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Sunday, 20 May 2018

Sisi ordering Gaza border opened for Ramadan tops int’l coverage of Egypt

President Abdel Fattah El Sisi’s decision to open the Rafah border crossing with Gaza for Ramadan topped international coverage of Egypt over the weekend. The humanitarian move is meant to "alleviate the burdens on the brothers in the Gaza Strip,” El Sisi tweeted on Thursday. If implemented, the gateway with Gaza would be open for the longest uninterrupted period in years, Reuters reports. Egypt had reached an agreement with Hamas last week to contain protests in Gaza against the opening of a US embassy in Jerusalem. Time Magazine, the Wall Street Journal, the Guardian, i24 News, and CBS News, among many others, have coverage.

Cairo and Doha are both still trying to push for a longer-term solution for the situation in Gaza, which involves a reconciliation between Fatah and Hamas, according to Haaretz. Egypt is trying to “expand the Palestinian Authority’s role in the Gaza Strip, initiate economic relief and arrange for the preliminary dismounting of the Hamas military wing.” Qatar is proposing a similar solution, but would hand over administration of the Gaza strip to “an unaffiliated council of experts,” diplomats tell the Israeli daily.

All of this comes as the UN Human Rights Council voted on Friday to launch an investigation into Israel’s excessive use of force against Palestinians after Israeli forces killed dozens of Palestinians last week, Reuters reports.

Other stories worth noting in brief:

  • Some MPs are calling for a revival of the Shura Council, the pre-revolution upper house of parliament, according to Al Monitor.
  • Amnesty International has expressed concerns over Egyptian rights activist Haitham Mohamedeen’s arrest, calling for his immediate release.
  • French police foiled what they claim was a plan to launch a ricin attack by an Egyptian-born student after intercepting messages on the secure social media platform Telegram, Reuters reports.
  • Underage girls from West Africa and war-torn countries are trafficked into Egypt to be sold as slaves, Nigeria’s The Nation claims.
  • Preacher Amr Khaled sparked public outrage after claiming ‘chicken will increase spirituality’ in a new poultry ad, Al Arabiya reports.
  • Egyptian football fans across the world are planning their trips to Russia to watch the national team play at the 2018 FIFA World Cup, Sputnik reports. You can also listen to Christophe Bongo tell the story of the national team’s road to Russia.

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