Arutz 7
Chief Justice Adly el-Mansour was officially sworn into office Thursday as the new transitional President of Egypt.
 |
Egyptians take part in demonstration to show their support for their country's military AFP photo |
First, however, he was sworn in as head of Egypt’s Supreme Constitutional Court.
The chief justice, chosen by Egyptian Army General Abdel Fattah el-Sisi to replace ousted President Mohamed Morsi, had not yet been sworn in as chief justice.
Minutes before the ceremony, Egyptian air force pilots staged several fly-bys in the skies over Cairo.
Fourteen jets in a V-formation streaked across the skies over downtown Cairo minutes before Chief Justice Adly el-Mansour was sworn in as interim president of Egypt.
Nine jets followed, flying at a low altitude and leaving a trail of red, white and black smoke behind them to reflect the colors of the national flag.
In a news briefing following the ceremony, the new president told journalists that Muslim Brotherhood members "part of the people" and welcome to help "build the nation," the web site of the state-run Al Ahram daily newspaper reported.
"The Muslim Brotherhood group is part of this people and are invited to participate in building the nation, as nobody will be excluded," Mansour said. "If they respond to the invitation, they will be welcomed."
Y Net Israel fears Jihadist attacks after Morsi's ouster
State officials warn growing instability in Egypt will create vacuum in Sinai which could be exploited for execution of terror attacks. 'Israel enjoyed good security cooperation with Morsi's Egypt,' says one official
A day after the Egyptian army deposed President Mohamed Morsi and suspended the constitution, Israel is concerned that Jihadists will exploit the situation to carry out terror attacks.
"It's hard to believe the Egyptians will overcome the ever-deepening polarization between the Islamist Egypt and the secular Egypt," an Israeli state official estimated Wednesday.
"Ultimately, they will have no choice but to find an agreed-upon framework for cooperation but until they do, we might see violent clashes," he added.
On Wednesday, former Defense Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer remarked that "The Muslim Brotherhood's bizarre regime is over and done with. If a secular candidate wins it will have a huge impact on the entire Middle East."
State officials describe the current situation in Cairo as a nerve-wracking game of poker. "On the one hand, Morsi doesn't want to resign; on the other, the army doesn't want to take full responsibility. Egyptians are starting to realize that Islam is not the answer. It provides them with no solution to the economic situation," one state official said.
He noted that Israel enjoyed good security cooperation with Egypt under Morsi's leadership. "It's not about us, we're monitoring the situation from the sidelines."
The Prime Minister's bureau has ordered the cabinet not to publically discuss Egypt.
Government officials denied reports that Israel has allowed the Egyptian army to deploy reinforcements in the Sinai Peninsula.
However, the past few days have seen increased military activity in the border area with Egyptians trying to seal smuggling tunnels between Gaza and Egypt. The Egyptian army is hoping to prevent the movement of Hamas militants from the Strip to Egypt and thwart the smuggling of weapons into the country.
State officials have admitted that growing instability in Egypt would make it harder for the Egyptians to maintain their control in Sinai. The main concern is that Jihadists will use the vacuum to try to carry out terrorist attacks against Israel or the Egyptian army.
----
The United Nations, the United States and other world powers did not condemn Mursi's removal as a military coup. To do so might trigger sanctions.
Army intervention was backed by millions of Egyptians, including liberal leaders and religious figures who expect new elections under a revised set of rules.
Army intervention was backed by millions of Egyptians, including liberal leaders and religious figures who expect new elections under a revised set of rules.
 | ||
| Protesters, who are against Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi, gesture in Tahrir Square in Cairo July 3, 2013. Credit: REUTERS/Mohamed Abd El Ghany |
 | ||
| Protesters wear masks of Morsi and other Egyptian leaders AFP file |
Egyptians Blame Obama for Morsi Repression
Egyptians have been protesting by the millions against now ex-President Mohammed Morsi, but there have been other noticeable themes among protesters – specifically, the anti-American theme. While Morsi's dictatorial ways and bumbling of the economy have been the central complaint of protesters, the image of U.S. President Barack H. Obama has been prominent on many protest signs.
Obama, it will be recalled, was a principal backer of the revolution against Hosni Mubarak, and enthusiastically endorsed the election of Morsi as the first democratically elected leader of Egypt ever. When Morsi was elected in June 2012, Obama called him to congratulate him on his victory. In a statement, the White House said that the U.S. “will continue to support Egypt’s transition to democracy and stand by the Egyptian people as they fulfill the promise of their revolution.” The statement also “emphasized [Obama's] interest in working together with President-elect Morsi, on the basis of mutual respect, to advance the many shared interests between Egypt and the United States.”
It later became clear that the Egyptian people did not necessarily appreciate Obama's expressions of support for Morsi. In September, an Egyptian mob stormed the U.S. Embassy in Cairo, at the same time the U.S. Consulate in Benghazi, Libya was attacked. In an interview, Obama said of Egypt that “I don't think that we would consider them an ally, but we don't consider them an enemy.” Regardless, he said, the current government in Egypt was “democratically elected. I think it's a work in progress.”
As protests began to mount towards the end of 2012, Obama began expressing concern over Morsi's repressive ways. In a statement on December 6, the White House said that “President Obama called President Morsi today to express his deep concern about the deaths and injuries of protesters in Egypt. The President emphasized that all political leaders in Egypt should make clear to their supporters that violence is unacceptable. He welcomed President Morsi’s call for a dialogue with the opposition but stressed that such a dialogue should occur without preconditions... He reiterated the United States’ continued support for the Egyptian people and their transition to a democracy that respects the rights of all Egyptians.”
Still, Obama was clearly on Morsi's side; in May 2013, he overrode a Congressional effort to withhold military funding to Egypt, issuing a waiver authorizing transfer of the aid over restrictions imposed by Congress, which had sought to tie the assistance to progress in human rights efforts. According to senior Congressional officials, it was unlikely Egypt could have met those criteria.
The funding was not widely publicized in the U.S., but it was noticed by the Egyptian people, who began blaming the U.S., and particularly Obama, for supporting the repressive Morsi regime. During the recent protests that led up to Morsi's ouster, many signs and shouts accusing Obama of supporting repression could be seen in Tahrir Square, and in other protest centers.
The phenomenon was clear to CNN's Reza Sayah, who on Wednesday night commented on the signs claiming that Obama “had allied himself with terrorists,” “Obama backs a fascist regime in Egypt,” “Obama is killing Egyptians,” and others. “Egyptians love Americans,” Sayeh said, “but they don’t love U.S. foreign policy. Remember, they will never forget that for decades, it was Washington that supported the dictator Hosni Mubarak and his brutal police state.”
On Thursday, the State Department ordered the departure of all non-essential personnel from the U.S. Embassy in Cairo. A skeleton staff will be kept on at the site, with families and non-essential personnel to be evacuated from the country. The State Department did not say if it feared a takeover of the embassy. So far, no other foreign governments have ordered an evacuation of their personnel from Egypt.
 |
| Protesters against Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi set-off fireworks in Tahrir Square in Cairo |
 |
| Army soldier cheers with protesters against Egyptian President Mohamed Mursi |
No comments:
Post a Comment