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Contents: Weekly Quotes | Short Takes | On Topic Links
Arab Perceptions of U.S. Weakness May Lead to Unlikely New Alliances With Israel: Chemi Shalev, Haaretz, Aug. 20, 2013
Turkey is Losing its Ally in Egypt – And Quickly Losing Influence in the Mideast: Haaretz, Aug. 21, 2013
Obama Appeasement Will Result in Disaster: Isi Leibler, Jerusalem Post, Aug. 19, 2013
WEEKLY QUOTES
“Today’s events are deplorable and they run counter to Egyptian aspirations for peace, inclusion, and genuine democracy. We also strongly oppose a return to a state of emergency law and we call on the government to respect basic human rights.” U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry, responding to the initial military crackdown against the Moslem Brotherhood on Wednesday, 14 August (Wall Street Journal, August 15, 2013)
“Put it this way: President Obama’s Egypt policy is as effective as his Syrian policy. And for the first time Wednesday, with the number of dead and injured rising, one could almost envision Egypt’s descent into out-and-out civil war. Obama was briefed, said nothing and went back to golf…This, in a nutshell, is the White Houses’s approach to the Middle East—the absence of any policy and a lot of empty words…In a sense then, Obama might as well play golf. He’s dropped the ball on Egypt and the entire region…This is a policy failure of the highest order….” (Jennifer Rubin, in the Washington Post, August 15)
"Israel and the United States see the situation in Egypt very, very differently and justifiably the prime minister wouldn't want Israeli cabinet ministers to publicly criticize American policy.”–Giora Eiland, a former national security adviser, on Israel TV’s Channel 2. Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu had aides instruct cabinet ministers to avoid public comment about Egypt, according to an official who spoke on condition of anonymity. (Jerusalem Post, Aug.17)
“I think the Israeli interest is quite clear. The only factor that can provide… [necessary] stability is the Egyptian military.”—Efraim Inbar, Director of the Begin-Sadat Center for Strategic Studies at Bar-Ilan U., Israel. (New York Times, Aug. 17)
"Our rejection of the coup regime has become an Islamic, national and ethical obligation that we can never abandon."—A Moslem Brotherhood spokesman, accusing the military of plotting the downfall of Morsi to regain the levers of power. Many Western allies, including the United States, have denounced deaths issuing from street confrontations, but Saudi Arabia threw its weight behind the army-backed government on Friday, accusing its old foe the Muslim Brotherhood of trying to destabilize Egypt. (Jerusalem Post, Aug.17)
“God, please make Egypt an Islamic state, support freedom on earth, destroy tyrants and destroy the media that is supported by tyrants.”—Imam of Nour Mosque in the Abbasiyah district of Cairo, preaching to demonstrators after the deaths Thursday at Raha’a al Adiwiya and Nahda squares. (Wall Street Journal, Aug., 17-18)
“Yes, we have guns, what is wrong with that? You are peaceful, and then they shoot at you, so how do you get back at them?” Admitting an Islamist attack on a police station in Ramses square on Friday, 26-year-old protester Wagdy Helmy asked “How come thousands were killed and these people have no rights?”—(Wall Street Journal, Aug. 17-18)
“Within the region, many of Egypt’s neighbors want the Moslem Brotherhood suppressed and don’t much care how it’s done. Saudi King Abdullah, for example, yesterday threw his support behind Egypt’s military leaders and their increasingly bloody crackdown on rampaging Brotherhood supporters. In doing so, the Saudis sent an important message to President Obama: the oil-rich state will more than make up for any cutoff of U.S. aid to Egypt…”—(Editorial, New York Post, Aug.17)
“The Kingdom stands with Egypt and against all those who try to interfere with its internal affairs. [They] are lighting the fire of strife and supporting the terrorism they had claimed to be fighting against.”—King Abdullah, in a radio address scolding the US and the West for its criticism of General al-Sisi. (New York Times, Aug. 17, 2013)
Catherine Ashton, top diplomat of the European Union, urged “appropriate measures” to penalize the new [al-Sisi] government for its anti-Islamist measures. (New York Times, August 17, 2013)
“That was some lecture President Obama gave on Egypt—if you like high-minded nothingness. After delivering such platitudes as ‘The Egyptian people deserve better,’ he planted America squarely on the fence, declaring ‘We don’t take sides with any particular party or political figure’. It’s too late for that. Obama took sides when he rushed to help drive Hosni Mubarak from office in 2011…even as opposition to the Brotherhood [moving toward Sharia law] spread, Obama was silent…The military coup and the bloodbaths now raise the specter of civil war. Such are the fruits of leading from behind.” (Michael Goodwin in the New York Post, Aug.18)
“I am against the Brotherhood and the army. For us the return of Morsi is not a priority. Our goal is to topple the military’s rule. They have controlled Egypt since 1952. We didn’t finish our revolution, so the army stepped in. We will stay in the streets until the army leaves.”—Gamal Edin Mahmoud, speaking for the Free People’s movement. (National Post, Aug. 17)
“The attempt to internationalize the discussions about this event is something that Egypt rejects. I ask the foreign ministry to review the foreign aid of the past and to see if those aids are used in an optimal way.” Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil Fahmy , noting that Egypt was “reviewing” its strategic relationship with the U.S. and other Western countries critical of its crackdown on Islamists, He reflected an emergent Egyptian media theme over the last two months, of disappointment with, and hostility to, the West. (Globe and Mail, August 19, 2013)
Palestinian officials in Ramallah have accused the US Administration of “deception and misinformation” in order to keep the PA at the negotiating table with Israel. PA President Mahmoud Abbas is quoted as telling the officials: “I have told the US Administration 10 times, and I’m ready to tell them again that we won’t accept any solution that contradicts the Palestinian vision.” A senior Palestinian official told the London-based Al-Hayat newspaper that US Secretary of State John Kerry gave the Palestinians assurances that Israel would decrease construction in settlement blocs [and] halt construction in settlements outside the blocs during the peace negotiations. “It’s obvious that Kerry was either deceived by the Israelis or that he’s deceiving us in order to keep us at the negotiating table,” the official said. The officials also expressed concern about the US Administration’s position on plans to build new homes in settlements and east Jerusalem neighborhoods, and that the US Administration would deceive the PA into accepting a state with provisional borders, the newspaper said.(Jerusalem Post, Aug. 17)
“If you think that by killing our women and children and destroying our neighbor- hoods we will retreat or back away from our position, you are wrong. If the battle with these terrorist Takfiris requires for me personally to go to Syria, we will go to Syria.”—Hezbollah terrorist leader Hassan Nasrallah, addressing a crowd in Beirut after the recent anti-Hezbollah car bombing there [Ed.: at least 22 dead, see Short Takes, below], and promising to continue the Shiite party’s policy of militarily supporting Syria’s Bashar Assad against the Sunni “Takfiris”. (Washington Post, Aug.16)
"We're identifying Hezbollah activity near the border with Israel, despite the fact that UN Resolution 1701 forbids Hezbollah from being there and being active there. Hezbollah must not be there," Israeli Defense Minister Moshe Ya'alon said. Hezbollah is using civilian homes in southern Lebanon to hide rocket launchers that could fire thousands of projectiles at Israel, Ya'alon told UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon in a meeting in Jerusalem on Friday, showing him a map of the area. "This is an organization that is a state within a state…Hezbollah is Iran's principal weapon against Israel …”, the defense minister added. (Jerusalem Post, Aug. 17)
“This story is more embarrassing than it is amusing. Ultimately, the joke is on our national bank, our economy, our government.”—Yediot Achronot columnist Nahum Barnea, commenting on the withdrawal of two nominees (for the post of Central Bank Chairman, to replace retiring Stanley Fischer), submitted by Prime Minister Netanyahu and Finance Minister Yair Lapid. Both withdrew as result of rumored scandals involving shoplifting, and astrological consultations, respectively. (Wall Street Journal, August 17-18)
EGYPTIAN SECURITY FORCES ON SATURDAY CLEAR AL-FATH MOSQUE IN CAIRO, where hundreds of supporters of ousted President Mohamed Morsi barricaded themselves since Friday, the BBC reported. Many of the protesters who were in the mosque were arrested. Earlier, pro-Morsi gunmen opened fire on security forces from a second-floor window in the Cairo mosque. Live television showed a gunman firing at soldiers and police from the minaret of the mosque, with security forces shooting back at the building. Reuters witnesses said Morsi supporters also exchanged gunfire with security forces inside the mosque. The interior ministry said 173 people died in clashes across Egypt on Friday…Almost 600 people died on Wednesday when police cleared out two Brotherhood sit-ins in Cairo, bringing the death toll from three days of carnage to almost 800. The ministry also said that since Wednesday, 57 policemen were killed and 563 wounded in the violence, and at least 12 [Ed.: by Wed., August 21, the count rose to over 30] Coptic churches were burned by the Islamists. (Jerusalem Post, August 17, 2013)
BROTHER OF AL-ZAWAHIRI ARRESTED, GRANDSON OF AL-BANNA, AND SON, DAUGHTER OF ISLAMIST LEADERS REPORTEDLY KILLED. Amongst those detained in Cairo on Saturday was Mohammed Al-Zawahiri, the brother of the Egyptian al-Qaida leader Ayman Al-Zawahiri, security sources said. And, reportedly, among the Islamists killed in Ramses Square Saturday, was Dr. Khaled al-Banna, grandson of Muslim Brotherhood founder Hassan el-Banna. As well, on Friday the son of Islamist spiritual leader Mohammed Badie and, earlier, the 17-year-old daughter of a Brotherhood head, were also reportedly killed. [Ed.: On Tues., Mohammad Badie himself was arrested.] (Jerusalem Post, Aug. 17, New York Times, Aug. 19)
PRO-MORSI ISLAMISTS RALLY IN HEBRON, GAZA AND JERUSALEM. In an indication of the potential of the Egyptian crisis to destabilize Palestinian areas, Hamas supporters in Hebron, clashing with Palestinian Authority security officers, demonstrated after Friday prayers to protest the Cairo killings, while in Gaza Hamas and other Palestinian elements honored the Egyptian dead at Friday prayers. In Jerusalem, members of the “Islamic Movement”, demonstrating outside the Al Aksa Mosque, accused General al-Sisi of collaborating with the U.S. and of killing Egyptians on behalf of Israel. (New York Times, August 17)
PALESTINIAN ACTIVISTS, PRO-MORSI OUSTER, LAUNCH ANTI-HAMAS CAMPAIGN–Following the Egyptian example, a group of student activists has launched a Palestinian version of the Tamarod (“Rebellion”) campaign, to remove Hamas from power in the Gaza Strip. “Repression and tyranny have reached their peak and we can no longer remain silent,” the group said in a video. “The time has come to reject death under Hamas’s security club.” Denouncing Hamas as medieval gangsters, they accused the Islamist movement of torture, sabotage, smuggling, bribery and thuggery. “Addressing Hamas,” the group said, “…We are different from you. Unlike you, we don’t use weapons against our brothers. Unlike you, we don’t kill children, the elderly, women and youths. Unlike you, we don’t destroy mosques. We will face you with bare chests.” Hamas officials in Gaza accused Fatah of being behind the video. (While Fatah supports Morsi’s removal, Hamas condemns Egypt’s new rulers for carrying out a military coup against a democratically-elected president.) (Khaled Abu Toameh in the Jerusalem Post, Aug. 19).
US DELIVERS $148M. IN AID TO PALESTINIAN AUTHORITY–The United States has delivered $148 million in aid to the Palestinian Authority in an agreement signed by PA Prime Minister Rami Hamdallah on Sunday. The aid was delivered “to help the Palestinian Authority avert a budget crisis and to support US efforts to achieve a two-state solution to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict,” a US official told The Jerusalem Post. In his memorandum to Secretary of State John Kerry issuing the waiver of restriction of funds, President Barack Obama said that the aid “is important to the national security interests of the Unites States.” Announcing peace talks between Israel and the Palestinians in Washington last month, Kerry said that he was working with private sector businesses and allied governments on an overall package that could amount to over $4 billion in aid and investments. (Jerusalem Post, August, 2013)
UTILITY OF EGYPTIAN MILITARY TIES TO U.S. CONSTRAINS OBAMA ADMINISTRATION—Observers have pointed out that it is not in the national interest of the U.S. to break with the Egyptian military over its repression of the Moslem Brothers. Largely unknown to the American public, the Egyptian military has ensured priority access to the Suez Canal to American warships, and provided almost immediate approval for requested American military aircraft overflights of Egypt (crucial when Turkey forbade American troop and supply transit at the beginning of the Iraq war). And it has maintained unbroken communications contacts with Israel’s military across the post-Camp David, and post-Mubarak, periods. Hence there has, as yet, been no explicit threat on the part of the Obama Administration to terminate the annual $1.3 billion military aid to Egypt. (New York Times, Sunday, Aug. 17)
IRAN HAS INSTALLED 18,000 URANIUM-ENRICHMENT CENTRIFUGES, the country's outgoing nuclear chief was quoted as saying by Iranian media on Saturday…Iran has 17,000 older "first-generation" IR-1 centrifuges, of which 10,000 are operating and 7,000 are ready to start operations, the ISNA news agency quoted Fereydoun Abbasi-Davani, outgoing head of the Atomic Energy Organization of Iran. (AEOI), as saying. A May report from the UN nuclear watchdog indicated that Iran had by then installed roughly 16,600 IR-1 machines in two separate facilities. Abbasi-Davani also said there were 1,000 new, more advanced centrifuges ready to start operations, in a reference to IR-2m centrifuges, which once operational would allow Iran to enrich uranium several times faster than the IR-1 machine. (Jerusalem Post, Aug. 18, 2013)
SECTARIAN VIOLENCE RIPS THROUGH IRAQ—The Shiite-Sunni terrorism that almost ripped Iraq apart after the 2003 U.S. invasion, has now, following the U.S. withdrawal, returned with a vengeance. The bloody carnage, with the death-toll to date the highest in five years (more than 1,000 people killed in July alone), results largely from car bombs planted by a resurgent al-Qaeda in Iraq. And now Sunnis fear retaliation from reconstituted Shiite militias, responsible for past anti-Sunni violence. Iraqis, increasingly despondent, see the violence as permanent, their country’s decline as inevitable, and the Shiite-dominated government and its security forces as largely impotent. (Associated Press, August 17; New York Times, Aug. 18)
BOMB BLAST HALTS FLOW OF CRUDE OIL FROM IRAQ TO TURKEY—A bomb attack near the city of Mosul halted the flow of crude oil from Iraq’s Kirkuk oil fields through a pipeline to the Mediterranean port of Ceyhan in Turkey, The 550-mile pipeline has been bombed ca.30 times by militants since the start of the year. (Wall Street Journal, August 17-18, 2013)
DEATH TOLL IN BEIRUT BOMB BLAST RISES TO 22–A massive blast in the Hezbollah-dominated Rweiss southern suburb of Beirut killed at least 22 people, and wounded more than 300. The attack—the second in just more than a month, and the deadliest since a bomb in 1985 killed 80 people—is seen as retribution by pro-Sunni Syrian forces for Hezbollah leader Nasrallah’s decision to send Shiite fighters to support Syrian ruler Bashar Assad in the civil war there. (Washington Post, Aug. 16)
‘RIVER’ OF KURDS FLEES SYRIA FOR IRAQ—A human river of thousands of Kurds has begun flowing in to Iraq to flee rising jihadist violence in Syria. The UN reported 17,000 refugees had fled since last Thursday, as clashes with Sunni militias (for whom the area is a conduit for fellow militants entering Syria from Iraq) continued. Massoud Barzani, president of the semi- autonomous Kurdish region of Iraq, threatened to intervene if anti-Kurdish “death and terrorism” continued. (London Daily Telegraph, Aug. 18)
P.M.’S OFFICE: ERDOGAN’S BLAMING OF ISRAEL “NONSENSE”–Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's office said on Tuesday that comments from Turkish Prime Minister Tayyip Erdogan, blaming Israel for the military coup and crisis in Egypt, had no validity. An official termed the comments “nonsense”. The United States responded to Erdogan's accusations, saying “We strongly condemn the statements that were made by Prime Minister Erdogan today. Suggesting that Israel is somehow responsible for recent events in Egypt is offensive, unsubstantiated, and wrong." Erdogan had told his AK Party on Tuesday that his government had evidence Israel had a hand in events that led to the ouster of Mohammed Morsi: "What do they say in Egypt? Democracy is not the ballot box. What is behind it? Israel…”, Erdogan told provincial leaders of his AK party. Foreign Ministry spokesman Yigal Palmor said Tuesday that
ISRAEL ‘DISTURBED’ BY BAN’S RECANTING OF COMMENT ON BIAS–Israeli officials criticized UN Secretary-General Ban Kimoon Tuesday for backtracking on his admission Friday in Jerusalem, meeting with students, that “unfortunately because of the conflict, Israel has been weighed down by criticism and suffered from bias – sometimes even discrimination”. However, back in the UN on Monday, Ban reversed himself, saying “I don’t think there is discrimination against Israel at the United Nations.” “We are disturbed by his apparent backtracking. The UN systematically discriminates against the Jewish state,” an Israeli official said. (Jerusalem Post, Aug.20) Erdogan's rant was not worthy of a response. (Jerusalem Post, August 20)
WHILE MUBARAK IS ON VERGE OF RELEASE, MUSHARRAF HAS BEEN INDICTED—A Cairo appeals court has indicated former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, 85, imprisoned since his 2011 overthrow, is free of charges and may be released next week. Meanwhile, former Pakistani dictator General Pervez Musharraf, who returned from exile in Britain recently, has been indicted by a high court in Rawalpindi for responsibility in the assassination murder of former Pakistani premier Benazir Bhutto in December, 2007 (released on bail, he will stand trial shortly). (National Post, Globe and Mail, Aug.21)
MENACHEM BEGIN, ISRAEL’S SIXTH PRIME MINISTER, BORN 100 YEARS AGO [August 17, 1913]. A century after his birth, and more than two decades after his death, it behooves us all, regardless of our political views, to take a moment and reflect on the profundity of his contribution to the Jewish people. [Ed.: See this Friday’s Briefing for full article on Begin’s achievement.] (Jerusalem Post, Aug. 17. 2013)
On Topic
Arab Perceptions of U.S. Weakness May Lead to Unlikely New Alliances With Israel: Chemi Shalev, Haaretz, Aug. 20, 2013
Turkey is Losing its Ally in Egypt – And Quickly Losing Influence in the Mideast: Haaretz, Aug. 21, 2013
Obama Appeasement Will Result in Disaster: Isi Leibler, Jerusalem Post, Aug. 19, 2013
Ber Lazarus , Publications Editor Canadian Institute for Jewish Research /L'institut Canadien de recherches sur le Judaïsme www.isranet.org Tel: (514) 486-5544 Fax: (514) 486-82843
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