJvbm9teQRwdANzdG9yeXBhZ2U-;_ylv=3

Egypt president vows to stand by Gaza
By AYA BATRAWY | Associated Press – Fri, Nov 16, 2012

CAIRO (AP) — Egypt's Islamist president says his country will stand by Palestinians in the Gaza Strip and demanded Israel stop its latest offensive on the Hamas-ruled territory.

Mohammed Morsi says Egypt "will not leave Gaza on its own" and warned the "aggressor to stop the bloodshed or face the wrath" of Egypt's new leadership and institutions.

Morsi spoke on Friday at a mosque near his house on the outskirts of Cairo. The sermon was his harshest condemnation yet of the Israeli offensive.

Morsi said he dispatched his prime minister to Gaza to send a clear message that Egypt supports the people there and will not tolerate the killing of civilians.

Hamas is an offshoot of Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood group in Egypt. The Brotherhood led protests across the country on Friday against Israel.

[Kilika]

Mohammed Morsi says Egypt "will not leave Gaza on its own"

So is he admitting that Egypt is currently in Gaza? So what is ANY part of Egypt's government doing in Israel? Stoking the fire!

This sounds to me like Egypt's leader just bascially declared war on Israel by daring Israel to remove Egypt's presence in Gaza.

Israel WILL oblige. Prophecy guarantees it.

[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.yahoo.com/israel-egypt-talk-gaza-ceasefire-strikes-widen-141058597.html

Israel, Egypt talk Gaza ceasefire as strikes widen

11/18/12

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip (AP) — An Israeli envoy held talks with Egyptian officials Sunday on a ceasefire in his country's offensive on Gaza as Israel widened the range of its targets, striking more than a dozen homes of Hamas militants and two media officials. Seven civilians were killed, including five children, in the conflict's highest one-day civilian toll yet, according to security officials and witnesses.

Upon arrival at Cairo's international airport, the Israeli official was whisked away directly from the tarmac and taken to talks with Egyptian authorities, Egyptian security officials said, speaking on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to talk to the press. They did not identify the Israeli official.

Egypt has been leading international efforts to broker a truce since Israel launched its offensive five days earlier aimed at stopping Gaza rocket attacks. But Israel and Gaza's militant Hamas rulers remain far apart on any terms.

Hamas is linking a truce deal to a complete lifting of the border blockade on Gaza imposed since Islamists seized the territory by force. Hamas also seeks Israeli guarantees to halt targeted killings of its leaders and military commanders. Israeli officials reject such demands. They say they are not interested in a "timeout," and want firm guarantees that the rocket fire will finally end. Past ceasefires have been short lived.

more

[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.yahoo.com/arabs-expected-back-egypt-truce-efforts-gaza-142417031.html

11/17/12


Arab ministers back Egypt truce efforts for Gaza

CAIRO (Reuters) - Arab ministers gave their backing on Saturday to Egyptian efforts to secure a truce that would end Israel's offensive on Gaza, they said in a statement after an Arab League meeting in Cairo.

Arab foreign ministers also agreed to form a delegation to travel to the Palestinian enclave in a show of support. League chief Nabil Elaraby told reporters he would lead the team and that the trip was expected to take place in "one or two days".

Ministers meeting at the Cairo-based headquarters had said Arab states had to take practical steps to support Palestinians in Gaza.

Israel launched a massive air campaign on Wednesday with the declared goal of deterring Hamas, the Palestinian Islamist group that runs the Gaza Strip, from launching rockets that have plagued its southern communities for years.

In the statement, ministers condemned what they called Israeli "aggression" and also expressed "complete discontent" at the U.N. Security Council's failure to bring about a ceasefire.

Ministers said they "decided to support the efforts exerted by Egypt in coordination with the Palestinian state to stop the Israeli offensive on the Gaza Strip and ... reach a truce that would result in an immediate end to all military actions".

Egypt had brokered an informal truce in October, which has since collapsed. It now says it is seeking a new deal, with President Mohamed Mursi saying on Saturday there were "some indications" that a ceasefire could be reached soon but he had no firm guarantees.

Hundreds of protesters gathered outside the League building, some chanting for a "bombardment of Tel Aviv".

At the start of the Arab meeting, several ministers called for active steps and voiced frustration at the failure of Arab declarations or initiatives to make any difference in the past.

"Today we will issue a statement. What will it mean? It won't mean anything," said Qatari Foreign Minister Sheikh Hamad bin Jassim al-Thani. "We need to do something practical for those suffering, at least from a humanitarian point of view."

"I am not talking about war or military action ... I am talking about offering support to our brothers in Palestine," Sheikh Hamad added. Qatar's emir pledged $400 million to help develop Gaza during a visit there in October.

DELEGATION

On Saturday, Israeli aircraft bombed Hamas government buildings in the Palestinian territory, after Israel's cabinet authorised the mobilization of up to 75,000 reservists, preparing for a possible ground invasion.

The Arab delegation visit to Gaza will follow trips by Tunisian Foreign Minister Rafik Abdesslem, who went on Saturday, and Egyptian Prime Minister Hisham Kandil, who traveled on Friday, using his trip to condemn Israeli actions while pledging to work for a truce.

Mursi held talks with Qatari Emir Sheikh Hamad bin Khalifa al-Thani and Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan on the Gaza crisis and a range of issues.

Erdogan has been an outspoken critic of Israel, while the Qatari emir's visit to Gaza in October broke the isolation of the Palestinian group. Both arrived in Egypt earlier in the day.

Hamas leader Khaled Meshaal was also in Cairo on Saturday to discuss the Gaza crisis, a presidential source said.

A presidential source had said there would be four-way talks between Mursi, the Qatari emir, the Turkish prime minister and Meshaal. But the source later said a four-way meeting did not take place, without giving a reason.

Meshaal held talks on Saturday with Egyptian security officials on prospects for a truce, an Egyptian official told Reuters.

Erdogan, whose trip was planned before the Gaza violence surged, praised Egypt's decision to withdraw its ambassador from Tel Aviv in response to Israel's attacks. Turkey withdrew its envoy in 2010 over a separate incident.

(Additional reporting by Ayman Samir in Cairo and Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza; Writing by Edmund Blair; Editing by Alison Williams)

[Psalm 51:17]

http://news.yahoo.com/day-president-brokered-gaza-truce-egypts-brotherhood-leader-133038445.html

11/22/12

Day after president brokered Gaza truce, Egypt's Brotherhood leader slams peace with Israel

CAIRO - The leader and top cleric of Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood has denounced peace efforts with Israel, urging holy war to liberate Palestinian territories.

Mohammed Badei's call Thursday comes just a day after Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi, who also hails from the Brotherhood, succeeded in brokering a truce to end eight days of Israel-Hamas fighting.

Under the deal, Gaza's ruling Hamas is to stop rocket fire into Israel while Israel is to cease airstrikes and allow the opening of the strip's long-blockaded borders.

Badei says "jihad is obligatory" for Muslims and that peace deals with Israel are a "game of grand deception." He says there's been enough negotiations, the "enemy knows nothing but language of force."

The Brotherhood and its members don't recognize Israel and refuse to hold direct talks with Israelis.

[Mark]

Egypt’s president issues constitutional amendments, granting himself far-reaching powers

In other words, he is making himself a dictator, Thanx Obama!!

Egypt’s president on Thursday issued constitutional amendments granting himself far-reaching powers and ordering the retrial of leaders of Hosni Mubarak’s regime for the killing of protesters in last year’s uprising.

Mohammed Morsi decreed immunity for the panel drafting a new constitution from any possible court decisions to dissolve it. He granted the same protection to the upper chamber of parliament, which is largely toothless. Both bodies are dominated by Morsi’s Islamist allies.

Several courts are currently looking into cases demanding the dissolution of both bodies. Parliament’s lower chamber, also dominated by Islamists, was dissolved in June by a court decision on the grounds that the rules governing its election were illegal.

The Egyptian leader also decreed that all decisions he has made since taking office in June and until a new constitution is adopted are not subject to appeal in court or by any other authority, a move that places Morsi above oversight of any kind. He already has legislative powers after the powerful lower chamber was dissolved days before he took office June 30.

The decree for retrials appeared aimed at launching a new prosecution of Mubarak. It says those who held “political or executive” positions in the former regime would be affected. Mubarak was convicted in June to life in prison for failing to stop the killing of protesters during last year’s uprising against his rule, but many Egyptians were angered that he wasn’t convicted of actually ordering the crackdown and that his security chief, Habib el-Adly, was not sentenced to death. Several top police commanders were acquitted, and Mubarak and his sons were found not guilty of corruption charges.

Morsi’s decrees came as thousands of demonstrators gathered in downtown Cairo for the fourth day running to protest against Morsi’s policies and criticize the Muslim Brotherhood, the fundamentalist group from which the Egyptian leader hails. They come one day after he won lavish praise from U.S. President Barack Obama and Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton for mediating an end to eight days of fighting between Israel and Gaza’s Hamas rulers, whose parent group is the Brotherhood.

Morsi also on Thursday fired the country’s top prosecutor by decreeing with immediate effect that he could only stay in office for four years. Abdel-Maguid Mahmoud has been in the job for close to a decade. Morsi fired Mahmoud for the first time in October, but had to rescind his decision when he found that the powers of his office do not empower him to do so.

Mahmoud, a Mubarak-era appointee, has faced widespread accusations that his office did a shoddy job collecting evidence against dozens of police officers who were tried and acquitted on charges of killing protesters during the uprising.

Thursday’s decisions were read on state television by Morsi’s spokesman, Yasser Ali.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/world/middle_east/egyptian-court-clears-2-policemen-charged-with-killing-protesters-during-last-years-uprising/2012/11/22/f3750bd2-34a5-11e2-92f0-496af208bf23_story.html