What Obama's Backing of Muslim Brotherhood Has Led To

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                     

Egypt has not been idle.  Since benefits from the USA were cut because they wouldn't keep Mohamed Morsi, head of the Muslim Brotherhood, in the presidential office, they have found alternatives.They had been gifted annually by the USA,  $1.3 billion for defense and economic aid since 1979  when they signed a peace treaty with Israel.

  The USA has gone ahead and has  frozen $250 million in military aid to Egypt.  This is at a time when Egypt has been overrun with Syrian refugees that Morsi had instigated and allowed to come into the country, thinking they were all from the Muslim Brotherhood and would be just the ticket he needed to back up his organization.  Since he was ousted, the Egyptian government would like to send these refugees back home, but are not allowed according to the UN refugee laws.  However, they have been there a good year, now, and are being rounded up. Evidently they are there on tourist visas and the time is up.  Found, they will be charged with being illegal immigrants.   It's a bad situation.  Egypt has its own 79,089,650 population with a big % who are also always hungry.

 News right out of New York City is that "Egypt has detained over 1,500 refugees from Syria, which included 400 Palestinians and 250 children for weeks and often for months.  they will be held indefinitely until they leave Egypt.  They've been trying to migrate to Europe on smugglers' boats, as they're run out of savings they fled with and are facing xenophobia in Egypt.  Security forces are making arrests as recently as 11/4/13 according to UNHCR.  They have been coerced to leave and dozens have gone back to Syria.  They didn't get listed as refugees because of the change in the politics; Morsi bringing them in and Sisi's  leaders against them as they could be amongst the agitators and instigators of riots, etc.
                                                                         
 Note that not all of the Syrians who fled Syria are members of the Muslim Brotherhood, though, and they are living in terror now of becoming homeless.  If you are a Syrian, you cannot get to any USA port to claim political asylum.  The USA is not taking in any refugees at all.  A friend cannot sponsor a Syrian such as what Jews were able to do for Jews in the 1930's.  Even a mother has a hard time getting a son into the states if she immigrated first.  The American Embassy is closed and so are the Israeli and British Embassies.  Therefore, they cannot get a visa to come to these places anyway.  By being on a Syrian passport, they cannot go to the EU, either, only other Muslim nearby countries such as Turkey or Jordan.  If they are educated, young, and want to work and live a normal life, they are frozen in time; stuck! Facing a refugee camp which for them is the kiss of death-a dead end to life and their education!

Egypt has turned to Russia, who had a lot of presence in Syria and probably still does.  The Russian foreign Minister, Sergei Lavrov and Defense Minister, Sergei Shoigu visited in Egypt "and left with promises of new strategic relations."  Lavrov said, "We respect Egypt's sovereignty and the rights of Egyptian people to determine their future."  The BBC reported this comment.

Obama tried to manipulate Egypt instead and said they should re-instate Morsi and wait until voting time comes around again.  Obviously Egypt was so alarmed that they couldn't move fast enough to get rid of him.  Sometimes, democracy and voting isn't all up to what it should be in new Middle East countries.  It hasn't followed the same path it did with our Pilgrims.    In this case, they weren't ready; didn't vet Morsi well enough.  How he got elected has always been a mystery to me, showing me that I just didn't understand the Egyptian mind to do such as thing as to allow a Muslim Brotherhood to be a leader when Sadat, a man I admire, wouldn't let them have an inch in the government.  THEY WERE OUTLAWED!  The big disappointment to me was that Obama thought well of them, a group who threatens the lives of Jews and of Israel, who wants to drive Israel into the sea, whose Qaradawi-head religious leader for the Brotherhood wants to kill Jews with his bare hands if he could and preaches to others to do just that!  How little our Americans bother to check facts before making up their minds.  Now the Russians have saved the day for the Syrians AND the Egyptians.

General al-Sisi, Egypt's army chief and defense minister felt this signified "historic strategic relations" and a new era of "constructive, fruitful co-operation on the military level."  This comes from Al Jazeera.

Egypt hasn't closed the door completely on the USA, however.  Like a man looking around for a better job than the present one, they are keeping their options open.  Mohamed Gomaa, political analyst in Egypt said that "Egypt's foreign affairs are being restructured, but relations with Russia shouldn't be seen as a substitute for ties with the USA.  The Egyptians have no intention to drift away from the USA right now.  Unlike the USA, however, Russia will sell Egypt weapons and not give them away for free."  They are businessmen, after all.

Resource:  Arutz Sheva news@israelnationalnews.com  Eygpt and Russia Hold Historic Talks by Ari Yashar.
Human Rights Watch, Egypt:  Syria Refugees Detained, Coerced to  Return, November 10, 2013.
http://www.aljazeera.com/news/middleeast/2013/07/20137319828176718.html

Yom Kippur War of 1973 Remembered with an Intifada of Rioting, Killing in Israel and Egypt

Nadene Goldfoot                                                                

Yesterday was a celebration with violence of the anniversary of the Yom Kippur War of October 6, 1973 when Egypt and Syria attacked Israel with their other neighbors always so eager to get their licks in,  which for Egypt is a national day of celebration as they think they won that war. The Arab states were grumbling and plotting ever since Israel was the winner in their vile mass attack against her in 1967, so by 1971 and 1972 Egypt demanded weapons from the Soviet Union being the USA supported Israel with weapons.  Russia refused them, not wanting to extend its military involvement in Egypt. Sadat was so angry that he expelled most of the Soviet military personnel from Egypt in return.  At the end of 1972 the option of war appeared more remote than ever.  Negotiations were one option, but evidently Golda Meier was finished with them.

Incidentally, Egypt had the upper hand until October 14th when the tide turned and Israel crossed the Suez Canal and cut off the Egyptian 3rd Army.  Only Kissinger stopped Israel from taking Cairo with his cease fire.  Israel was heated up after the sneak attack from their neighbors on the highest of holy days when all Jews were in a synagogue praying.  They then signed a peace treaty with Israel in 1979.  This was brought about because Israel gave back the Sinai it had won in the 1967 attack of all the Arab nations upon the wee state.  This has brought on a lot of rioting in Israel and evidently the same thing is going on in Egypt.

Along with the threatened 3rd intifada in Gaza starting up by radical Muslim groups of Hamas  and Fatah and others in Israel, Egypt has its hands full of the Muslim Brotherhood continuing to demonstrate and be against the takeover of the military secularists of Egypt.  The Muslim Brotherhood Charter is the same as the Hamas Charter and they are against the creation of Israel and are all out to kill Jews and take Israel for themselves.  Egypt had been enjoying peace with Israel with Sadat at the helm.  They even had Israeli tourists visit who were so excited to see this exotic country that held so much of their history as well.  Jews were finally allowed to visit with peace being in place.

Today, militants (Muslim Brotherhood members) killed 6 Egyptian soldiers near the Suez Canal and hit the state satellite station in Cairo with rocket-propelled grenades.  This is demonstrating an Islamist insurgency that is in step with an intifada.

Many members of the Muslim Brotherhood died in clashes with security forces and opponents yesterday.  It turned out to be one of the bloodiest days since July when the Muslim Brotherhood head, President Morsi,  was deposed.  53 people were reported killed in the clashes and 271 were wounded.  Of course the Brotherhood is denying all involvement in the rioting.  His supporters are calling for protests for tomorrow and Friday.  Egypt's army chief said he told Morsi back in February that he had failed as a president.  Pro-Morsi rallies were some of the largest since he had been ousted 3 months ago.

Egypt's military has been forced to take a tough stand with the Muslim Brotherhood who has not been compliant about acting peacefully.  They didn't like losing.  They were told they would be treated as agents of foreign powers if they partook in riots right now.  In return, the Brotherhood accused the army of the coup and eliminate them through violence, allegations  and arrests.  There have been rioting in the Sinai on security forces and in the suburb of Cairo called Maadi.  Car bombs are also used.

Soldiers were fired upon Ismailia while sitting in their car near Canal.  In the heart of Cairo were clashes.
Militants are following al-Qaeda in the Sinai and have killed over 100 security force members since July.  Hundreds of the Brotherhood were killed on August 14th when security forces broke into their camps in Cairo.  As General Sissi said, they reacted to the will of the people after his first year who were quickly fed up with the Brotherhood and their false promises.  They had always been outlawed anyway in Egypt.

Resource:  http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052702304171804579119511242430046.html
http://www.irishtimes.com/news/world/africa/militants-kill-six-egyptian-soldiers-as-unrest-escalates-1.1552759
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-3621090,00.html  1973 war
Facts About Israel , Division of Information, Ministry for foreign Affairs, Jerusalem