Egypt to bear the Israel-Palestinian mantel once again

This may be somewhat old news to many,yet seeing how so many people have reacted on Facebook, I say it may be worth sharing...

CAIRO: Egypt has once again taken the role of mediator between Israel and Palestine, brokering a deal aimed at ending a hunger strike involving no less than 1,600 Palestinians held captive in Israeli jails.

News agencies have reported that of the 4,800 Palestinian prisoners, roughly one in three began refusing food on April 17 as a protest against their detention, as well as a demand for better living conditions.

The Palestinian prisoners are held without trial, an issue which has for a long time angered many of the international community as well as Israel’s neighbours, and has the potential to generate a sudden backlash of condemnation, or Palestinian threats, if any of the prisoners die.....

The rest can be found on Bikyamasr.com here

Egypt; The November clashes

before I start publishing more recent articles,here are four articles written in November detailing the beginning of the clashes and the story of an activist caught in the fight for 'Democracy.'


My conclusion reached in those articles were based on everything I had seen and discussed with numerous activists, friends, counter-revolutionaries and police officers. A lot has happened since then, and a revision is needed.

let's take a crack at it...

At the time of writing this, it has been 15 months since the Egyptian protesters managed to oust Hosni Mubarak, ending 30 years of Mubarak rule. Since that moment, thousands of civilians have been arrested, hundreds killed, dozens of foreigners and journalists arrested for (largely) false claims, and countless women subjected to horrendous treatment at the hands of both the protesters as well as the police, army and government.

The initial stage of the revolution was successful because Egyptians, by and large, shared a common desire: to see Mubarak removed from power. Since Mubarak's removal from power, the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces has stepped up to fill the void.

But the SCAF are not politicians, they are soldiers. Their actions reflect that military mentality; arresting bloggers for badmouthing the army; breaking down many protesters by subjecting them to brutal, humiliating treatment under captivity; cracking down on peaceful protests such as the November crackdown which sparked waves of intense violence and death... They are not fit to lead a country, that's what they had Mubarak for.

It is hard to believe the SCAF would want to stay in power, yet I think that illusion is more prevalent overseas. The more likely scenario is that the SCAF is stalling for time. On the one hand the SCAF want speedy elections and a written constitution. the sooner the SCAF hand over power, the better it would be for them, so long as the new government will represent their interests and protect their privileges.

what is that they are chanting? feed us bullets and tear gas?

This explains why the army had promised to hand over power within six months from the fall of Mubarak, and 15 months later, they are still in the process. This explains why they have not had a constitution written up, for as long as their future is uncertain, they will not let go.

The army wants to exist in their current capacity, which they have enjoyed for as long as any of them have been alive. They fear change, a key component of military psychology being the will to survive, and have no clue how to deal with civilian problems and civilian disapproval.

You can hold the SCAF responsible for all their crimes against the civilians, but you can't say no one saw this coming. This is the military acting the only way they know, military ideology does not allow dissent within their ranks, and when they rule a nation, everyone is within their ranks.

Welcome to my blog

Hello and Welcome to Spilt Ink, my own feeble attempt at providing news and (my own) opinions related to current events. I promise, for as long as I am able, to update at least twice weekly with interesting news stories. Last year I worked for Bikyamasr.com (and occasionally still write for them), and all my articles can be found here. so stick around, share your thoughts, pat my back or kick my ass, I welcome it all!