Road to Egyptian elections 2024: Sadat’s Presidential Candidate

The first person to bring up the issue of the upcoming presidential elections in the mainstream media was not former MP Ahmed Tantawy.

It was former MP and leader of the Reform and Development Party Mohamed Anwar Sadat Jr., also known as Mohamed Sadat.

In February, Sadat Jr. issued a statement wondering if the Egyptian political and popular powers, including the intelligentsia, could agree on one or two presidential candidates and put together a plan and platform for them in order to see fair and democratic presidential elections in 2024, like the ones we had in 2012.

Former MP Mohamed El-Sadat 

It is interesting to note that he mentioned the 2012 presidential elections. His call was not taken seriously and was ignored.

A month later, he released another statement saying that President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi had unofficially started his presidential campaign earlier with his tours of the governorates.

The former MP then asked questions about whether the political parties and powers, as well as the intelligentsia, were ready for the 2024 presidential elections with capable candidates. He also wondered if the United Nations and other international organizations would be invited to observe and follow up on the elections.

The other Mo Salah : The pride of Ain Shams "Updated"

The identity of the Egyptian policeman who reportedly killed three Israeli soldiers in his pursuit of smugglers has been revealed and confirmed unofficially.

His name is Mohamed Salah Ibrahim. His identity was revealed by Israeli media on Sunday and was confirmed on Monday by his relatives and friends, as well as his colleagues from his conscript unit.

Mohamed Salah and the pyramids in his back 
May 2021

Before we tell you what happened in the past 24 hours, we would like to share with you this small piece of news that took place earlier.

Two-and-a-half-year-old Mohamed al-Tamimi of the occupied West Bank village of Nabi Saleh died on Monday after being shot in the head four days earlier. 

Little Mo was in a coma for four days 

Mohamed and his father, activist Bilal al-Tamimi, were shot by Israeli soldiers while they were in a car. The Israeli soldiers were pursuing alleged militiamen. Mohamed's father survived, but his toddler did not.

Unknown Egyptian policeman, killed IDF soldiers and disappearing smugglers: Notes on That incident on the Egyptian-Israeli borders

On Saturday morning, an unknown Egyptian policeman killed three Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers and injured at least one other.

This is what we know for certain.

Beyond that, the truth seems to be lost, despite two official statements issued by Egypt and Israel following the incident.

This is what the IDF said in English.

Three IDF soldiers were killed today. Two soldiers were killed by live fire adjacent to the Egyptian border, and the third during an exchange of fire with an assailant in the area of the Paran Regional Brigade. An IDF NCO was also lightly injured.

The assailant is an Egyptian policeman. An investigation is being conducted in full cooperation with the Egyptian army. IDF soldiers continue searching the area to rule out the presence of any additional assailants.

The Egyptian Armed Forces finally broke their radio silence several hours after the Israeli official announcement.

At dawn on Saturday, June 3, 2023, a security personnel assigned to secure the international border line engaged in a pursuit of drug smugglers. During the pursuit, the security personnel breached the security barrier and exchanged gunfire, resulting in the death of three Israeli security personnel and the injury of two others. Additionally, the Egyptian security personnel was killed during the exchange of fire. 

All necessary searches, inspection, and security measures are being taken in the area, along with the implementation of legal procedures regarding the incident.

Our sincere condolences to the families of the deceased, and we wish a speedy recovery to the injured.

The use of the term "security personnel" to refer to the deceased Egyptian that he was a policeman, not a member of the military.

It is noteworthy that the Egyptian Armed Forces issued the statement about the incident, even though the Ministry of Interior is the agency responsible for civilian law enforcement in Egypt.

As you can see, there is a significant discrepancy between the official Israeli and Egyptian versions of events.

A belated Khamsin storm to remember in Egypt

Thursday afternoon Egypt was on a date with one of those Sandstorms that remind Egyptians that there is something called Khamsin storms Egypt is famous for in spring.

I was in the street, and I saw firsthand the results of removing trees. In a couple of hours, we had in Great Cairo extremely hot weather, rain, and sandstorm.

What I saw firsthand Thursday afternoon, minutes earlier it was raining 

We saw great Cairo under the ‘Mexican filter’ afternoon as some like to call it online.

We paid the price of removing hundreds if not thousands of trees across the country for real today. It has been ages since we saw a similar storm.

I believe the officials especially in the Ministry of Environment and Agriculture know that but fear to say it in public.

We need a green belt around Greater Cairo today before tomorrow. We need to regrow trees again.

This is a typical and original Khamsin Egypt is famous for, but it is a very belated Khamsin. Khamsin storms usually do not happen on 1^st June or June at all. Summer should start after 20 days officially.

Palestinian Singer Mohammed Assaf's Song "Dammi Falastini" Deleted from Spotify and Apple Music

Earlier Sunday, Arab music fans and subscribers of Spotify and Apple Music found that both music platforms had removed Palestinian singer Mohammed Assaf's top hit "Dammi Falastini" (My Blood is Palestinian).

According to Assaf, he received emails from both services stating that the song had been removed due to "incitement."

Some Arab news websites have reported that the song was removed because it was believed to incite antisemitism.

The song's page on Spotify's web player is now greyed out, and it has been deleted from Apple Music.

From his side, Assaf believes according to his statements to Arab media that the song was removed under the pretext that the song incites against the Zionist enemy aka Israel. He added that it brought him great honour that his songs express the Palestinian people's resistance against the occupation.

"Even if they delete this song, it exists in the memory and conscience of every Palestinian and every honourable free person defending the right of the Palestinian people to obtain their freedom and independence” The singer from Gaza added.

I do not know how the 2015 song is accused of inciting antisemitism when it celebrates Semitic people. Palestinian people regardless of what some people try to spread worldwide are Semitic people. “Yes, the conflict is Semitic people against Semitic people over Semitic land in a nutshell”

Here is the popular hit song from YouTube.

The 32nd Arab summit in Jeddah: Curb Your Enthusiasm

Earlier Friday, the Arab leaders as well as their representatives held the 32^nd meeting of the Arab summit in Jeddah.

To cut things short, nothing is expected to change due to this summit just like the other summits, but two things happened on Friday.

Bashar El-Assad had a warm welcome from most of his Arab counterparts. 

Despite the Western warnings, the Arab countries led by Saudi Arabia and the Emirates support the return of El-Assad and his regime to the Arab League with no regard for whatever happened to the Syrian people in the past 12 years.

The 32nd Arab Summit in Jeddah's leaders

El-Assad gave one of those speeches cursing the immoral West, Muslim Brotherhood Turkey and Israel that is being ignored in the Arab world according to him “Man, I remembered how I used to admire his long speeches in the summit in the first years of his rule, how naïve I was.”

Also, the President of Ukraine Volodymyr Zelenskyy came to Jeddah and addressed the summit. Zelenskyy spoke about the Ukrainian Muslims.

I do not know if he realized that in front of him El-Assad who officially committed war crimes against his own people, mostly Muslims has been received like a hero.

The Saudi media is trying to position the Arab summit in Jeddah as the “Reconciliation” summit because of the reinstatement of Syria to the League of Arab Summit and the participation of Bashar El-Assad in the summit.

What is the Nakba? Learn about the Palestinian catastrophe in 17 minutes or less

I never thought I would see an American news website publish such an informative video about the Palestinian Nakba.

I recommend that you watch and share this informative short documentary about the Palestinian Nakba from Vox Media.

Hear the other side.

Listen to Mr Dawoud Assad, one of the saviours of the awful and horrific Deir Yassin massacre.

In a related manner, I never imagined in my life that I would see a member of the United States Congress speak about and commemorate the Nakba in the heart of the United States Capitol, bringing it to light after 75 years.