El-Sisi: Egyptâs Antihero And The Broader Regional Implications In sharp contrast to Nasser, el-Sisi, Egyptâs antihero has thrown his lot in with Israel and Saudi Arabia against his Arab brethren. El-Sisiâs betrayal has been so outlandish and stark that even the neocon leaning New York Times published a scathing article titled: âEgyptâs Lost Islands, Sisiâs Shameâ by Adhaf Soueif. This is a remarkable piece rarely seen in the pages of the NYT given its reputation (see LOOT for example). By Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich | June 29, 2017 https://www.mintpressnews.com/el-sisi-egypts-antihero-broader-regional-implications/229304/ âYou canât make war in the Middle East without Egypt and you canât make peace without Syria.â â HenryKissinger In Egyptian mythology, gods were considered heroes. In more modern times, it is men who are the heroes. Without a doubt, General Gamal Abdul Nasser has secured his legacy as a hero â a revolutionary who fought for Egypt and strived for Arab unity against Israel and Western imperialism. This month marks the 50th anniversary of the 1967 Arab-Israeli war; a pre-planned war of aggression and expansion by Israel against Egypt, Jordan, and Syria, aided by the US and Britain. Israelâs cronies assisted in the planning and execution of the war which led to the seizure and occupation of East Jerusalem, the West Bank, Syria Golan (Golan Heights) and the Sinai Peninsula. Prior to the start of the war, as early as May, Lyndon Johnson who assumed the presidency after the tragic assassination of JF Kennedy, authorized air shipment of arms to Israel. Furthermore, the United States facilitated Israeli air attacks and advances by sending reconnaissance aircraft to track movement of Egyptian ground forces and American spy satellites provided imagery to Israel . According to reports American and British carrier-based aircraft flew sorties against the Egyptians and U.S. aircraft attacked Egypt. Judging by their cover-up, the American leadership had as little compassion for American blood as it did for Arab blood. The Israeli attack against USS Liberty that killed and injured American servicemen was buried in a sea of lies. Fifty years on, the war rages on and Israel has a different set of cronies. In sharp contrast to Nasser, el-Sisi, Egyptâs antihero has thrown his lot in with Israel and Saudi Arabia against his Arab brethren. El-Sisiâs betrayal has been so outlandish and stark that even the neocon leaning New York Times published a scathing article titled: âEgyptâs Lost Islands, Sisiâs Shameâ by Adhaf Soueif. This is a remarkable piece rarely seen in the pages of the NYT given its reputation (see LOOT for example). Soueif rightly calls el-Sisiâs to task for handing over the Tiran and Sanafir Islands at the mouth of Gulf of Aqaba to Saudi Arabia. More telling is the fact that the transfer had been discussed with, and had received the blessings of Israel, according to Israelâs Defense Minister Moshe Yaalon. The implications of an Israeli-Saudi-Egyptian alliance are enormous; though hardly the first act of treason by el-Sisi....
Salaamedia Tuesday 11th July 2017 Soraya Sepahpour-Ulrich on the role of Egypt in Middle East political dynamics.