The whole world has keenly followed the case which South Africa filed against Israel with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) on 29 December 2023. South Africa argued that Israel is breaching the UN convention on genocide by “killing Palestinians in Gaza, causing them serious bodily and mental harm, and inflicting on them conditions of life calculated to bring about their physical destruction”. The first response from ICJ came in an epic session on Friday 26 January; it was remarkable that ICJ put Israel in the dock, not succumbing to Israeli-Western pressures. ICJ ordered Israel to take action to prevent acts of genocide as it wages war against Hamas militants in the Gaza Strip. The court ordered Israel to refrain from any acts that could fall under the Genocide Convention and to ensure its troops commit no genocidal acts in Gaza, and to take immediate and effective measures to ensure the provision of humanitarian aid to civilians in Gaza. Thereby, the ICJ has ruled that it has jurisdiction to consider the case filed by South Africa against Israel, and has rejected Israel’s request for the case to be dismissed. In this context, ICJ ordered Israel to submit within one month a report of all measures taken in line with its order.

As we await the aftermath of the ICJ ruling, I carry on following and reporting on videos or written articles—which I see as testimonies—that come my way from the Western World, expressing recognition of and solidarity with the rights of the Palestinians; especially those that come from persons living in the US or Europe. Let me point out that such testimonies are in fact acts of defiance against a vicious ban on solidarity with Palestinians, imposed by the administrations of these countries on media outlets, politicians and public figures. To say nothing of public or private threats against those who voice support for Palestinian rights, or condemn the crimes committed by Israel in Gaza. I will present here one of those testimonies: video footage that sends a cry for help launched by a young man rallying for a documentary produced by Netflix. The young man says:

“Fellow supporters of Palestine, your service and your support is urgently needed right now. Netflix just today started streaming a Palestinian movie called “Farha”. It’s set in 1948 and follows the story of a Palestinian girl before and during the “Nakba” or catastrophe, when Zionist forces began ethnically cleansing Palestine, in order to establish the State of Israel that exists today. “This is a huge deal for Palestinians, this is a very rare opportunity to have such a historically accurate depiction of what actually happened to Palestinians when the State of Israel was established. Based on a true story, it was directed by Darin Sallam, and it is Jordan’s official submission to the Oscars for 2023.  And I’m gonna get straight to what is needed from you. There are two requests: number 1, go support and watch the movie on Netflix… Spare an hour and a half and give yourself an opportunity to learn what it was like for Palestinians during the “Nakba”. This is the first time the truth of what happened to Palestinians during 1948 is being broadcasted here in the West, so go watch it.

“Number 2, not surprisingly, Israelis and anti-Palestinians are protesting the film and condemning Netflix for inaccurately showing Israeli soldiers and Palestinian family. They’re literally organising online smear campaigns to give the movie really bad reviews and super low ratings all over the Internet, especially on IMDb, which is a big deal for the film industry in hopes of sabotaging the movie’s reputation. The film’s being attacked by Israeli government officials, by Israeli social media influencers, harassing and threatening the director of the movie and the team… So we need to do our part and combat all that mess. We are not letting them ruin this one opportunity that we have to share our story… So we need you to go to imdb.com.. and write a review for the movie. These reviews need to act as the ultimate hype man for this movie.. And then you need to go to Google reviews and give a thumbs up there as well… This has to be done. We cannot let them win this battle. This movie could have smoothly just been streamed and enjoyed by Palestinians and supporters of Palestine, but no, they wanted to get wild. OK, let’s get started, if they want to dance let’s shake it…

“People always ask me what can I do to support Palestine? This is what you can do right now. You can help us share the story of Palestine right now. So go do it.”

As for the current war raging in Gaza, the point of contention is, why did Hamas wage its attack on 7 October 2023? Video footage I recently received answers this question very accurately: “US media almost never report that Palestinians in the West Bank and Gaza are living under military occupation. Every day, Israeli soldiers invade Palestinian towns and villages, abduct men, women and children, beat them, and control their lives and movement. Nearly every week Israeli forces demolish Palestinian homes, destroy their crops, confiscate Palestinian land, shell Gaza and kill Palestinians. While Israeli deaths in the conflict are reported by US media, Palestinian deaths which occur far more often, are usually ignored. Much emphasis is placed on rocket attacks from Gaza, while reports rarely mention that these attacks are in response to Israeli violence and have killed a total of about 30 Israelis, this compared to the more than 4000 Palestinians who have been killed in Israeli air strikes. Additionally, US news organisations don’t report the history of the conflict, or the power of the Israeli lobby to procure over USD10 million per day of American tax money.

“Under international law, these are the Palestinian occupied territories. They are not part of Israel. These are foreign soldiers invading other people’s land. Those who get in the soldiers’ way are beaten daily, abducted daily, injured daily, terrorised daily. These are people on their own land, losing their homes, property and farms, being confiscated by a foreign nation. They take part in unarmed, nonviolent protests against the foreign army… “Since the Six-day-war in 1967, almost 50,000 Palestinian homes have been demolished. Israeli authorities say some homes built close to the separation fence are a security risk and have to be destroyed. And these are over and above the homes destroyed by Israeli air strikes on Gaza: 116,000 family homes destroyed or damaged, 216 schools, 67 hospitals and clinics. Gaza’s almost 2 million men, women and children trapped in what many have called the “world’s largest open-air prison”.”

Watani International

2 February 2024

During the few past weeks, the media followed up on the lawsuit that South Africa had filed on 29 December 2023 with the International Court of Justice (ICJ) against Israel for the crimes it commits against the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip, including ethnic cleansing and acts of genocide. ICJ took a historic decision on the matter on 26 January 2024; it condemned Israeli practices, and required it to take several measures to end its attacks until it stands trial before ICJ, which could extend over several years.

But why did the initiative to take Israel to court for its crimes come from South Africa rather than any other country which some would think are more worthy of this initiative? I have been receiving several video footages that answer this question for which many have sought an answer. I present here two replies that I came across through video footage; both are void of the usual political bickering that pits the pros and cons against each other.

A Palestinian talking on al-Sharq Youth platform says: “Just look at Namibia… Do you know Namibia’s story? How Germany slaughtered Namibians in 1904. The German caesar took a decision to annihilate the people of Namibia; to exterminate all men and children, and only keep women for sexual pleasure, and to reproduce children having German fathers, who would become the [new] indigenous people of the country. All other people were to be exterminated. The catastrophe is that the Germans offered justifications for this crime. They said that Namibia’s indigenous people were not humans; they are an intermediate phase between animals and humans, they argued, so killing them would be in the benefit of humankind. [Wikipedia cites a reference where one missionary reported: “The real cause of the bitterness among the Hereros (indigenous Namibians) toward the Germans is without question the fact that the average German looks down upon the natives as being about on the same level as the higher primates, “baboon” being their favourite term for the natives, and treat them like animals. The German settler holds that the native has a right to exist only in so far as he is useful to the white man. This sense of contempt led the settlers to commit violence against the Hereros.”]. Accordingly, from 1904 to 1908, 75 per cent of Namibia’s inhabitants, men, old women and children were killed, only young women were spared. This was as per a decision by the German emperor; the text of the decision itself is stored in the German National Museum, and Germany can never deny it. Today, 120 years later, Germany is standing by Israel in ICJ to spare it from the accusation of the crime of genocide against the people of Palestine. I can only say to the Germans: ‘Shame on you! Aren’t you ashamed of your history? You would have done better to at least keep your silence, given what you did against the people of Nambia.’ The Namibian Foreign Ministry issued a statement which said: ‘Shame on Germany which has slaughtered and killed us, and to date has not compensated us enough; it paid us USD1 billion for the crime of slaughtering 75 per cent of our people, whereas it pays billions of US dollars to Israel every year. Germany should have offered an official apology to the people of Namibia, instead of standing with Israel for the new massacre it is committing.’ Africa has started to realise that Palestine’s plight nowadays is similar to its own plight and struggle against western hegemony. Even Latin America now is embracing the same stance. We Palestinians must realise that through our resilience we are setting precedence to the whole world, not just to the Arab and Islamic world… So what is required of Palestinians today? To realise that we are leading the world, and set a model on how humans should be respected and upheld against injustice and unjust people.”

Another video footage shows a face-off between Israel and South African deputies in the International Human Rights Council. Israel’s deputy asked: “Did I hear you correctly saying that the atrocities that we are speaking about, the beheading of children, that those are fake news, that it’s not true, is that the position of the South African government, I want to ask you now?”

South Africa’s deputy replied: “It is evidence that has been provided by a range of non-governmental organisations, both in Israel and Palestine… we know that there’s a lot of fake news that attempts to cast Palestinians in a bad light. And it has been admitted, even from the White House spokesperson, that that statement that was made at the highest level was actually proven not to be factual… It’s important, as I said at the start of my contribution, that when we speak on these matters, let us speak being honest and factual. The facts are the people of Palestine are denied the right to exist as human beings. They’re denied the right to enjoy the freedoms and the rights we so love as South Africans, the rights and freedoms we fought so hard for, the rights and freedoms we united on as a diverse South African people. Today, some of us in this House, believe these rights belong to some and not to others. That is not the South African way. We believe all human beings enjoy the right to exist in freedom enjoying justice and humanity. And that is the message that has to come out of this House. This House cannot stand up for abuse, cannot stand up for the infringement of other human beings, no matter who those human beings are. We’ve never sought retribution… Because today I’m part of seeking to build a better South Africa and our role must be to seek to build a better world, that that benefit we enjoy of human rights, of a fantastic constitution, of having institutions that are democratic and work for all of us…If we are true to ourselves, if we are true to our history, if we are true to what we’ve achieved, we will stand up and say what is being done to the people of Palestine is wrong, is intolerable and we will not pretend to accept it.”

Watani International

9 February 2024

I grew up to an Egyptian saying that went along the line that whoever missed a government job lived to regret it. It was said to indicate that government jobs were secure and stable, in contrast to private sector jobs that were seen as rife with insecurity and financial risk. But the times changed as Egypt moved away from the socialist economy of the 1960s and embraced an open market economy in the 1970s. The private sector flourished; it offered jobs that were starkly different from government or public sector jobs in that they required hard work in return for high pay. Such jobs also provided career growth opportunities and promotions that hinged not on seniority as typical in government jobs, but on competence and efficiency. All this lured large segments of the workforce who swiftly began turning up their noses at the non-challenging, low paid government jobs, even though some still preferred these jobs as an easier, more stable option. And so it was that along almost a half-century since the 1970s, the scale tipped in favour of private sector jobs, whereas government jobs took backstage.

The constant growth of the private sector saw it dominate the job market in general, especially given that the government was no longer able to accommodate the huge numbers of individuals entering the labour market every year. The private sector became a major employer which enjoyed autonomy in dealing with its resources; stabilising or decreasing wages when needed, or even laying off workers during crisis times when market fluctuations led to occasional drops in revenue, Yet never under the pretext of the best interest of Egyptians was the private sector placed under the thumb of the State where wages are concerned, or required to impose a minimum wage standard that goes beyond the social security bylaws and the tax law. After all, how can the State guess at the ability of the private sector to apply any minimum wage standard imposed on it? Especially that raising the minimum wage does not only mean raising the lowest levels of wages, but also involves reassessment of all levels of the wage pyramid in an organisation’s structure. It is self-evident that this would have a detrimental effect on the finances of private sector firms that are losing money or making marginal profit. Such firms would be forced to either not apply the minimum wage, or to lay off workers who would then be thrown into unemployment, causing a huge societal problem. Or these firms would have to exit the market altogether.

In light of such market realities, does the State believe that imposing a blanket minimum wage standard on the private sector, is in the best interest of citizens? And what would it do if the outcome is a wave of bankruptcies that leads to business closures and unleashes an army of unemployed individuals on the market? Again, what would it do if the private sector retaliates by rightfully aligning the raised wage burden with the size of manpower employed, resorting to layoffs? The collapse of or damage to private businesses or industries because of pressure imposed by wage policies, constitutes a very serious matter; the State will have to bear the consequences and shoulder the responsibility of remedying the aftermath.

The State has every right to legislate for minimum wage and the ensuing adjustment of the wage pyramid, but only when it comes to State institutions and government apparatuses; as long as their resources allow it, then good for those Egyptians who work for them. But, as the Egyptian folk saying goes: “If you want to splurge, then splurge from your own pocket”. It is unconscionable that the State exercises an unchecked depletion of the capacity of the private sector under the pretext of championing “the poor citizen”, while it ends up practically jeopardising the “poor citizen”.

In this context, let me recall a practical and reasonable incident that took place a few years ago when a bill was presented to Parliament suggesting raising the minimum wage. After studying and discussing the bill, the Parliament passed it into a legislation with a clause stipulating that businesses with lawful end-of-year budgets that featured overall losses on the previous year, would be exempt from raising the minimum wage. This was a practical, fair way that justly considered the situation of money-losing businesses. However, all subsequent decisions to raise the minimum wage overlooked measures that accommodated the needs of the private sector, whether by exemption from applying minimum wage in case of losses, or by defining a percentage of profits for the increase of wages.

Some may argue: but what about State institutions accruing losses yet that have to succumb to the decision of raising the minim wage? Well, the reply is quite simple: State institutions enjoy the protection and support of the State which covers their losses. They are exempted from accountability in case they fail to settle social security or tax dues, and their debts are rescheduled. So how can the private sector too enjoy such an umbrella of immunity and support?

Watani International

16 February 2024

Yesterday, 24 February 2024, marked two years on the start of the Russia-Ukraine War, the chapters of which are yet being evolving. The balance, however, appears to tip in favour of Russia. The reason the war still rages on owes to the senselessness of the western powers led by the US and its European allies who insist on inundating Ukraine with money, arms and military expertise, with the aim of hindering any Russian military victory on the battlefield. Even though some might believe the West to be actually empathetic with the Ukrainian people, the frightful truth lies in the diabolic contest between the western camp with its military arsenal on one side, and the eastern camp and its military arsenal on the other, whoever may triumph in the end. Sadly, a hind look at the events of that war reveals that, during the first and second years of the conflict, the two sides were on the verge of agreeing through international mediators to end the battles and sit to the negotiation table. Yet, pressured by US-European arrogance, belligerence, and a determination to defeat Russia, Ukraine withdrew from every negotiation possible. Even so, as I already mentioned, the balance of power is tipping in favour of Russia. To say nothing of evidence of a decline in the outpour of aid flowing from the West to Ukraine, with a number of European countries complaining of the extended war, and saying they are exhausted by the growing demands of Ukraine.

Today, I reopen the Russia-Ukraine War file, for more than one reason. First, interest in the war in Ukraine has waned since the Israel Hamas War in Gaza, which started last October and is still raging on; the eyes of our region and the entire world have turned to the events unfolding in Gaza rather than those taking place in Ukraine. Second, two years have passed on the outbreak of the war in Ukraine, so it is fitting to shed light on its latest developments. In this context, I recall that in March 2022 I wrote under the title “What Putin says on the Russia-Ukraine crisis”, about the reasons behind this war. One year later, in March 2023, I wrote “One year on the Russia-Ukraine war: A reading in Putin’s speech”. Today, two years on the outbreak on the war in February 2022, I present a reading in an interview recently conducted by American journalist Tucker Carlson with Russian President Vladimir Putin in Moscow. During the interview, President Putin explained the ramifications of the Russia-Ukraine War, and gave his assessment of the war and an outlook for possible scenarios to end it.

I believe that Carlson’s interview with President Putin represents the most important testimony on the history of the Russia-Ukraine War as seen by the Russian side.

The interview started with Mr Putin giving a detailed review of the historical background of Russia and its formation ever since the ninth century, and the truth behind the historic relation between Ukraine and Russia until the Bolshevik Revolution in 1917 when its leader Vladimir Lenin offered the lands of the Donbas region to Ukraine, which resulted in the start of dialogue and friendship between Russia and Ukraine.

Mr Putin reminded of what took place between him and former US President Bill Clinton in 2000, following the collapse of the Soviet Union and the beginning of the era of détente between Russia and the West. President Clinton appreciated the idea of welcoming Russia into NATO, but made a turnaround and renounced to it after consulting with his aides. The same scenario was repeated with President George W. Bush in 2008, Mr Putin said.

Mr Putin talked of the anti-missile defence plan that the West has been threatening Russia with. He said that he offered Russia’s participation with the West in establishing a joint missile defence project, which George W. Bush agreed to then turned back and rejected. This prompted Russia to move forward with establishing its own missile defense project separate from the West; this being the hypersonic defence missiles it now owns; to date the West owns nothing like it, President Putin said.

Mr Putin talked about NATO’s expansion into the territories of countries that had broken away from the Soviet Union, despite explicit promises to the contrary by NATO. This expansionism persisted from 1994 until 2008 in five waves that ended with the announcement of the acceptance of both Ukraine and Georgia into NATO. This was soon followed by the establishment of NATO military bases close to Russian borders, which compelled Putin, in late 2021, to warn against its consequences.

President Putin reviewed the rabid western efforts to interfere in Ukrainian elections from 2004 to 2014, which resulted in orchestrating a military coup that overthrew the legitimately elected president Viktor Yanukovych, and set off battles to liberate southeast Ukraine by armed force.

Mr Putin then said that Russia does not refuse to sit to the negotiation table with Ukraine, which both countries had agreed on in Istanbul under Turkish sponsorship. But Ukraine, he pointed out, withdrew upon instructions from British Prime Minister Boris Johnson upon directives by the US.

During the interview with Mr Carlson, President Putin said that defeating Russia in Ukraine is “impossible, by definition”. He said that Russia is the largest country in the world and does not need land from others; its 150 million people own wealth and resources counted among the world’s largest. Russia, he said, has every right to take all measures to ensure its sovereignty and protect itself against the infiltration of hostile forces close to its borders, threatening its national security. This, he said, is something Russia repeatedly warned against. In that light, Mr Putin said, all the measures Russia has taken in its war against Ukraine were aimed at securing its borders against threatening western encroachment.

Watani International

25 February 2024

It has been two weeks since Egypt signed with the United Arab Emirates a deal to develop the North Coast Mediterranean area of Ras al-Hekma, a name which translates into “Cape of Wisdom”, located some 212km west of Alexandria. The agreement was a historic one; the project held huge promise for economic empowerment, and put Egypt on track of its “Egypt 2052” urban development plan. It brought on a resounding uproar with many applauding the project and yet many others criticising it. The details that have now come into focus, however, give a firmly reassuring image that defies the arguments of those critical of the project and, incidentally, of any project that potentially leads Egypt to overcome any of its many challenges and sows the seeds of hope. It is not for nothing that I have penned the title of this article “Ras al-Hekma: The Beginning of Wisdom”.

Ras al-Hekma is not alone in the Egypt 2052 plan. Other spots are set to join it; among them Alamein, al-Negila, Sidi Barani, Gargoub, Matrouh, and Salloum, all on Egypt’s Mediterranean coast, commonly known as the “North Coast”, west of Alexandria. The plan is that these areas should host smart cities built on state-of-the-art infrastructure, capable of accommodating millions of residents and providing millions of jobs. This comes in the context of taking Egypt’s North Coast from its current situation as a place that hosts summer resorts operating only seasonally into a sustainably developed site of year-round, stable, communities. That would guarantee activities, services, and job opportunities for a wide, diverse community which would thrive on development that goes beyond the targeted tourism.

Egyptian governments have worked during the last decade on building infrastructure that has made locations on Egypt’s western North Coast no longer “remote areas” but “promising areas” capable of attracting investment. This includes the highspeed electric train that runs from Sukhna on the Red Sea in the east of Egypt to its westernmost point of Salloum on the North Coast; also the coastal highway from Dumyat (Damietta) on the eastern tip of the Nile Delta to Salloum, as part of the regional North Africa highway. Additionally, there have been huge investments in water, power, and communications projects.

Ras al-Hekma deal represents no dissipation of Egyptian soil. Egypt is not selling off its land to foreigners, as some have depicted the agreement. It is a partnership based on allocating Egyptian land for urban development by an investor, in return for successive instalments and sharing in the investment returns.

Financial details announced concerning Egypt’s share of Ras al-Hekma project read as follows:

The agreement stipulates that the Emirati side commits to pumping a capital of USD150 billion during the execution of the project. The first instalment of that sum is USD35 billion divided into USD24 billion in cash and USD11 billion as deposits with the Central Bank of Egypt. These sums were to be paid to Egypt as USD15 billion in cash a week on signing the agreement—it has already been paid; and USD20 billion to be paid two months on the signing.

The second part of the agreement stipulates that Egypt gets 35 per cent of the profits of the project. To those critical of the deal, this proves the agreement is a partnership.

Ras al-Hekma is not the only project that targets foreign investment in Egypt’s development plans; it is the first of a series of ambitious projects. I cite here a number of such projects mentioned on the websites of Egypt’s Prime Minister and AboutMsr

https://m.facebook.com/Aboutmsr

• Saudi Aqua Power pumps USD10 billion in the project of developing West Sohag.
• Emirati USD3 billion investment in an Aluminium plant.
• Project for building a solar power plant in Naga Hammadi, Qena, to produce electricity equal to half the hydropower produced by the Aswan High Dam. Noteworthy is that Egypt has the world’s 4th largest solar power plant in Benban, Aswan.
• The Emirati Haidar group to build a residential project with integrated services on 157 feddans [1 feddan = 4,200sq.m] overlooking the middle ring road of Greater Cairo.
• Kuwaiti firm to open a wood processing factory at USD120 million investment.
• Hospital to be built with Turkish investment in the New Administrative Capital.
• Johnson & Johnson to build in Egypt its first hospital in Africa.

That was only a sample of a series that shall follow in the wisdom of the Ras al-Hekma project.

Watani International

8 March 2024

The wall of silence built by the West around Israeli crimes in Gaza is falling down. Built with the aim of concealing the gruesome ethnic cleansing and genocide that Israelis inflict on Palestinians, with the blessing and complicity of the West, this wall has not stopped free voices of politicians, strategic experts, academicians, or others from denouncing the atrocious crimes. All this while, on the official level, the US and its European allies continue to live by the motto: “See no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil.”

I feel comforted whenever I come across free voices that break the decades-long ban on condemning Israel. In a way, I expected such a shift in opinion vis-à-vis the Israeli Palestinian conflict once demonstrations erupted in the US and Europe, lambasting Israeli crimes and calling for Palestinians rights.

Today, I carry on presenting opinions expressed by those who I call free voices from the US, the biggest ally of Israel and the bastion of turning a blind eye to its crimes. The US believes it can deceive the world with its lame dissatisfaction with Israeli atrocities in Gaza, seemingly scolding: “Shame on you, Israel.. I’m  upset with you!”

I publish today excerpts from an opinion by Bernie Sanders, senior US senator from Vermont, which he posted on his YouTube channel. At 82, Senator Sanders is the longest-serving independent in US congressional history.

“I want to take a few minutes to discuss something that is not being discussed adequately in the corporate media nor in Congress.. We are witnessing one of the worst humanitarian disasters in modern history.. I’m sorry to tell you that we in the United States of America are deeply complicit in what is happening. What we do in Congress right now could well determine whether tens of thousands of people live or die.

“Let’s briefly review what has happened in the last four months [five months today]. On October 7th, Hamas launched a horrific terrorist attack that killed 1200 innocent Israelis and took more than 230 hostages. More than 100 of those hostages are still being kept in captivity.. As I’ve said many times, Israel has the right to defend itself against Hamas terrorism, but it absolutely does not have the right to go to war against the entire Palestinian people, and that tragically is what we are seeing. As of today, Israel’s military campaign has killed more than 27,000 Palestinians and injured some 68,000, two thirds of whom are women and children. Unbelievably, 1.7 million people have been driven from their homes; nearly 80 per cent of the population.. These people have no understanding as to where they will be tomorrow or whether they will ever return back into their communities. The devastation caused by Israeli bombardments is unprecedented in modern history. Some 70 per cent of the housing units have been damaged or destroyed. The Israeli bombing attacks have destroyed most of the infrastructure in Gaza. There is no electricity and very little water. There are virtually no places to buy bread and basic necessities. Raw sewage is now running into the streets, and communications are extremely difficult because there is little or no cell phone service available.. There are no fully functional hospitals in Gaza.. Amid repeated attacks on healthcare facilities, doctors and nurses are still bravely working to save lives even without regular electricity or basic medical supplies.

“Israeli bombing and the onerous restrictions placed on aid entering Gaza means that only a tiny fraction of the food, water, medicine and fuel that is needed can get into Gaza. And even when supplies do get across the border, very little of that can reach beyond the immediate area around the Rafah Crossing near Egypt.. And, horrifyingly, hundreds of thousands of children in Gaza face starvation.. The UN says that one in 10 children under the age of five in Gaza is already acutely malnourished.. Every physician knows that malnutrition in small children causes permanent physical and cognitive damage.. Right now, 1.4 million people are squeezed into the area around Rafah right up against the Egyptian border. Rafah was a town of just 250,000 people before the war.. These people are packed into crowded UN shelters sleeping out in tents. It’s a daily struggle for them to find food or water.

“And in the midst of all of this horror and suffering, Israeli Prime Minister Netanyahu has announced that Israel will soon launch a major ground offensive against Rafah where 1.4 million people are located.. These families, already exhausted, traumatised and hungry, will once again be displaced with no plan.. I struggle to find words to describe this cruelty.

“Let me say that much of what is happening in Gaza now is funded by US taxpayers. These are our bombs and our military equipment that is being used, we are complicit. This is not only an Israeli war, this is an American war. Prime Minister Netanyahu says that Israel will only accept a total victory in this war.. When asked he said that is like ‘smashing glass into small pieces’.. The question we must ask ourselves is how many more children and innocent people will be smashed in the process. And why is the United States helping to fund this humanitarian disaster?

“It is quite clear then, that beyond total destruction of Gaza, Netanyahu has no plan. This week, President Biden acknowledged the severity of this crisis. He said that ‘Israel’s response has been over the top’ and added that ‘there are a lot of innocent people who are starving and there are a lot of innocent people who are in trouble and dying, and it’s got to stop’.. Then why in God’s name are we now contemplating legislation that provides USD10 billion more to the Israeli war machine to continue funding Netanyahu’s war?” Senator Sanders explained at length how Netanyahu is resisting any deal to negotiate the exchange of hostages and ceasefire.. “In my view,” Senator Sanders says, “he is trying to prolong the war to cling to power. Most Israelis rightly blame him for creating the crisis, and they want him out.

“What’s even harder to understand, is that in the midst of this horrendous humanitarian crisis, the legislation before us actually contains a prohibition on helping UNRWA, the largest UN agency operating in Gaza and the backbone of the humanitarian aid operation.. You don’t starve 2 million people.. We cannot be complicit in this atrocity as long as this bill contains money to fund Netanyahu’s war machine.”

It is worth noting that about a week ago, Australia, Canada, Sweden and the EU resumed their funding for UNRWA, the refugee relief organisation, in order to enable it to continue offering humanitarian relief to the Gaza Strip despite the US sanctions.

Watani International

22 March 2024

We grew up learning that justice is symbolised by a blindfolded woman, the blindfold suggesting absolute fairness, seeing nothing and knowing nothing apart from the irrefutable facts. This entrenched knowledge always gave us the understanding that judicial platforms are sacred in our country, in the world and in international institutions entrusted with establishing justice and upholding the law. Along the way, however, there have been unfortunate cases in which justice floundered at the hands of some of these platforms for the benefit of some rogue political regime. But to defeat justice or to embrace double standards in the backyard of international independent justice platforms, is shocking even when it does occur in rare instances. Today I present a flagrant example of double standards in which the International Court of Justice (ICJ) in The Hague was caught red-handed, according to a speech given by an Irish lawyer at the end of last January. The lawyer is Blinne Ní Ghrálaigh; she specialises in human rights and international law. Ms Ghrálaigh represented South Africa in the lawsuit it filed against Israel with ICJ, and presented the members of the judicial body with a detailed analysis of the human tragedy inflicted upon the Palestinians in Gaza, decrying the reluctance of ICJ to take a firm stance regarding it. Ms Ghrálaigh presented in contrast examples that she described as less severe and horrific, that pertained to other conflict areas around the world, remarking that in these cases the court did not hesitate to take firm stances and issue deterrent rulings. Following are the most important features of her speech, which was duly described as a “historic, compelling speech”.

“There is an urgent need for provisional measures to protect Palestinians in Gaza from the irreparable prejudice caused by Israel’s violations of the Genocide Convention,” Ms Ghrálaigh said addressing ICJ. “The United Nations Secretary General and its chiefs,” she said, “described the situation in Gaza variously as a crisis of humanity, a living hell, a bloodbath, a situation of utter deepening and unmatched horror.” Ms Ghrálaigh proceeded detailing the calamities, terror, displacement and devastation that Palestinians are subjected to, in their cities, villages, basic needs or sanitary facilities. She said that Palestinians are facing ethnic cleansing and existential threats, as Israel obstructs the flow of urgent human aid to them; this includes food, drugs, relief, and medical supplies, all of which could act as a lifeline rescue from the despair, scarcity and losses that engulf them. No effective, tangible international intervention was done in their favour, nor did the ICJ take any firm deterrent stance against their suffering.

“For decades now,” Ms Ghrálaigh said, “the Court has repeatedly expressed its satisfaction with the certainty of situations where serious risks threatened human life or other fundamental rights. In the cases of Georgia, Russia, Armenia, and Azerbaijan, the court ordered provisional measures having found a serious risk of irreparable prejudice for hundreds of thousands of people who have been forced from their homes.. In Gaza, nearly 2 million people, over 85 per cent of the population, have been repeatedly forced to flee their homes and shelters.. They continue to be bombed and killed. This is a population that Israel had already made vulnerable through 16 years of military blockade and crippling development.

“The court issued a provisional order where harm to approximately 150 students was an issue, [in Qatar]. In Gaza, 625,000 school children have not attended school for three months.. Almost 90,000 Palestinian university students cannot attend university in Gaza. Over 60 per cent of schools, almost all universities and countless bookshops and libraries have been damaged or destroyed, and hundreds of teachers and academics have been killed.

“Notably, the court has found provisional measures to be justified in all three cases where they were previously sought in relation to violations of the Genocide Convention. It did so in Bosnia Serbia in 1993, finding on the basis of evidence that there was ‘a grave risk of acts of genocide being committed’. The court found positional measures to be justified in the Gambia Myanmar case on the basis of a risk of irreparable prejudice to the Rohingya.. More recently, [in the case of Ukraine and Russia], the Court considered that Russia’s military activities ‘resulted in numerous civilian deaths and injuries and caused significant material damage, including the destruction of buildings and infrastructure’.. This is occurring in Gaza on a much more intensive scale.

“The court ordered provisional measures based on its findings on the territory of the Congo, particularly in the area of conflict.. Similarly, in Costa Rica, Nicaragua.. in Gambia, Myanmar.. Guyana, Venezuela.” Ms Ghrálaigh explained that in all of these cases, the court ordered provisional measures to protect civilians that are subjected to attacks or acts of genocide. These all pale out, she said, in front of the genocide crimes being committed against Palestinians in Gaza.

“If the indication of provisional measures was justified on the facts in those cases I have cited,” Ms Ghrálaigh said, “how could it not be here in a situation of much greater severity where the imminent risk of irreparable harm is so much greater?” 

Ms Ghrálaigh concluded: “South Africa now, respectfully and humbly, calls upon this honourable court to do what is in its power to do, to indicate the provisional measures that are so urgently required to prevent further irreparable harm to the Palestinian people in Gaza whose hopes for their very survival are now vested in this court.”

Watani International

29 March 2024

Despite the fierce media blackout on everything that exposes the Israeli atrocities in Gaza, I carry on with shedding light on content that defies this blackout. Today I present the reply by American Jewish author and blogger Max Blumenthal to a question on why Palestinians initiated the war in Gaza through their vicious attack on Israelis on 7 October.

Mr Blumenthal, who is also editor of The Grayzone website, replied as follows:

“Well, they didn’t, they didn’t! This war has been going on for 75 years. Israel initiated it in 1948 by ethnically cleansing 750,000 people. We must expel Arabs. We must expel Arabs and take their places.” Here an angry audience interrupted Mr Blumenthal and called on him to leave the room. But he proceeded:

“And if we have to use force not to dispossess the Arabs of the Negev and Trans Jordan, but to guarantee our own right to settle in those places, then we have force at our disposal; David Ben-Gurion, the first Prime Minister of Israel said that in 1937, and that’s what they proceeded to do. The people in Gaza, this is what you need to understand, the people in Gaza, over 80 per cent of them are refugees. Many of them are from a place called Majdal Askalan in what is now southern Israel, a city named Ashkelon, and they were dragged from their homes and driven from their homes, placed in prison camps, barbed wire prison camps, and then dumped in trucks in 1950 into the Gaza Strip where they would be permanently warehoused.

“And then Israel proceeded to move Arab Jewish refugees and Russians into Ashkelon to prevent them [the Palestinian refugees] from ever coming back, and to pass laws to prevent Arabs, Palestinians from being able to return to their homes. Some 750,000 were ethnically cleansed for 18 years. The remaining Palestinians, 100,000, were internally displaced inside Israel. The remaining were put under military rule. They were under military occupation until 1966. Then in 1967, Israel violently, in a war it initiated, occupies Gaza, occupies the West Bank, occupies the Sinai Peninsula, the Golan Heights and East Jerusalem. And then invades Lebanon in 1982, attacking Palestinian refugees there, puts Gaza under siege in 2005. No one can get in or out without Israeli military permission.

“‘We must kill and kill all day, every day,’ that’s according to Arnon Sofer, an Israeli government consultant who helped devise the siege of Gaza. For years, Israel would not allow certain chocolates and A2 paper into Gaza. And then they began these brutal military assaults, which they call ‘mowing the lawn’.. And I talked to you about those assaults that took place on Gaza. So this didn’t come out of a vacuum. You’re not going to be able to hold people under siege, then cut them off from the world, and then expect them to just play along. That doesn’t mean that I celebrate what happened on October 7th. It should have never had to happen. The reason it happened is because of the Israel lobby here, the genocide Democrats and the genocide Republicans who deny the Palestinians any right to have rights. And it’s the right to have rights that defines you as a citizen.

“They’re citizens of nothing. And now we see what Israel really thinks of them, really thinks of their children. ‘Gaza has become a graveyard for children,’ according to UN Secretary General Antonio Guterres. So this didn’t start on October 7th, and it’s not going to end when there’s a ceasefire.”

Watani International

5 April 2024

Once President Sisi was sworn in on 2 April 2024, commencing his third presidential term that runs till 2030, many have voiced their aspirations for the President to tackle various issues on the political, economic and social fronts. Among the most significant, if not the most significant, has been the issue of improving the quality of life of Egyptians, which naturally involves weathering inflation and price fluctuations. Self-evidently, the President has to focus on national security and foreign policy issues, given the delicate balances they hold. Another issue which is in no way less important is that of the need to develop the political party map in Egypt. This is an issue that has remained shelved, unspoken of by the political parties themselves, the Party Affairs Committee, or Parliament. The unhealthy situation of the political party map hardly resonates with the political role it is required to play. It begs the question: Does the current political party map serve the political and democratic interests of Egyptians? If the answer is “yes”, let things stay as they are, but if “no”, then what should be done? From a purely patriotic perspective, I feel the urge to place this issue in the hands of the President as he begins his new presidential term: “President Sisi, as we talk of development, how about developing the political party map of Egypt?”

Since I have always been preoccupied with the issue, kindly allow me to navigate through editorials I had previously written on the topic, demanding that relevant authorities take party reform seriously. On 29 November 2020, I wrote under the title ‘In need of party reform’: “We stand before a reality that looks shiny on the outside but is in fact ailing. The unconditional freedom to form parties has left us with more than 100 parties on the scene, most of which lack the basic measures for wholesome parties. No measures are in place to check the political inclinations of newly formed parties, or to evaluate their weight among the public, or the magnitude of their membership. This has resulted in party fragmentation; we ended up with ineffective sham parties.. Once again I refer to President Sisi’s declaration in May 2017 during a meeting with the chief editors of State owned papers; he said: ‘I have more than once called upon parties with similar agendas and political views to merge, in order to create [a few] strong parties [instead of numerous, conflicting, feeble ones]. Only then will the parties produce calibres that qualify for power rotation. I wish to see parties with the same principles strive towards collaboration and mergers.’

“I have repeatedly written about that in my numerous editorials which tackled this very concern on 29 October 2017, 28 January 2018, 25 February 2018, 22 April 2018, 27 May 2018, 14 October 2018, 3 February 2019 and 29 December 2019. I even wondered what if the parties fail to voluntarily join forces, and Parliament is too overburdened to tackle this predicament, would the President take the lead by sending Parliament a legislative mandate or the government a draft law to achieve this party reform? Can we see that in the near future?”

Once again, on 14 August 2022, I wrote about the same topic under the title ‘National Dialogue and political parties’: “I begin my contribution to the National Dialogue with my view of political party life in Egypt, the issue the least bright and most bitter. An unbiased observer of party activity in Egypt would undoubtedly admit frustration at the failure to detect any effective party contribution to the political map or any impact or added value to political endeavour and democratic practice. To say nothing of the failure of these parties to produce competent calibres or leaders, or their ability to bring about peaceful power rotation.. It is impossible to overlook the fact that the current Egyptian party scene was created out of the loose principle of the total freedom to establish political parties. On the ground, the Party Affairs Committee accepted all applications that met the pre-set requirements for the organisational form of parties, as long as their political agendas excluded religious, racial or extremist loyalties. Accordingly, a multitude of nascent parties was allowed to join the political scene; their numbers exceeded 100. At first sight, this might give the impression of diversity and amplitude, but the bitter truth is that these parties have been rightly dubbed “cartoon parties”; they only existed in their constituent groups, they never made it to the Egyptian street, nor have they offered clear visions and programmes to win over members or to empower active participation in political life and elections.. The Party Affairs Committee believed it had done a perfect job that fulfilled the Constitutional requirement of freedom of party work. The committee was happy it approved an unprecedented number of parties, yet it failed to see that it was its responsibility to put in place some mechanism to periodically assess the performance of the parties approved, regarding their political views, activity, participation and the rate of growth of their membership base. The committee seemed oblivious of the persistent fragmentation and ineffectiveness on the party scene.. The committee could have spurred parties of comparable political views to join forces, consolidating thus their membership base and guaranteeing their perseverance on the political scene, otherwise they would be annulled and have to leave.. I aspire for a political map restricted to possibly five blocs: right, centre-right, centre, centre-left, and left.. The truth on the ground is that the parties still have not taken the initiative to achieve that. So will the National Dialogue do that?”

Now that Egyptians have elected President Sisi for a third term, and he has taken the constitutional oath to carry the torch until 2030, I entrust him with the responsibility of developing the party scene, among other developmental requirements in all fields of life in Egypt. Only then would we be ready for effective political participation and the democratic entitlement for power rotation.

Watani International

12 April 2024

Another official decision that imposes a minimum wage to be paid to workers in the private sector has been issued by the government. In January 2024, the National Wages Council (NWC) issued a decision requiring private sector businesses—regardless of their ability or profitability—to raise the minimum monthly wage from EGP3,000 to EGP3,500, and accordingly amend all other wages paid by the institution. On 8 April 2024, NWC issued decision no. 27 for year 2024 signed by Hala Elsaid, Minister of Planning and Economic Development, and head of NWC, raising the minimum monthly wage in the private sector to EGP6000 as of 1 May 2024. The decision stipulated in its second article that in case a corporation suffers economic distress and cannot honour the minimum wage decision it may apply for exemption before a deadline of 15 May 2024. The third article of the NWC’s recent decision exempts micro-enterprises with fewer than 10 employees from the EGP6,000 minimum monthly wage decision.

The recent NWC decision reveals that the government continues to impose guardianship over the full private sector regardless of segment or activity. It appears oblivious to the hardships and economic challenges the private sector is facing because of economic and financial fluctuations, let alone inflation rates that jeopardise its ability to adjust to the market. Meanwhile, the government persists in piling burdens over the private sector’s shoulders, before which that sector often stands helpless.

In February 2024, I wrote that under flourishing and profitable market conditions, and in the spirit of competitiveness, the private sector never hesitates to reassess its wages pyramid. This is not done to comply with government decisions, but in order to hold on to skilled, experienced staff and workers that develop and enhance a business’s activity and increase its profits.

In case a private sector business flounders, whether owing to adverse economic conditions, or to flaws in its own management, it would inevitably reevaluate its position in order to overcome the crises. This involves a plethora of options that involve cost cutting through such measures as shrinking its activity, revising wages or pay, or resorting to layoffs. Such measures are intended to save the ship from sinking until the storm can be weathered, by which time manpower and wages may be reassessed according to market considerations.

In an editorial dated 18 February 2024, under the title “Recent decision to raise minimum wage: How is private sector to cope?” I posed the following questions: “Does the State believe that imposing a blanket minimum wage on the private sector, is in the best interest of Egyptians? And what would it do if the outcome is a wave of bankruptcies that leads to business closures and unleashes an army of unemployed individuals on the market? Again, what would it do if the private sector responds by rightfully aligning the raised wage burden with the size of manpower employed, resorting to layoffs? The collapse of or damage to private businesses or industries because of pressure imposed by wage policies, constitutes a very serious matter; the government will have to bear the consequences and shoulder the responsibility of remedying the aftermath.” While the government boasts of being keen on guarding ‘the interests of citizens’, it is actually taking a gamble with their job stability.

“The government,” I wrote, “has every right to legislate for minimum wage and the ensuing adjustment of wage pyramid, but only when it comes to State institutions and government apparatuses; as long as their resources allow it, then good for those Egyptians who work for them. But, as the Egyptian folk saying goes: “If you want to splurge, then splurge from your own pocket”. It is unconscionable that the government exercises an unchecked depletion of the capacity of the private sector under the pretext of championing ‘the poor citizen’, while it ends up practically jeopardising that ‘poor citizen’.” What makes government institutions or apparatuses comply with the decision to raise minimum wage without sounding any cry for help, is not that they can afford it; government institutions enjoy the protection and support of the State which covers their losses and their failure to settle any ensuing liabilities. So how can the private sector too enjoy such an umbrella of immunity and support?

On a practical note, not just to cry over spilt milk, how can we get out of this dire situation? There must be clear measures in place to handle decisions to raise minimum wage in the private sector. However, let me first highlight that, auspiciously, the recent decision included a clause that allows businesses in economic distress to appeal for exemption from raising the minimum wage. This clause was absent in the NWC’s January 2024 decision to raise minimum wage to EGP3500. In case of Watani, which has been in economic straits for several years now, it had appealed to NWC for exemption a few years ago when the House of Representatives passed legislation to raise minimum wage, and had obtained a positive response from NWC; but when Watani submitted a documented appeal for exemption from the NWC January 2024 decision, the response was that was no provision for exemptions.

There must be clear criteria announced in advance for how the private sector can deal with any decision or legislation imposing minimum wage. It is not enough to allow an organisation to apply for exemption. What is a business to do if its application is rejected? Or what can it do if NWC reduces the minimum wage that should be paid by this organisation, yet the new figure remains above its capacity? It is very important to have clear transparent criteria and measures in the first place. In this context, I suggest the following:

Businesses that submit to the relevant authorities official budgets approved by accredited auditors, proving their losses, are to be fully exempted from compliance with the minimum wage. This does not exempt them from their commitment to pay the social insurance and taxes required on the wages they pay.

Businesses that submit official budgets revealing profits, are not to be required to raise their wage pyramids so that it achieves the minimum wage requirements or the closest to it that does not jeopardise profit margins.

In all cases, no guardianship or any authority should be imposed over the right of the private sector to review the size of their workforce, whether by increasing or decreasing it, in a way that would tamper with their freedom to take necessary measures to confront market challenges, the ability to stay afloat, or the right to lay off workers.

Watani International

19 April 2024