Middle East Politics.Net » Egypt http://middleeastpolitics.net Facts, News, Trends, Analysis Tue, 12 Jan 2010 20:56:32 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.2.1 Egypt Removes Ban on Doctors Going to Work in Saudi Arabia http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/05/egypt-removes-ban-on-doctors-going-to-work-in-saudi-arabia/ http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/05/egypt-removes-ban-on-doctors-going-to-work-in-saudi-arabia/#comments Fri, 05 Dec 2008 07:30:31 +0000 Holly MacGillivray http://middleeastpolitics.net/?p=3570 After the long arguments and feuds involving mistreatment of Egyptian doctors in Saudi Arbia, Egypt had banned its citizens from working there, as a means of keeping incidents from occurring again.  Two Egyptian doctors were accused and found guilty of misusing their practices by illegally selling pharmaceuticals, and one doctor was charged with having an affair with a female patient. Since then, Egyptian and Saudi Arabian authorities have been working together quietly to come to an agreement about what the Egyptian government considers unfair punishment for the two men.  Tuesday, Egypt has announced that they will allow their citizens to work in the Kingdom again, as long as they receive equal treatment as their Saudi counterparts.  This announcement appears to show that the two countries representatives have come to an agreement about the dispute.

Holly MacGillivray

]]> http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/05/egypt-removes-ban-on-doctors-going-to-work-in-saudi-arabia/feed/ 0 Tense Egypt-Hamas Relations Take Turn for Worse http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/04/tense-egypt-hamas-relations-take-a-turn-for-the-worse/ http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/04/tense-egypt-hamas-relations-take-a-turn-for-the-worse/#comments Thu, 04 Dec 2008 18:23:30 +0000 alqassar http://middleeastpolitics.net/?p=3499 Tense relations between Egypt and Hamas have soured after Cairo for the first time openly accused the Islamists of torpedoing Palestinian reconciliation talks.

Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul Gheit was quoted as saying on Thursday that months of Egyptian-mediated talks between rivals Hamas and Fatah failed in November because of “Hamas’s lack of enthusiasm toward reconciliation.”

As the only Arab nation bordering the Gaza Strip, Egypt has been trying to achieve a detente between Fatah and Hamas and end their conflict, which saw Hamas violently eject Fatah from Gaza in June 2007, spilling into Egypt.

Cairo is worried about a repetition of the chaotic scenes last January, when hundreds of thousands of Gazans broke through the Rafah border crossing and the Israeli lockdown on the territory, to spend a few days shopping in Egypt.

Following the breach, in August Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman began hosting inter-Palestinian talks involving 13 factions, including Fatah and Hamas, in the hope of reaching a consensus on a unity government.

A deal was almost reached that would have seen a technocrat government set up without Fatah or Hamas figures that would be acceptable to the international community, much of which boycotts Hamas.

Yousif Al Qassar

]]> http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/04/tense-egypt-hamas-relations-take-a-turn-for-the-worse/feed/ 0 Hamas and Egypt in Hajj Visa Row http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/02/hamas-and-egypt-in-hajj-visa-row/ http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/02/hamas-and-egypt-in-hajj-visa-row/#comments Tue, 02 Dec 2008 21:29:02 +0000 aljoaan http://middleeastpolitics.net/?p=3273 The Hamas authorities in control of the Gaza Strip have threatened to prevent Muslim pilgrims leaving Gaza to attend the annual Hajj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia, unless a dispute over visas is resolved. According to the BBC, Egypt has said it will only allow pilgrims to enter its territory from Gaza, if their Saudi visa applications are submitted through the Palestinian Authority.

Since Hamas took over Gaza by force last year, the Palestinian Authority’s remit runs only in the parts of the West Bank controlled by the PA. Hamas says it has submitted its own lists of pilgrims to the Saudi authorities for visa approval but Egypt has refused to recognize them.

Ahmad Aljoaan

]]> http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/02/hamas-and-egypt-in-hajj-visa-row/feed/ 0 Egyptian Police Seize Explosives Near Gaza Border http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/02/egyptian-police-seize-near-gaza-border/ http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/02/egyptian-police-seize-near-gaza-border/#comments Tue, 02 Dec 2008 16:35:13 +0000 aljoaan http://middleeastpolitics.net/?p=3282 Egyptian police have found a cache of explosives in Sinai that were probably destined for the Gaza Strip, a security official said. Police seized about 150 kilograms (330 pounds) of TNT, and dozens of mortar rounds and anti-tank grenades on Saturday after a tip-off from local residents near the Gaza border.

“They were probably being prepared for smuggling into Gaza,” the official said. This year, Egypt, which controls the Rafah border crossing with Gaza, has destroyed dozens of underground tunnels, through which smugglers sent food, fuel and weapons to the impoverished coastal strip. Israel blockaded Gaza last year when the Islamist movement Hamas seized power after days of deadly fighting with the rival Fatah party.

Ahmad Aljoaan

]]> http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/02/egyptian-police-seize-near-gaza-border/feed/ 0 Egyptian-Born Nuclear Scientist Leaves US http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/02/after-losing-suit-egyptian-born-scientist-leaves-us/ http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/02/after-losing-suit-egyptian-born-scientist-leaves-us/#comments Tue, 02 Dec 2008 15:07:52 +0000 aljoaan http://middleeastpolitics.net/?p=3294 An Egyptian-born nuclear physicist, Abdel Moniem Ali el-Ganayni, said his rights were violated when the Department of Energy revoked his security clearance.The scientist, who has left the United States, had filed a lawsuit in June saying he was being punished for criticizing the Iraq war and President Bush’s treatment of Muslims after the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks.

The lawsuit was dismissed Tuesday by a Federal District Court according to the New York Times. The Energy Department said it had reliable information that Dr. Ganayni was a security risk, but the agency said its reasons were classified and could violate national security if they were made public. Dr. Ganayni, 57, worked at the Bettis Laboratory, which makes parts for nuclear warships, in West Mifflin, a Pittsburgh suburb, for more than 17 years. He has been a United States citizen since 1988. His security clearance was revoked last late year, and he was fired in May. He and his wife returned to Cairo on Wednesday.

The American Civil Liberties Union, which sued on Dr. Ganayni’s behalf, said it planned to appeal. In his lawsuit, Dr. Ganayni said he had been questioned by Energy Department officials and F.B.I. agents about speeches he had made, his views on suicide bombings and the Koran.

Ahmad Aljoaan

]]> http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/12/02/after-losing-suit-egyptian-born-scientist-leaves-us/feed/ 0 28 Islamists Detained in Northwestern Egypt http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/11/30/28-islamists-detained-in-northwestern-egypt/ http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/11/30/28-islamists-detained-in-northwestern-egypt/#comments Sun, 30 Nov 2008 17:14:49 +0000 aljoaan http://middleeastpolitics.net/?p=3077 Egyptian police detained 28 members of the opposition Muslim Brotherhood movement in the northwestern coastal town of Marsa Matrouh on Saturday, police and Brotherhood sources told Reuters. The police said the Islamists, 24 from Marsa Matrouh province and four from the coastal city of Alexandria, were attending an organizational meeting. The Brotherhood said police took them from their homes at dawn.

The government calls the Brotherhood an illegal organization, but allows it to operate openly within limits. The movement has held about a fifth of the seats in parliament since 2005. The police often detain Brotherhood members and hold them for long periods before freeing them without charges. The Brotherhood, Egypt’s largest opposition group, says about 171 members are now in detention.

Ahmad Aljoaan

]]> http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/11/30/28-islamists-detained-in-northwestern-egypt/feed/ 0 Largest Hospital in Palestine Running on Fumes http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/11/26/largest-hotel-in-palestine-running-on-fumes/ http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/11/26/largest-hotel-in-palestine-running-on-fumes/#comments Thu, 27 Nov 2008 03:57:13 +0000 yerxa http://middleeastpolitics.net/?p=2905 The Minister of Health in the Gaza Strip has declared that the largest hospital in Palestine is running on fuel smuggled through tunnels between Rafah and Egypt, and is at risk of losing all power at any time. Dr. Hassan Khalaf said Wednesday that “if the stock from the Ministry of Health is exhausted then it must be coming through the tunnels. This is not a dependable source. We don’t know if this fuel is clean or safe.” The Palestinian News Network reports that one of the hospital’s generators is broken and Israel has refused to allow the spare part into Gaza.

Those suffering the most as a result of the fuel crisis are premature babies who depend on oxygen to survive. In times of blackouts, the hospital staff are forced to hand carry oxygen bottles to the babies in order to keep them alive. According to Dr. Khalaf, up to 250 people have already died waiting for permits to leave Gaza for health care in the last 18 months.

What is interesting about this predicament is that by disallowing basic supplies and fuel into Gaza, Israel is literally pushing the trade of those necessities underground. The same tunnels that Israel has tried to destroy because they help supply Gaza with weapons have now become necessary to keep Gaza running. Israel should consider that by ending the blockade and allowing oil back into Gaza, they could focus on stopping the flow of weapons into Gaza, without harming the innocent residents  of Gaza.

Gavin Yerxa

]]> http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/11/26/largest-hotel-in-palestine-running-on-fumes/feed/ 0 Egypt Shows No Sign of Military Response to Piracy http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/11/25/egypt-shows-no-signs-of-military-response-to-piracy/ http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/11/25/egypt-shows-no-signs-of-military-response-to-piracy/#comments Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:26:25 +0000 aljoaan http://middleeastpolitics.net/?p=2861 The Indian Ocean faces a serious threat from marauding pirates who operate out of Somalia, and who have attacked the ancient sea trade routes linking East with West. Egypt has showed no immediate response to the problem, and has not opted to join the international community in fighting this growing menace. According to Reuters, the Egyptian government does not consider the issue to be important to it. One Egyptian Defense Ministry source told Reuters that ” that piracy was an international problem and had to be solved in an international framework.” This probably sums up the Egyptian government’s stance on the issue.

The Egyptian government does have the military capability to fight the piracy threat, but according to some analysts its concern is directed at keeping piracy out of the Red Sea, which it considers traditionally to be within its sphere of influence.

Ahmad Aljoaan

]]> http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/11/25/egypt-shows-no-signs-of-military-response-to-piracy/feed/ 0 Gaza Fuel Smuggling Hits Egypt http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/11/25/gaza-fuel-smuggling-hits-egypt/ http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/11/25/gaza-fuel-smuggling-hits-egypt/#comments Tue, 25 Nov 2008 15:18:00 +0000 aljoaan http://middleeastpolitics.net/?p=2863 The smuggling of fuel to Gaza is commonplace amid Israeli restrictions on access to the territory. Egyptian officials have said that the north of Egypt’s Sinai region is running out of fuel due to smuggling operations across the border to the Gaza Strip, which is being blockaded by Israel. Local officials have said that agricultural work in Sinai is being restricted because there is not enough fuel left in the north of the peninsula for machinery to operate. “Smuggling to Gaza through tunnels has led to a drastic reduction in fuel supplies at petrol stations” in the northern Sinai, Mohammed Hussein, a senior official of the Sinai governorate, told Reuters. The smuggling operations to Gaza come as Israel continues to impose a blockade on the Palestinian territory. Over the past month, the authorities in northern Sinai have imposed a ban on the sale of fuel in jerry cans, except for agricultural purposes. Petrol stations have also been instructed to close overnight. Almost 170,000 liters of fuel that was being bound for Gaza to be sold on the black market was seized last week by Sinai authorities, officials have said. Israel has said that the crossing point between Gaza and Israel will remain sealed, despite calls from the United Nations and human rights organizations to restore access so that Gazans can receive essential supplies.

Ahmad Aljoaan

]]> http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/11/25/gaza-fuel-smuggling-hits-egypt/feed/ 0 Jordan and Other Arab States Warn about Iran http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/11/23/jordan-warns-about-iran/ http://middleeastpolitics.net/2008/11/23/jordan-warns-about-iran/#comments Sun, 23 Nov 2008 18:04:07 +0000 malcoun http://middleeastpolitics.net/?p=2762 Iran and Syria have failed to cooperate with two investigations regarding suspected clandestine nuclear work according to the United Nations atomic agency. Shiite Muslim-governed Iran supports Hezbollah, based in Lebanon. The United States classifies Hezbollah as a terrorist organization working with both Iran and Syria. The U.S. allies, Saudi Arabia, Jordan and Egypt have warned of the spread of Iran’s influence through Shiite surrogates. Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinejad has often denied Israel’s right to exist. The United States has accused the government in Tehran of supporting insurgents in Iraq who have fought American troops.

Kasey Malcoun

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