“We will sacrifice ourselves for you with soul and blood, Palestine» or “Sinai is not the alternative, the alternative is this.” Israel fall.” So millions of Egyptians shouted in anger across the Arab country rare mobilization reject that Expulsion of Palestinianswhich could be pushed onto Sinai Peninsula for the war with Israel.
Under the scorching sun and after a communal prayer, what was called began “Long live Egypt Friday” where the face of the Egyptian president, Abdel Fatah al-Sisiwas interspersed with Palestinian flags and posters “Save Gaza” on one of the main streets in the district the city of NasrIn Cairoand next to the monument to Unknown soldier.
The choice of this site was not accidental. This monument commemorates the Yom Kippur War of 1973 and the recovery of Sinai from Egypt Behind Israeli occupationand will be erected directly in front of the tribune where the Egyptian president was assassinated Moḥamed Anwar al Sadat during the parade on October 6th. He was a signatory to the 1979 peace agreement with Israel.
Where is the “Arab army”?
During the protest, which was called at the initiative of the government National dialogue – which brings together political parties, trade unions, opposition, business associations and other public actors – other slogans were chanted in Arabic, such as one in which people asked: “Where is the Arab army?” or another in which they directly said: “Fuck you, Israel.”
Before the display of consonant rhymes, the repressed anger of the Egyptians came to the fore, like that of Jihad Mahmouda 24-year-old girl who told Efe that she took part in the demonstration to “support the Palestinian cause and against everything that is happening in Gaza by Israel” and to “give his approval to Al Sisi.”
But one thing is clear to the young woman: “If the decision were ours, we would fight with them,” referring to the Palestinians.
For Dinah al MasriFor him, half Palestinian and Egyptian, taking part in this demonstration is different than the rest of the participants.
“I came to see what it was like. “This is all nonsense,” he told Efe bluntly. But he says it for a reason: “Nothing will happen. Just (Benjamin) Netanyahu and the American president can give the orders and ensure that everything comes true.
Dynewho lost part of his aunt’s family in an Israeli bomb attack two days ago Khan Younisin the stripesShe already lives frustrated and sad “because of what is happening in Gaza and because of the lack of solidarity between Arab countries.” “If all Arab countries united, Palestine would return.”
“Everything but Sinai”
The red line of Al-Sisi is in that Sinai Peninsulathat’s borderline Ribbonwhich participants in the demonstration remembered by chanting “Anything but Sinai.”
It was at an unusual press conference Al-Sisi with the Federal Chancellor, Olaf Scholzlast Wednesday in Cairo as he laid out the trouble spots the former marshal doesn’t want to go through.
During his speech Al-Sisi warned that if his country welcomes Palestinians from the Gaza Strip driven out by the war Israel And HamasHe Sinai could become a field of Palestinian resistance operations and Israel could attack Egyptian territory.
There he threatened to call people to mass demonstrations to express their opposition to the expulsion Sinai.
“Egypt has 105 million inhabitants and Egyptian and Arab public opinion is affected.” If the situation arises, the Egyptian people must be called upon to express their rejection of this idea. And you will see millions of Egyptians, millions of Egyptians… who will express their rejection of the idea and support the position of Egypt in that sense,” he explained.
And that’s how it was today. Not just in Cairo – where there were also protests Palestine Downtown Tahrir SquareSymbol of the popular uprisings of 2011 – albeit in all provinces of the land of the pharaohs.
This show of force Al-Sisi It comes just one day before I’m a host Peace summit for Gaza to seek a solution to the war that was sparked by a brutal attack by the terrorist group Hamas on October 7th Israel react with everything against the strip.