How many soldiers did you kill today?
It was ludicrous for Israel to demand that the Egyptian Foreign Ministry "calm the public" in Egypt: The public in Egypt is looking for answers, not "calm." It wants to be convinced that its government is not sweeping the bodies of Egyptian soldiers under the dunes of Sinai to blunt criticism of Israel, and that the government of Israel is not deceiving its government.
By Zvi Bar'elThe dust stirred up by the documentary film on the Shaked commando unit, which blinded the eyes of Egyptian intellectuals and politicians last week, has now settled. By Thursday, the Egyptian government had authorized Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit to "do what is necessary" to attain information on the "case of the murder of Egyptian soldiers" by Israel during the Six-Day War. A copy of the film was delivered to the Egyptians and the local press was able to move on to other fascinating topics: anticipated amendments to the constitution, extensive quotes from the State Department's critical report on human rights in Egypt, and corruption scandals in government ministries.
The Israeli Foreign Ministry can perhaps breathe easier too, despite the fact that no new date has been set for the visit by National Infrastructures Minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer to Egypt and that the Egyptian intelligence minister, Omar Suleiman, who canceled his planned visit to Israel, has not yet set a new date in his appointment book. But this is a bureaucratic calm, whose effect is like that attained by urinating on dying embers: The immediate fire is extinguished but the smoke and signs of ash will remain for a long time. This is because it entails not only a murky affair of 40 years ago, but also the image of Israel as a malevolent state.
This is the image that has created the huge gap between bilateral relations at the official, state level and the lack of acceptance of Israel among Egypt's intellectuals, artists and general populace. On one hand, there is a reasonable level of military and intelligence cooperation between the two states, and there has also been significant progress in the commercial sphere, with the establishment of free-trade zones in Egypt.
But on another level, there is almost a boycott of Israel. Israel does not participate in the book fairs or film festivals, and it is kept away from any unofficial discussion of regional issues. Israel's academic center in the heart of Cairo is regularly suspected of serving as a spies' nest, and its embassy was the subject of a satirical film by comedian Adel Imam.
This is a combustible gap that regularly sets off hallucinatory conflagration. One time it is tales of "poisonous" Israeli goods being distributed in Egypt, another time it is the attribution of a local AIDS outbreak to Israel, and more specifically to the Mossad. And at other times, it is "serious" cases of espionage.
The interesting thing is that in these instances, as in the case of the "Shaked Spirit" film, Israel is trapped together with the government of Egypt in the same pit. If Israel is the villain, then the government of Egypt is seen as its collaborator. "Do you think the government of Egypt is serious in pursuing the Israelis who are responsible for the murder of the [Egyptian] prisoners?" the opposition newspaper Al-Wafd asked its readers.
The results of the newspaper survey are similar to the election results: 95.6 percent think not. One of the survey responses stated: "Brother, the government of Egypt does not have time for these matters. It is busy with the problem of bequeathing Mubarak's reign." And another response: "How cheap is the price of the Egyptian people in the shadow of this government."
And indeed, when a regime is perceived as unworthy, unfair and corrupt, these characteristics are immediately and almost uniformly attached to all of its actions, whether it is peace with Israel or the neglect that led to a horrible train fire, or the sinking of a ferry in the Red Sea. The "regime" is to blame for everything.
This is why it was ludicrous for Israel to demand that the Egyptian Foreign Ministry "calm the public" in Egypt: The public in Egypt is looking for answers, not "calm." It wants to be convinced that its government is not sweeping the bodies of Egyptian soldiers under the dunes of Sinai to blunt criticism of Israel, and that the government of Israel is not deceiving its government.
Therefore, the problem is not whether the documentary film pertains to Egyptian soldiers or to Palestinians, or whether the Egyptian diplomats who view the film will be succ essful in convincing the public that, indeed, "only" Palestinian fighters were shot to death. The question is whether a state that has signed a peace treaty with Egypt can win the trust of that country's public. This will not be accomplished by providing a copy of the film, but only through implementation of a comprehensive policy that understands, first of all, that the Arab public - in Egypt, in Jordan or in any other Arab state - will find it hard to calm down as long as Palestinian civilians are being killed and as long as Arab territory continues to be occupied. Without this type of policy, the "Shaked Spirit" will continue to be just a symptom that even when it abates, does so only until the next eruption.
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Nicely put. And if the Egyptian mass/intellectuals wont accept Israel as long as it occupies Arab land, as the article ends by saying, when's the last plane out of Ben Gurion?
A nation shall not lift the sword upon another nation...and they shall learn war no more, neither will be they trainned in the use of weapons...they will change the sword for the plow... Let us pray to the same G-d, the G-d of Ibrahim, for this day to come...Let us pray to Allah, The Almighty, so that we can offer our children a better world than the one that we inheritaded from our parents... A-Salam Alekum ya-rafikuna al-yahud...
We the "muslims" keep killing inocent civilians, whether these are found in israel, europe or america...just by the fact of being "kuffar" , or so the world believes. but i wonder, will we all muslims who want to live a normal live be accounted for those extreme "muslims" who are illiteraty in bankroupcy and are outta their minds, those crazy bestialic, barbaric and primitive wahabist and salafies who want to drown this world into the medieval-primitive-muslim ages??? I hope not. Indeed we have shed plenty of blood, both of us,and we should not go into stupidity of the past, longing for repeating it again...if the israelis indeed murdered those soldiers, it is past, or havent we the muslims murdered enough people until these very present days??? Halas, enough, maspik!!! no more blood, what happened, happened, lets write now a new page!!!!!!!! FOR ALL OF US SAKE!!! ONLY ANIMALS GO BACK TO THEIR OWN VOMIT!!!!!!
How has the Israeli government reacted so far? Has Ben Eliezer stepped down? Has a commission of enquiry been appointed? Compared to Sharon whom the Court criticised for letting Christians kill Muslims, Ben Eliezer looks as if he was directly implicated, along with two other retired generals.
Two Hundred and Fifty Palestinians in Egyptian Uniforms died in a war. The questions this raises can not be faced by any Arab Government today, so of course blind rage will be a necessary response.
Tom, You have to remember, it wasn't the Egyptian Media that started the whole thing, it was the 'Free' Israeli media that aired a documentary suggesting killing Egyptian POWs in cold blood (that's what Egyptian media said, I haven't seen the documentary myself) now the Egyptian Media in turn published their own version of the story, while I understand that Egyptian Media has lots of anti Israeli sentiments, but what do you expect from the simple Egyptian person watching this news? he will think like that 'Killing us in cold blood and claim to be civilized'I think I won't like that one either. For now and until next time similar alligations show up again (Probably from Israeli Media again) There is nothing Egypt and the Egyptians can or should do. My guess this will remain in the Egyptian mind for a long time.
People like you just want to find fault of Israel at any cost. It doesn't matter to you if your alligations are true or not. Non one is sweeping this unde the rug, people are just saying that the alligations don't have substantial evidence benind it. 40 years have passed since 67 war, where were the Egyptian military back then? You can't kill a company of 250 soldiers without any Egyptian officers asking what happend, where are the campany commanders and how they were killed. Someone would ask and find out. Does it take some Israeli journalist who wants to make a drama story 40 years later for the Egyptians to ask how and why 250 soldiers were killed??? Or maybe logically these 250 men were not part of the Egyptian army and that's why the Command didn't even notice a missing company because these 250 men were part of Fedayin a lose terrorist network fighting for Plaestinians? I don't mind if Egypt sponsors a forensic team to search for these bodies and find how they died.
the british were forced out 60 years ago... but they left some droppings behind
Couple of Israeli soldiers are abducted and Israel destroys a whole country. But when there are allegations of atrocities by IDF, You want to weep them under the rug? why? Than we should sweep everything under the rug, including events during WWII.
The "Egyptian publiic" were enthusiastic about the 9/11 as well. Pandering to this public is another craze of the hip Leftie Israelis desperately seeking something to blame their own country for
While the conclusions of the demented Mr Barel are incorrect, the anti-Semitism of ordinary Egyptians is deep seated. It is well known that POWs were not executed, but Palestinian fighters were killed in battle during the last hours of the war. However, the myth of Egyptians being killed is too good to be true. Perhaps "Professor Blood libel" Toaff could get involved. Israel must recognize that the Camp David agreements with Egypt were a hudna, not a peace treaty, and that the Egyptian populace clamors for war. This is why Israelis should not visit SInai or Egypt
yet they gave us the english language that has been of unending importance to us. they built the railways.they built the wide roads of bombay calcutta and delhi.bombay university.the lok sabha and thousands of other buildings.and have we added to this great architecture.no.
did the israelis burn bus loads of moslems as we did recently?
i would be more convinced of your case when you take up the cudgels for the hated dark skinned untouchables of india.they are hated reviled and oppressed.there are 700 million of them.they live near the sewers of bombay calcutta and delhi.what have you done for them?
RAVI , CLOSE TO HOME RIGHT TO THE NEWSPAPERS IN INDI AND PAKISTAN AND TELL THEM BOTH TO WITHDRAW TO THE 1948 BORDER !! AS FAR AS ISRAEL IS CONCERNED WRAP IT UP IN A CHAPATI AND POST IT !!! PASRATHA OR NOON WILL ALSO DO !!
how right zvi bar'el is.... until israel continues killing palestinians and lebanese... and occupies their land... the hatred towards israel among the arab people will grow at a compounded rate. arab governments are literally scum... israel should have reached out to the people but it didnt... and is, and will pay a heavier price as time goes by. if israel declares its readiness to return to the 67 borders in return for real and complete peace.... peace will come in months not years. is israel up to it, or will the greed for land blight its future?
"The question is whether a state that has signed a peace treaty with Egypt can win the trust of that country's public." Right. Why is it Israel'sproblem to win Egypt's public trust when Egypt can't win over its OWN public?