Wise Men are Billionaires?

The ever-perceptive A’sad Abukhalil dispels any doubts about the so-called ‘wise-man committee’ selected supposedly by the ‘youth’ in Tahrir Square, Cairo:

So a self-appointed committee, called the “Wise Men Committee” has been issuing opinions and commands and is trying to mediate between the people of Egypt and the regime of Mubarak. Their first idea was to donate Egypt to the head of Mubarak’s secret police, `Umar Sulayman. The Egyptian billionaire, Najib Sawiris, is a member of the committee and that troubles me greatly. What would have Marx thought about an initiative of a billionaire at a time of revolutionary change. Sawiris, of course, has been close to Jamal Mubarak and is an opportunist who shifts and flip flops, even on Palestine. I trust him like George Habash trusted Yasir `Arafat. `Amr Musa is another well-known opportunist: a servant of Mubarak has just saw the light because Sha`ban `Abd-Ar-Rahim likes him. But the protesters are impressive: when one member of the Committee (Abu Al-Majd) tried to talk today in Tahrir Square, he was shouted down and interrupted and sent home.

The ‘youth manifesto’ is here (for the English version in .pdf format, go here)

At Al Quds newspaper in the UK, there’s a story which I’ve google-translated and which indicates that the wise-men committee was submitted by Cairo, whilst the Youth manifesto says the youth did the selection. One has to wonder, therefore, who in fact prepared the Youth manifesto.

‘Cairo presented a so-called Committee of Wise Men in Egypt, a set of proposals for the youth of the demonstrators to be the center of the dialogue between them and the Egyptian government.

According to press sources, on Friday evening said that when Dr. Ahmed Kamal Abul Magd, a member of the Committee, the dumping of the proposals on the demonstrators in Tahrir Square boycotted and rejected a large number of them to listen to these proposals, which forced him and most of the members of the Committee of Wise Men to return to the headquarters of the League of Arab States, near Tahrir Square amid bitter divisions between supporters of the proposals and Ravdiha for different reasons.

The statement of the wise men to ensure a wide range of points to calm the demonstrators, most important of which are assigned to Alsidamr Solomon Vice President managing the transition.

Among the statement included also be a place for young people and clear in the national dialogue and to be “institutionalized dialogue” is selected any of its functions and objectives and the participants in a clear and specific.

The statement should also be developed in political reforms and not to limit the dialogue to the traditional parties are provided sufficient guarantees for a peaceful transition of power, with an estimate of the role played by the military at this point.

Taking Committee confirmed that it sought to “complete agreement between the parties regarding the solution,” and expressed hope that the resulting proposal to reach a solution “in the coming hours”, the Commission invited the young protesters to choose the leadership of their representative and drew in contrast to the “Muslim Brotherhood” pledge Under this proposal, failure to submit a candidate for the forthcoming presidential elections.

Includes a committee of elders of both the thinker Ahmed Kamal Abul-Magd and the world, Ahmed Zewail, Nobel Laureate in Chemistry and businessman Naguib Sawiris, the Secretary General of the League of Arab States Amr Moussa, head of the Central Auditing Agency Malt and the President of the Islamic Front Party Democratic Osama Ghazali Harb, and Dr. Amr Hamzawy, Munir Fakhri Abdel the light and the media Mahmoud Saad. ‘

At Enduring America, we are told:

’1610 GMT: Al Arabiya reports that the 10-man wise men committee has gotten positive feedback from President Mubarak about handing over power to VP Omar Suleiman. No one else has confirmed this’

Jack Shenker at the Guardian has uncovered another list of demands which sounds to me more like the real deal:

The Guardian has learned that delegates from these mini-gatherings then come together to discuss the prevailing mood, before potential demands are read out over the square’s makeshift speaker system. The adoption of each proposal is based on the proportion of cheers or boos it receives from the crowd at large.

Delegates have arrived in Tahrir from other parts of the country that have declared themselves liberated from Mubarak’s rule, including the major cities of Alexandria and Suez, and are also providing input into the decisions.

“When the government shut down the web, politics moved on to the street, and that’s where it has stayed,” said one youth involved in the process. “It’s impossible to construct a perfect decision-making mechanism in such a fast-moving environment, but this is as democratic as we can possibly be.”

“Genuine opposition politics in this country has always relied on people taking the initiative, and that’s what we’re seeing here – on a truly astounding level,” said Ahdaf Soueif, an Egyptian author who has been closely monitoring the spontaneous political activity on the ground. “There is more transparency and equality here in Tahrir than anything we’ve ever seen under the Mubarak regime; anyone and everyone can have their say, and that makes the demands that come out of the process even more powerful.”

The document that has emerged from Tahrir details calls for the election of a founding council of 40 public intellectuals and constitutional experts, who will draw up a new constitution over the coming months under the supervision of the transitional government, then put it to the Egyptian people in a referendum. Following the passage of the new constitution, fresh elections would be held at a local and national level.

Such a scenario would go far further than the piecemeal constitutional reform offered by the present government, and would preclude any delay in Mubarak’s departure or any transitional governing role for existing members of country’s ruling elite.

The demands, which have been endorsed by the so-called “300” – the loose coalition of online activists who were behind last month’s call for the “day of rage” on 25 January, the event that sparked the current uprising – are also more radical than those put forward earlier this week by a group of senior judges, diplomats and businessmen in the Egyptian daily newspaper Al Shorouk. The latter group’s statement endorsed the idea of Suleiman as a transitional president, an outcome firmly rejected by the majority of those camped out in Tahrir.

Other demands to have come out the square include the end of the country’s Emergency Law, the dismantling of the state security apparatus, and the trial of key regime leaders, including Mubarak.

“The regime is trying to demonise protesters as agents of foreign powers, fomenters of chaos, and so on,” says Hossam el-Hamalawy, a journalist and blogger. “But go down to Tahrir, sit on a corner, and within a few minutes you’ll be in the middle of a spontaneous political discussion – the energy of people’s ideas is inspiring. It’s down there that the legitimate voice of the protesters and our revolution can be heard.”

More from the Houston Chronicle:

A self-declared group of Egypt’s elite — called the “group of wise men” — has circulated ideas to try to break that deadlock. Among them is a proposal that Mubarak “deputize” his Vice President Omar Suleiman with his powers and, for the time being at least, step down in everything but name.

The “wise men,” who are separate from the protesters on the ground, have met twice in recent days with Suleiman and the prime minister, said Amr el-Shobaki, a member of the group. Their proposals also call for the dissolving of the parliament monopolized by the ruling party and the end of emergency laws that give security forces near-unlimited powers.

Late Friday, a delegation from the protesters themselves meet with Shafiq to discuss ways out of the impasse, said Abdel-Rahman Youssef, a youth activist who participated in the meeting.

Youssef told The Associated Press on Saturday that the meeting was not a start of negotiations. “It was a message to see how to resolve the crisis. The message is that they must recognize the legitimacy of the revolution and that president must leave one way or the other, either real or political departure,” he said.

The protesters are looking into the proposal floated by the “wise men,” said Youssef, who is part of the youth movement connected to Nobel Peace laureate and prominent reform advocate Mohamed ElBaradei.

“It could be a way out of the crisis,” Youssef said. “But the problem is in the president…he is not getting it that he has become a burden on everybody, psychologically, civicly and militarily.”


Protesters, however, are wary of a trap. They fear that without the pressure of protesters in the streets demanding democracy, the regime will carry out only superficial reforms while keeping its grip on power. So they are reluctant to end the demonstrations without the concrete victory of Mubarak’s ouster and assurances on what happens next.

el-Shobaki, of “the wise men,” said Suleiman did not respond to their proposal that Mubarak deputize him.

“The stumbling point ,” el-Shobaki said.

The “wise men” are comprised of about a dozen prominent public figures and jurists, including former Cabinet minister and lawyer Ahmed Kamal Aboul-Magd, businessman Naguib Sawiris and political scientist academics like el-Shobaki. “We don’t represent the youth on the ground. We keep in touch with them,” said el-Shobaki.

The protest organizers themselves are a mix. The majority are young secular leftists and liberals, who launched the wave of protests though an Internet campaign, but the fundamentalist Muslim Brotherhood also has built a prominent role. They have succeeded in drawing a startlingly broad cross-section of the public, including the urban poor, lower middle class and young upper class.

Protest organizers have formed a committee that will carry out any future negotiations with the government over reforms. The committee includes ElBaradei, the Muslim Brotherhood and representatives of the youth factions.

Mousa appears as a possible candidate for presidency in the Washington Post.

Pampering the ziocolony isn’t the only interest the US has apropos Egypt.

According to the State Department, U.S. military aid to Egypt totals over $1.3 billion annually [5] in a stream of funding known as Foreign Military Financing.

U.S. officials have long argued that the funding promotes strong ties between the two countries’ militaries, which in turn has all sorts of benefits. For example, U.S. Navy warships get “expedited processing” through the Suez Canal.

Here’s a 2009 U.S. embassy cable recently released by WikiLeaks that makes essentially the same point [6]:

President Mubarak and military leaders view our military assistance program as the cornerstone of our mil-mil relationship and consider the USD 1.3 billion in annual FMF as “untouchable compensation” for making and maintaining peace with Israel. The tangible benefits to our mil-mil relationship are clear: Egypt remains at peace with Israel, and the U.S. military enjoys priority access to the Suez Canal and Egyptian airspace.

The military funding also enables Egypt to purchase U.S.-manufactured military goods and services, a 2006 report [7] from the Government Accountability Office explained [PDF]. The report criticized both the State Department and the Defense Department for failing to measure how the funding actually contributes to U.S. goals.

Movement in the NDP:

From @SultanAlQassemi

BREAKING Al Arabiya: President Mubarak has resigned as head of the ruling NDP party

Al Arabiya now speaking to corrupt NDP tycoon Ibrahim Kamel (who was pushing for Gamal to be president) “This is a natural development”

To clarify to all: Mubarak is still a member of the NDP, as a technicality he must remain a member, however he is no longer head of the NDP.

Breaking Al Arabiya: Gamal Mubarak, Safwat El Sarif, Mufeed Shehab & Zakaria Azmi no longer members of the NDP (this is what I see onscreen)

Breaking Al Arabiya: The new leadership of the NDP party are: Hossam Badrawi, Mohamed Ragab, Mohammed Abdallah & Magid Sharbini

“Gamal Mubarak resigns from Egypt ruling party in gesture to protesters” http://bit.ly/i2DTb0 Gamal is no longer …a member of the NDP party

RT @weddady: RT @bbclysedoucet student protestor Tahrir Sq:we want 2 get rid of cancer but they’re giving us aspirins -reaction NDP resignations #jan25

RT @5thEstate: Arabiya retracts report #Mubarak resigned as heading of ruling NDP (Rtrs) #jan25 #oops

CIA weasel! RT @5thEstate: U.S. crisis envoy to #Egypt, Frank Wisner, says #Mubarak must stay in power to steer changes (Rtrs) #jan25

‘”We need to get a national consensus around the pre-conditions for the next step forward. The president must stay in office to steer those changes,” Frank Wisner told the Munich Security Conference.’

Yet in the NYTimes:

Secretary of State Hillary Rodham Clinton, speaking to a security conference in Munich, said it was important to support Mr. Suleiman, a pillar of the Egyptian establishment and Mr. Mubarak’s longtime confidante, as he seeks to defuse street protests. Mr. Suleiman has promised repeatedly to reach out to opposition groups, including the Muslim Brotherhood, but there were few indications that any genuine dialogue with opposition leaders had begun.

Ms. Clinton’s message, echoed by Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany and Prime Minister David Cameron of Britain, was a notable shift in tone from the past week, when President Obama, faced with violent clashes in Cairo, demanded that Mr. Mubarak make swift, bold changes. The change appears to reflect worries that rapid change in Egypt could destabilize the country and the region.

“That takes some time,” Mrs. Clinton said. “There are certain things that have to be done in order to prepare.”

But Mohamed ElBaradei, the Nobel laureate who has been chosen to negotiate on behalf of the protesters and other opposition groups, said the American-backed transition plan was a nonstarter. “I do not think it’s adequate,” he said in an interview. “I’m not talking about myself. It’s not adequate for the people.

“Mubarak needs to go,” he said. “It has become an emotional issue. They need to see his back, there’s no question about it.”

From @exiledsurfer:

The 7 Demands of the Tahrir protesters: 1. Resignation of the president 2. End of the emergency state. 3. Dissolution of The People’s Assembly and Shora Council. 4. Formation of a national transitional government 5. An elected Parliament that will ammend the Constitution to allow for presidential elections. 6. Immediate prosecution for those responsible for deaths of the revolution’s martyrs. 7. Immediate prosecution of the corrupters & those who robbed the country of its wealth. (via @ioerror, @suzeeinthecity, @kyrah) #tahrir #jan25 #egypt #cairo #suez #alexandria #feb1 #departurefriday

I’ll update this post with any new info.

Related Links

Egypt Talks Start on Sidelining Mubarak With Protest in Day 12
EGYPT: Missing Google executive Wael Ghonim named symbolic spokesman of opposition group

Egypt Links

Blast at gas terminal in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula – disgruntled Bedouins? –

Egypt has potential natural gas reserves of 62 trillion cubic feet (1.7 trillion cubic meters), the 18th largest in the world.

Egypt began providing Israel with natural gas in February 2008 under a deal by which it will sell Israel 60 billion cubic feet (1.7 billion cubic meters) a year for a period of 15 years.

The deal raised controversy at home, with some in the Egyptian opposition saying the gas was being sold at below-market rates. Others resent Israel’s treatment of Palestinians, and say Egypt shouldn’t supply energy to Israel.

“The deal (to sell gas) was a blow to the pride of Egyptians and a betrayal,” former diplomat Ibrahim Yousri told The Associated Press on Saturday.

Yousri led a high court challenge to try halt Egypt’s sale of gas to Israel. Although the high court ruled in his favor in February 2010, the ruling was widely ignored by the government.

RT @SultanAlQassemi: Al Arabiya: North Sinai explosion didn’t target the pipeline itself but the gas filtering station that supplies Jordan #
RT @REUTERSFLASH: #Egypt gas pipeline blast struck Jordanian branch, authorities blame “foreign elements” – Security source #
@deanproctor Sinai gas pieline blast cuts gas supplies to Israel. Weren’t they telling Mubarek to shoot the protestors? Karma unconfirmed. #Tahrir #Jan25 # – Gas tycoons who are trying to get the increased excise tax blocked in the Knesset will be rejoicing at the sinai attack
RT @Dream23fb: Ayman on AJE confirms unknown group set off blast at gas pipeline in Arish in the North Sinai #Egypt #
The new Egypt-Israel Gas deal: What we need to know
Egypt-Israel gas deal: WHO is behind it? The names, the relationships, the clientelism…
Tunisian cyber activists take on Egypt
Picture of fire from bombed gas pipeline to Israel in Arish
Ikhwanweb: Egypt’s Revolution is a People’s revolution and has no Islamic agenda
‘Mubarak, Mubarak, What Have You Done?’
Turkish minister says unrest in Egypt no longer an internal matter
Marching to Tahrir Square: ‘Welcome to liberated territory’
Obama Faults Spy Agencies’ Performance in Gauging Mideast Unrest, Officials Say – blame the intel, right.
Error-Prone NYT Reporter Lectures Al Jazeera English on Accuracy
The Arab freedom epic “Now, we witness the third and most significant Arab historical development, which is the spontaneous drive by millions of ordinary Arabs to finally assert their humanity, demand their rights, and take command of their national condition and destiny.”
Police attack Cairo tweeter, destroy car
Israel fears Egypt becoming ‘radical Islamic theocracy’ – hasbara alert
Thank God some reporters don’t idolise Petraeus
Douchowitless froths
Egypt’s moment
Killed in Egypt
U.S. expects Egypt to keep peace with Israel regardless of who is in power
A Media Guide To The Egypt Uprising
When there is free election in Egypt, do you think any political party in Egypt, even the one that would be funded by the Mosssad, would dare say in its platform: and if elected, we promise to keep the Israeli flag flying in Cairo?
If Obama and Hillary were around for the Titanic disaster, they would have advised that the ship was not sinking: that it merely needed the passengers and captain to engage in meaningful dialogue.
Detained in Cairo
Don’t be nervous ‘If Egyptian now demonstrate in solidarity with the Palestinians now, for example, no security forces would prevent them from leaving the Al-Azhar or the Cairo University. It is a different country even if the head of the secret police, `Umar Sulayman (the candidate of reform and democracy according to Obama and Clinton), takes over in a transitional period.’
James Zogby on Egypt: Can He Sink Any Lower?
Clinton warns of “perfect storm” in Middle East
Mubarak TV
The US ‘The time when the US could have exploited the Egyptian uprising to feign identification with the people is long gone. The US clumsily–from its own imperialist standpoint–put itself squarely on the side of the enemies of the people of Egypt. Now this will have long term repercussions.’
Egypt (and Beyond) LiveBlog: Settling In for the Long Game
Egypt Arrests 4 Facebook Activists [Updated]
Treatment for malignant narcissism imminent? Egyptian VP, top military leaders planning ‘graceful exit’ for Mubarak
Cairo’s biggest protest yet demands Mubarak’s immediate departure
At hand, an Arab awakening
The State of Egyptian Antiquities- 4 February 2011
Shut Up Khamnenei , Shut Up Fox News And Cherchez Le Regime In The gas pipeline
Crisis in Egypt Tests U.S. Ties With Israel – American zionists whining
Blair: We want to engage with whoever will rule Egypt
Egypt protests: Hillary Clinton signals US backing for Omar Suleiman
In the hands of the secret police
The Egyptian people, on many levels, have pulled away the curtain, revealing American hypocrisy and the hard-core interests of the American ruling elite.’
The Angry Arab not fond of the MB
Blast in Egypt church near Gaza border – witnesses – false flag?
It’s not radical Islam that worries the US – it’s independence – Chomsky
3Arabawy Photos

Palestine / Israel Links

Israelis rally for Egypt; others express racist ideas about Arabs
Israel’s government raises alarm at events in Egypt
Netanyahu commits to promoting Arab construction in East Jerusalem – hasbara
Family of Amr Qawasme, murdered in his bed, seeks accountability
Going back to Herzl – The Zionist Plan for the Middle East
Bil’in protest in solidarity with Egypt attacked by Israeli troops
Settlers kill 2 Palestinian teens, soldiers attack funeral
Out with the collaborators: in with honest unity

Other Links

Jordan’s King changed his prime minister, and the US hails that as reform
Debating the Link Between Food Prices and Revolutions
US: Conspiracy charges filed against Muslim students
David Cameron tells Muslim Britain: stop tolerating extremists – the Pauline Hanson of Britain
After Egypt, Saudi activists start Facebook campaign for change in conservative kingdom

Extra Tweets

RT @mosaaberizing: “Twitter”, “Facebook” and “Aljazeera” written in large letters on walls of Tahrir. #Media #Tahrir #

Is There An Historical Precedent?

The US wants Mubarak to stand down in favour of his chosen successor, Omar Sulieman – this seems to be an unprecedented move on the part of the US in the role of neocoloniser with any of its vassals. On Al Jazeera Catherine Ashton from the EU Council echoes the US line, assuring all that Suleiman will be in discussion ‘with opposition leaders yesterday today and tomorrow’. As Paul Barratt, ex-Australian Defence Secretary tweeted today:

@phbarratt: @Jinjirrie The paradigm remains “stability through repression”. #fail #

In the Guardian, Timothy Garton Ash describes the price for the neocolonial, racist Europeans should Egypt not achieve liberation.

Europe’s future is at stake this week on Cairo’s Tahrir Square, as it was on Prague’s Wenceslas Square in 1989. This time, the reasons are geography and demography. The Arab arc of crisis, from Morocco to Jordan, is Europe’s near abroad. As a result of decades of migration, the young Arabs whom you see chanting angrily on the streets of Cairo, Tunis and Amman already have cousins in Madrid, Paris and London.

If these uprisings succeed, and what emerges is not another Islamist dictatorship, these young, often unemployed, frustrated men and women will see life chances at home. The gulf between their life experience in Casablanca and Madrid, Tunis and Paris, will gradually diminish – and with it that cultural cognitive dissonance which can lead to the Moroccan suicide bomber on a Madrid commuter train. As their homelands modernise, young Arabs – and nearly one third of the population of the north African littoral is between the age of 15 and 30 – will circulate across the Mediterranean, contributing to European economies, and to paying the pensions of rapidly ageing European societies. The examples of modernisation and reform will also resonate across the Islamic world.

“There is a lot of uncertainty out there and I would just caution against doing anything until we really understand what’s going on”, says McMullen of withdrawing aid to the Egyptian military. Translation: we don’t want the military to back the people, we want them behind the regime, which should be a regime we want.

The logical outcome to circumvent the current neocolonials’ plan whilst avoiding bloodshed may be in train – the Egyptian army to submit to the forthcoming pro-democracy people’s council presently being built in Tahrir Square. Army head, Tantawy is apparently in the square with his generals. Exiled Egyptian Al Qaradawi in Qatar has suggested guidelines for action. (via @SultanAlQassemi)

Al Qaradawi who now holds Qatari citizenship was banished from Egypt decades ago & is known for his anti-Mubarak regime statements.

Al Qaradawi speaking now on Qatar TV “If a leader is hated he just leave. You can’t lead a people by force” http://yfrog.com/h4174sj

Al Qaradawi “O Pharaoh (Mubarak) the time of Pharaohs is over. You cannot force yourself. If you were their ‘father’ why did you kill them?”

Al Qaradawi “Millions of people don’t want you. As long as this man is there Egypt will not be stable”

Al Qaradawi “If he was really their ‘father’ he would have mercy on them. (Tunisia’s) Ben Ali had better logic, he left the people”

Al Qaradawi “Do you have a drop of mercy in you? Yesterday snipers killed ten protesters (in Meydan Tahrir), aren’t these your children?

Al Qaradawi “Mubarak is responsible for that happened. What happened yesterday & the day before is unacceptable, even the PM said so”

Al Qaradawi “The Youth were there, not one policeman was killed, the protesters didn’t shoot. Until the Baltagiya came, rented by the state”

Al Qaradawi “The same Baltagiya who stop voters from voting. How can a leader use criminals against his own people?”

Al Qaradawi “The Prime Minister says ‘I don’t know who did this?’ The gov did this”

Al Qaradawi “Like the poem goes, if you did know then it is a problem, and if you didn’t know then the problem is greater”

Al Qaradawi “Just because you want to stay seven months? You will kill your people for seven months? Leave now, go rest, you are 82”

Al Qaradawi “I call on Mubarak to leave. I call on his regime to leave. To the Egyptian army, protect your people, you fought for them”

Al Qaradawi “During King Farouk time the Egyptian army fought for Palestine, it can be the saviour of the Egyptian people”

Al Qaradawi “Sadly the army let the Baltagiya shoot the people over the last two day. Shots in the head, some are in critical condition too”

Al Qaradawi “This army that fought for Egypt I tell them stop this now, you must take responsibility. The VP is the President, the same”

Al Qaradawi “The regime will go but the state will stay. The army must protect, I’m not calling on them to rule, just protect your people”

Al Qaradawi “Take this power from the Vice President & give it to the people. The Parliament Speaker is a fraud, even Mubarak agreed”

Al Qaradawi “The Army must install an independent temporary supreme judge who will run the state, that is my wish now”

Al Qaradawi preaching in a Qatari mosque to Meydan Tahrir protesters. (extreme left) http://yfrog.com/h8twcxj

Al Qaradawi “Today we will pray for the souls of the martyred protesters of Egypt & of Tunisia”

Al Qaradawi said that the Qatari Embassy in Cairo has been closed because of the protests on Mustafa Mahmoud square.

Let the revolutionary spirit blossom for Egyptians, Tunisians, Jordanians, Sudanese, Yemenis and spread to all crevices of the world where dark tyranny stalks the people for the benefit of foreign satraps!

Egypt

Women And Egypt–Links
Egypt has become our ballad – a testimony before the world, crying out that we live
The Egyptian revolution threatens an American-imposed order of Arabophobia and false choices
What the Mubaraks are worth
Amnesty International staff member reports from a raid on a Cairo law centre
World Cannot Believe Mubarak Hasn’t Fucking Left Yet
Egypt Protesters Will Spark Global Mass Movements: Internet and Globalization’s Positives
The difference between a secular autocracy and medieval monarchy when it comes to revolution
Mubarak Switches On Smear Campaign
Breaking: Amnesty International Staff Detained in Cairo
Blogger Describes Being Attacked in Cairo
Muslim Brotherhood seeks end to Israel treaty
Egypt: much too early to celebrate
White House, Egypt Discuss Plan for Mubarak’s Exit
In Egypt, as Mubarak Vows to Maintain Order, There Will Be Blood
Egypt set for Tunisia-style change: UN rights chief
Cabinet Approves Higher Taxes for Israel’s Gas Tycoons

The Israeli cabinet has approved the Sheshinski Committee’s recommendations to raise the royalties on Israel’s gas fields from 33 to 55-65 percent. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said that most of the extra billions of dollars collected by the government will be allocated to education.

U.S. defense contractors with the most at stake in Egypt
The UK is the largest foreign investor in Egypt. Oil and gas accounts for much of this but British investment is wide-ranging and includes financial services, tourism, pharmaceuticals, telecommunications, textiles and consumer goods. The cumulative total exceeds £10 billion sterling.
Israel Worries About Gas Pipeline
In August 2007, the Egyptian Minister of Investment announced that the UK was the largest investor in Egypt, based on cumulative FDI figures since 1970.
How Was Egypt’s Internet Access Shut Off?
Görmez warns against tragedy over developments in Egypt
Socialist International cancels Mubarak’s party membership
#Jan25 Diplomatic car runs over pro-democracy protesters (28 Jan)
Omar Soliman’s First interview in the media
Helping Mubarak sell his torture-techniques in the West
Muslim Brotherhood seeks end to Israel treaty
Network Anchors Leave Egypt Amid Crackdown
European leaders mount pressure on Egyptian ruler

The statement from French Pre-sident Nicolas Sarkozy, German Chancellor Angela Merkel, British Prime Minister David Cameron, Italian Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi and Spanish Prime Minister Jose Luis Rodriguez Zapatero urged a “quick and orderly transition to a broad-based government.” “That transition process must start now,” it said.

Egypt: When Pictures Speak Louder than Words
Muslim Brotherhood 2008 Municipal Election Platform
MB calls for changes to prevent another Tunisia
Analysis: Concern about Islamists masks wide differences
Video: Slaughter in Egypt
Egypt protesters make public appeal
Foreigners being attacked in Egypt
Google still searching for executive Wael Ghonim in Egypt
We All Helped Suppress the Egyptians — With Our Taxes. So How Do We Change?
The real Pyramid scheme
Just now from Tahrir square #Jan25
Israel: A tale of two demonstrations
Husni gone mad
Mubarak Switches On Smear Campaign
Aljazeera: Arabic vs English Versions; Mubark is “Fed Up!”
Israeli Military Backs Egyptian Troops
Obama Treats Egypt like a Banana Republic
Who’s afraid of the Muslim Brotherhood?
How Large Is Egypt’s Religious “Right”?
We Are All Egyptians
How Big Business Ruled Egypt
Voices from Departure Day in Egypt
If this is young Arabs’ 1989, Europe must be ready with a bold response
Protesters holding up signs in Hebrew #tahrir #jan25
People are now forming to make the word “Leave” for the helicopters above to see
Interview: protesters in Cairo’s Tahrir Square push back Mubarak thugs
Egypt (and Beyond) LiveBlog: A Big Day — And Not Just in Cairo
Egyptians doing it old school
“The Lion Hearted”
Gaza TV News: Gaza TV News – Yvonne Ridley, The Revolution in Egypt
Fox News smears democracy
How Big Business Ruled Egypt
The west must be wary of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood (Benny Morris’s shameful racist trash)
Jewish Voice for Peace in the NYT – “He may be a barbarian, but he’s our barbarian,” Mr. Rothmann continued. “You need to have an alternative, and we have never been able to create one.”
Fidel Castro: Hosni Mubarak’s ‘Fate Is Sealed’

Palestine / Israel

Netanyahu to offer gestures to Palestinians in effort to deflect Quartet criticism
Sixty-five percent of Israelis said Mubarak’s fall would be bad for Israel, according to a poll published in the daily newspaper Yedioth Ahronoth on Thursday. Only 11 percent thought the results would be positive for Israel. Likewise, a majority – 59 percent – said a Muslim regime was more likely to emerge in Egypt, compared with only 21 percent who said the government would remain secular.
Palestinian Popular Committees to Egyptian Protesters: Abandon the Treaty
Macy Gray crawls over Palestine to Israel
Goldstone’s Legacy for Israel by Naomi Klein
Hamas allows anti-Mubarak protest in Gaza
Jewish Groups Clash Over Response to Fox Host’s On-Air Holocaust Rhetoric – zionism is not a left-wing movement.
A new regional order – slanted Haaretz article slurring Erdogan’s efforts as neo-Ottoman
Israel refuses to let Barbra Streisand’s cousin make aliyah
Israeli “liberals” make light of sexual assault and assassinations by the IDF
Obama, don’t be a hypocrite : oh god … what obsequious slime
“Israeli Wikileaks:” Kamm could face 9 years in prison

Wikileaks Links

Gillard continues to get it wrong on Assange
Holocaust denier in charge of handling Moscow cables

Other Links

American propaganda watch
Being opposed to Australia dumping refugees in East Timor
Global net crackdown to shatter ‘utopian’ internet: experts
Appeal: Help Us Save Hala Al Rafee’s Life
OUR GENERATION – Land, Culture, Freedom
Police Open Fire on Yemen Protesters
Once Upon a Time in Afghanistan…
Light dawns on Aboriginal find

Extra Tweets

RT @SultanAlQassemi: Scene only seen in Mecca before. 100s of thousands of Meydan Tahrir protesters pray together. http://yfrog.com/h8dsscvj

RT @SultanAlQassemi: There are 2 prayers at Meydan Tahrir, Muslims & Christians praying simultaneous…ly. Gathering est at over one million.

RT @MoatazMedhat: @Jinjirrie @SultanAlQassemi Actually it is estimated there are 2 Millions praying in Tahrir.#Egypt #jan25

RT @SultanAlQassemi: Al Jazeera estimates there are two million protesters. I don’t think they are wrong.

RT @avinunu: “No to Suleiman, Mossad agent, agent of America” – Amman protest speech #jan25

RT @avinunu: “No to Mubarak, son of Israel” Amman protestor #Jo #jan26 http://yfrog.com/h5twlsqlj

RT @SultanAlQassemi: Here’s the list of Committee of Wise-Leaders (disappointingly, they’re all men) http://bit.ly/hziimT Click English Version (Mousa is on it)

‘1610 GMT: Al Arabiya reports that the 10-man wise men committee has gotten positive feedback from President Mubarak about handing over power to VP Omar Suleiman. No one else has confirmed this’

Egyptian Revolution 2011

Egypt Links

@PJCrowley: There is a concerted campaign to intimidate international journalists in #Cairo and interfere with their reporting. We condemn such actions. #
Vodafone confirms the Mubarak regime forced them to send messages to the people of Egypt
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/foreign-ministry-seeks-release-of-israeli-jailed-in-egypt-1.341010
Reporters Held, Beaten in Egypt
UNESCO Director-General launches heritage and press freedom alert for Egypt
Demanding Change In The Middle East And North Africa
Cairo Exclusive: Interview with ‘Sandmonkey’
Egyptian prime minister apologises for violence (Extra)
Egypt: Doctors say 35 killed in Thursday morning clash
Egypt: Mubarak Reveals a Brutal Plan to Hold Power
‘We are not leaving until Mubarak leaves’
Who Is Omar Suleiman?
A letter from the barricades in Cairo
‘The Arab World Is on Fire’ : Noam Chomsky
What Zionism has done to my people
From an arrested thug: an MP brought him & others in truck saying: “let’s beat Americans in Tahrir”
Egypt: Were the Army and the Cops in Cahoots All This Time? – ugh, same boss
#Jan25 Women protesting in Tahrir Square
The End
Here’s the New Police-Special Forces of #Egypt. #Tahrir #Jan25
Netanyahu: Due to turmoil, Israel must get stronger
Mubarak backers open fire on protesters
Rachel Maddow – Tienanmen Square 1989 anniversary
Update: 5 protests killed by pro-gov’t attackers
Egypt – U.S. intelligence collaboration with Omar Suleiman “most successful”
Game over: The chance for democracy in Egypt is lost
More detentions in Ramallah at rally for Egypt
Robert Fisk: Blood and fear in Cairo’s streets as Mubarak’s men crack down on protests
”..the protester went to the feet of the soldier and asked him to help protect them from Mubarak’s thugs and the soldier is crying because he said that he can’t because he was not given the orders to.”
Why hate the US? (warning, very graphic)
Egypt attacks journalists to censor news: watchdog
Live From Egypt: The True Face of the Mubarak Regime

It’s a massacre,” said Selma al-Tarzi as the attack was ongoing. “They have knives, they are throwing molotov bombs, they are burning the trees, they are throwing stones at us…this is not a demonstration anymore, this is war.”

Some of the attackers were caught. Their IDs showed them to be policemen dressed in civilians clothes. Others appeared to be state sponsored “baltagiya” (gangs) and government employees. “Instead of uniformed guys trying to stop you from protesting. You’ve got non-uniformed guys trying to stop you from protesting,” Naguib said.

Democracy vs Thuggery
Open and Urgent Letter to Obama
Noam Chomsky: “This is the Most Remarkable Regional Uprising that I Can Remember”
Mona Eltahawy Should Be Careful What She Wishes For
Graphic photos
Live from tahrir square. 2 February – Eyewitness account
Traveller Within’s photostream
Update: 5 protests killed by pro-gov’t attackers
Clinton Urges Investigation Into New Cairo Violence – unbelievable US admin coverup:

U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton spoke today to Egypt’s new vice president, Omar Suleiman, and urged him to conduct an investigation into violence that rocked Cairo’s Tahrir Square.

“She emphasized our condemnation of the violence that occurred today and the responsibility of the government to hold fully accountable those who did it,” said Philip J. Crowley, the State Department spokesman.

Crowley said the U.S. doesn’t know who is behind attacks on protesters, which left more than 1,000 injured, according to the Al Jazeera television network. “Whoever they are, there needs to be accountability here,” Crowley said. “This was clearly an attempt at intimidating the demonstrators.

Sulieman is BFF torturer for US rendered prisoners.
Revolution in Egypt – and the Hypocrisy of the US and the West
Egypt, Right Now! @sandmonkey – RT @RamyYaacoub: Breaking news: @Sandmonkey arrested by state security. They called his father & claimed he has revolution leaflets #Egypt

Palestine / Israel Links

‘Economic peace’ betrays the hand of a grasping Israeli right
UN Criticizes Destruction of Palestinian Water Resources
Israeli soldiers shot and killed 15 Palestinians, including three children, and kidnapped more than 200 others during the month of January.
Palestine: Israeli army kidnaps three children in Bil’in
Why isn’t the PA supporting the Egypt uprising?
Birthright puts the kibosh on J Street-led trip
Could US abandon Israel too?
Netanyahu: Due to turmoil, Israel must get stronger – Israel has its paw out for more already on the strength of the Egyptian people’s struggle for democracy
Palestine and the uprisings in the Arab World
New Zealand PM says foreign policy dictated by keeping Israel happy
Justin Bieber to play Israel in April – Spoof
Israel, Thy Name is Arrogance
Robert Fisk: Blood and fear in Cairo’s streets as Mubarak’s men crack down on protests

Wikileaks Links

At least somebody appreciates the vital importance of Wikileaks
Documents in Julian Assange Rape Investigation Leak Onto Web

Other Links

Public servant sacked for googling ‘knockers’ at home

Wisner! the US has to be kidding

Was this bloodbath in Tahrir Square Frank Wisner’s Plan B, @PJCrowley ? or didn’t he have a Plan B? #

Operation Sarkozy : how the CIA placed one of its agents at the presidency of the French Republic

The forces unleashed in Egypt can’t be turned back

The manoeuvres at the top of the regime have transparently been choreographed in Washington. Mubarak’s declaration on Tuesday night followed hard on the heels of a visit from the Obama administration’s envoy, Frank Wisner, a paid lobbyist of the Egyptian government, who was reported to have “urged” the Egyptian president not to stand again.

CIA: Frank G. Wisner arrived in Cairo

Frank G. Wisner Jr. is not known to the U.S. public either as a diplomat or as a master spy, but as an unscrupulous financier. He was part of the Enron power elite involved in the fraudulent bankrupcy of the corporation that ruined countless small investors and, later, as Vice Chairman of American International Group whose share prices plummeted by 95% during the 2008 financial crisis before its bailout with taxpayers’ money.

From the Guardian:
11.31pm GMT: Frank Wisner, the US special envoy sent by Obama to talk to Egypt’s government, is on his way back to the US, empty-handed it would appear. AP reports:

The White House had attempted to nudge Mubarak to the exits, dispatching former US Ambassador Frank Wisner as a special envoy to deliver the message to him. But by Wednesday, Wisner was on his way back to the United States.

A senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity due to the delicacy of the matter, suggested Wisner had been seeking specific pledges from Mubarak beyond just a promise not to stand for re-election. The official would not elaborate, but the administration has made no secret of the fact that it wants the state of emergency lifted and would prefer to see Mubarak’s son, Gamal, not try to succeed his father. Mubarak mentioned neither in his address Tuesday night.

Who is US Special Representative to Kosovo Frank G. Wisner?

Frank Wisner at Sourcewatch

The Power Elite: Enron and Frank Wisner

Wisner is a veteran of “economic espionage” and is believed to have used his diplomatic cover to advance US governmental and corporate economic interests while he served as a diplomat to Asia. A member of Wisner’s staff told InterPress Services in 1997 that “if anybody asked the CIA to help promote US business in India, it was probably Frank”.

Egypt - revolution
Egypt Links

Israeli leaders’ brotherly allegiance to fascism RT @db_s_turbosnail: Voice of Israel urging Mubarak to crack heads: http://bit.ly/fNjWRM #
#Jan25 Live ammunition confiscated from the police by protesters
Into Egypt’s Uncharted Territory
NDP Mubarak thugs who confessed that they were paid to go out and hurt anti-Mubarak protesters
ADC Finally Jumps on Egypt Bandwagon
Leading Egyptian Facebook Activist Arrested, Friends Say
Revolution in Egypt – and the Hypocrisy of the US and the West
Hillary Clinton gets tough with “military dictatorships”

I understand if they expect a domestic audience to swoon for this sort of rhetoric, but do they actually expect that there is anyone in the Middle East, anywhere, who will take seriously the righteous objections of Hilary Clinton — the American Secretary of State and close Mubarak family friend — to the rise of an oppressive military dictatorship in the Middle East? Is anyone there really going to believe that it’s that government’s lack of respect for human rights — rather than its refusal to serve American interests and heed its various dictates — that is motivating the hostility and threats?

All of a sudden, we each began receiving text messages from Vodafone and calls for protests to end before things got out of control.
The Neocons Split with Israel Over Egypt
Amid protests at home, Egypt mobilizes strong lobbying force in Washington

Egypt protests – live updates
What lay behind Obama’s friendship with Mubarak?
Erdogan is Brilliant
Egypt: much too early to celebrate
Google, Facebook, Twitter sound off on Egypt
RT @ArabRevolution: @VodafoneEgypt actively supporting Mubarak regime. SMS sent to Egyptians http://yfrog.com/gzhf7fvj BOYCOTT @VodafoneUK #
RT @jeremyscahill URGENT Cairo #journalists reporters GET OUT of your HOTEL ROOMS NOW http://bit.ly/gFRvZg #Jan25 RT NOW @chrislhayes #
@PJCrowley The perpetrators of today’s violence in #Egypt must be held accountable, and the government should tell its supporters to eschew violence. #
. @PJCrowley Take careful note ‘Pro-Mubarak supporters are recognizably police, says Peter Beaumont. ‘ http://tinyurl.com/4a8urur #
. @PJCrowley Some of the attackers caught. Their IDs showed them to be policemen dressed in civilians clothes.’ http://tinyurl.com/4nuvurn #
. @PJCrowley RT @alaa: Further proof there is police among the thugs, they’re now shooting tear gas #Jan25 #
Protestor consoles Egyptian army officer

Palestine / Israel Links

UN joins PA slamming Israeli water infrastructure destruction
More detentions in Ramallah at rally for Egypt
When Israel’s protective net of tyranny tears
Journalists forced to pledge abstention from Gaza rallies
Tunisian PM: Gaza source of inspiration

Wikileaks Links

Other Links

Sudanese Start Protest Movement
Passenger: Feds Orchestrated “Underwear Bomber” Plot to Advance TSA

Humpty Dumpty Mubarak

Friday is being described as departure day for Mubarak. According to Al Jazeera’s senior political analyst, Marwan Bishara:

For all practical purpose, Mubarak is history. It will take no less of a miracle or terrible bloodshed to keep him in office any longer.

The cosmetic changes he has carried out over the last few days are meaningless, no less because they have been carried through presidential decrees – this underlines his insistence to micro manage urgent state matters without any role or attention to parliament, the party, or the people in the street.

An orderly and peaceful transition is better off without him, or his new vice, Omar Sulieman, reportedly, among others, the CIA’s point counterpart in Egypt that partnered in the rendition programs that led to terrible torture of innocent people.

The longer they remain in power the messier the transition would be in Egypt. On the other hand, Mubarak and company could be offered assurances that if they agreed to step aside promptly and peacefully, that they would not be prosecuted.

Egypt Links

@SultanAlQassemi: Breaking Al Arabiya: “Internet services are restored in Egypt” #
Three questions for Marwan Bishara
Mubarak fails to quell protests with departure pledge
Zogby Not Worried About His Favorite Gulf Oil-Sheiks
Amnesty urges Egypt military to respect rights of protesters
Mubarak gives go-ahead to his goons
Jordan’s King Abdullah appoints new prime minister as Egypt unrest spreads
Erdo?an urges Mubarak to heed people’s call for change
“Every Egyptian soldier is under oath not to fire on Egyptians”
Who does Mona Eltahawy think she’s fooling?

Palestine Israel Links

Waging Peace: Students Campaign to Boycott Israeli Aggression
Russell Tribunal on Palestine Examines Corporate Complicity in Israeli Crimes
Why should Israel be the only democracy in the Mideast?
The neo-con corruption of Judaism
Israel urges West: Make sure new Egypt regime honors peace deal
M16 drew up plan to curb Hamas

Wikileaks Links

WikiLeaks, Al Jazeera expose how Israel, US block justice
Bradley Manning is UK citizen and needs protection, government told
WikiLeaks cable shows three Qataris in Sept. 11 plot

Other Links

Wal-Mart’s Eco-Friendly, Anti-Aging Make-Up for Eight-Year-Olds
Australia faces scrutiny on human rights record – ‘Some of the most major concerns relate to the plight of Australia’s Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.’
Artists challenge NT intervention whitewashing