Mubarak unleashes his thugs and it backfires

Here are links to news from the past day:

Amnesty International representative detained in Cairo
A member of the organization’s staff was taken, along with several others, by police in Cairo after the Hisham Mubarak Law Centre was taken over by military police this morning. An Amnesty International representative has been detained by police in Cairo after the Hisham Mubarak Law Centre was taken over by military police this morning.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/amnesty-international-representative-detained-cairo-2011-02-03

Amnesty International: Egyptian army breaks promise to protect protesters
Authorities urged to protect the right to peaceful protest as clashes erupt with organized groups of pro-government supporters attacking protesters in Cairo and across Egypt.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/egyptian-army-breaks-promise-protect-protesters-2011-02-02

Egyptian Vice President must halt attacks on peaceful protesters
Omar Suleiman urged to stop the violence unleashed by pro-government supporters in Cairo and across the country amid fresh reports of a renewed crackdown on journalists and activists.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/egyptian-vice-president-must-halt-attacks-peaceful-protesters-2011-02-03

Egypt raid: Amnesty International staff member reports on a raid on a law centre in Cairo
The Hisham Mubarak Law Centre has been raided by security forces and surrounded by army and police. Amnesty International’s researcher reports from within the centre.
http://www.amnesty.org/en/news-and-updates/video-and-audio/egypt-raid-amnesty-internationals-reports-raid-

U.S. rights official condemns violence in Egypt
At an awards event in Washington, he says any government forces involved must be held accountable. Egyptian honorees are absent. The top State Department official on human rights called on Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Wednesday night to hold accountable any government forces that participated in the violent attacks in Cairo.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/0hfs3ZgpBQo/la-fg-egypt-rights-official-20110203,0,6297222.story

Over 1,500 wounded in central cairo clashes – doctor
CAIRO, Feb 2 (Reuters) – More than 1,500 people were injured in Cairo on Wednesday in clashes between supporters and opponents of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, a doctor at an emergency clinic set up at the scene told Reuters.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/number-of-cairo-wounded-rises-to-611-minister

Egypt protesters stick to demands as Cairo battle rages
CAIRO – Thousands of protesters demanding President Hosni Mubarak’s ouster stood their ground on Thursday against stone-throwing loyalists after Egypt’s revolt turned into a deadly battle for a central Cairo square. On the 10th day of a popular uprising, the opposition National Coalition for Change rejected any talks with Mubarak’s regime before the veteran leader goes, spokesman Mohammed Abul Ghar told AFP.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/egypt-protesters-stick-demands-cairo-battle-rages/

9 am in Cairo after a Hellish Night: A Brief Report of Cautious Triumph
This is a brief report after what promised to be a fateful night in which the Egyptian regime had resolved to break the will of protesters, particularly in Midan al-Tahreer. Like most readers, I have been glued to the tube and the internet, following multiple channels, and reading multiple websites. If the plan was to dissuade the protesters from persisting in their defiance throughout a long and violent night, the Egyptian regime failed by all measures. Footage of crowds going back to Midan al-Tahrir throughout the morning says it all.
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/524/9-am-in-cairo-after-a-hellish-night_a-brief-report-of-cautious-triumph

Egypt PM ‘sorry’ for violence
Ahmad Shafiq promises not to allow street violence again, after clashes in Cairo left seven dead and hundreds wounded.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/02/201123133551858568.html

Mubarak supporters strike back
The protests began peacefully, but as the day progressed the area around Cairo’s Tahrir Square resembled a war zone.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/02/20112315345153370.html

ID Cards of Arrested Thugs in Tahrir Square February 2nd
http://www.flickr.com/photos/24271114@N08/sets/72157625838724811/#Jan25

PICTURES Mubarak’s ‘open season’ on the Egyptian People…
http://friday-lunch-club.blogspot.com/2011/02/mubaraks-open-season.html

PICTURES Mubarak’s goons (not doing very well!)
http://friday-lunch-club.blogspot.com/2011/02/mubaraks-goons-not-doing-very-well.html

Mubarak’s ‘cavalry’…
http://friday-lunch-club.blogspot.com/2011/02/mubaraks-cavalry.html

Police versus the Demostrators
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JbKUFEXxvhY&feature=player_embedded#

Mona Seif, Egyptian Activist from inside Tahrir Square
An Egyptian woman gives her graphic account of the violence unleashed by Mubarak’s regime.
https://mail.google.com/mail/u/0/?shva=1#drafts/12dea07ebfcf29fa

Egyptian army disperses Mubarak supporters from bridge
Military intervenes in attempt to end violence between government loyalists and anti-regime protesters in Cairo
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/03/egyptian-army-disperses-mubarak-supporters

Battle of Tahrir Square
Scenes of violence as anti-government protesters and pro-Mubarak supporters clash in the centre of Cairo.
http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/02/20112391254105223.html

Tahrir square overnight
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M-t3Gk7kqaE&feature=youtube_gdata
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=85VoVMUOx0k&feature=youtube_gdata

Among pro-Mubarak crowds during rock throwing
An Al Jazeera web producer among pro-Mubarak crowds during the beginning of Wednesday’s rock throwing. Gunfire, likely the army attempting to disperse the crowds, can be heard in the background.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNDjLmX5A0Y&feature=youtube_gdata

Chaos erupts in Cairo
Thousands of supporters and opponents of President Hosni Mubarak battled in Cairo’s main square, raining stones, bottles and firebombs on each other in scenes of uncontrolled violence as soldiers stood by without intervening. Government backers galloped in on horses and camels, only to be dragged to the ground and beaten bloody. Al Jazeera’s Alan Fisher reports on the day’s events.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=D36kIHrSa1I&feature=youtube_gdata

Guns fired in Tahrir Square
More than 100 injured as pro-Mubarak supporters attack protesters seeking president’s ouster in Egyptian capital. According to Al Jazeera’s correspondent, peaceful protestors were suddenly charged by men on horseback and camels. Protestors were scattered and some were trampled underfoot. Visit http://english.aljazeera.net/ for more on this developing story.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WG1oTGLyYTc&feature=youtube_gdata

Protests in Cairo turn violent
Female anti-government protester telling Al Jazeera that they cannot leave the square even if she wanted to – she is crying on air and sounds very scared and emotional. Telling Al Jazeera not to refer to the pro-government group as “demonstrators” because they are actually “violent thugs”.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AqoRzSkmX88&feature=youtube_gdata

In Pictures: Tahrir Square clashes
Hundreds injured as pro-Mubarak supporters attack protesters seeking president’s ouster in Egyptian capital.
http://english.aljazeera.net//photo_galleries/middleeast/201122163520566506.html

Police van slams into protester in Street of Cairo
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qcGCSdrrF00&feature=youtu.be

Bloodshed in Egypt: Mubarak Supporters Riding on Horses and Camels Violently Attack Protesters in Tahrir Square, Over 100 Injured
Violent clashes broke out just before our broadcast when supporters of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak attacked anti-government protesters in Tahrir Square in Cairo. Reports are that more than 100 people have been injured. “The entire square is surrounded by thugs, and apparently there are more coming on the way,” reports Egyptian activist Nazly Hussein. “I have seen people come out injured… I saw people carried into the medical center injured.” We get live reports from Hussein and Democracy Now!’s senior producer Sharif Abdel Kouddous, who are both in Cairo. [includes rush transcript]
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/2/2/bloodshed_in_egypt_mubarak_supporters_riding

Demonstrations turn violent as pro-Mubarak crowd clashes with protesters
CAIRO – The Egyptian army called Wednesday for an end to the mass demonstrations that have shaken President Hosni Mubarak’s grip on power. Instead, the protests turned bloody, as anti-government crowds were confronted by what appeared to be a coordinated group of Mubarak supporters.
http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=8b042dbb21a542d8d5be2ea48d53f4da

White House warns Egyptian government not to instigate violence among protesters
White House spokesman Robert Gibbs condemns the wave of violence among pro- and anti-government demonstrators in Cairo and reiterates that the U.S. believes the time for a transition of power has come.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/oOnIgoppju8/la-egypt-obama-violence-20110202,0,5415476.story

Outrage over Cairo violence
Reaction to clashes in the Egyptian capital Cairo between supporters and opponents of President Hosni Mubarak.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/02/20112215651396175.html

Egypt crackdown echoes years of Mubarak’s iron rule
Egyptians have long lived in fear and desperation under President Hosni Mubarak. Now they are standing up. His anger hides in the mask of a smile.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/9ELYodeBkT8/la-fg-egypt-mubarak-20110203,0,3006723.story

Egyptian regime begins to reveal its strategy
Army’s renunciation of force may be part of plan to appear open to talks and allow Hosni Mubarak to choose manner of his exit.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2011/feb/01/egypt-protests-government-strategy-army

Egypt street battles: How Cairo’s Tahrir Square turned into a war zone overnight
Egypt’s Army was absent during hours of fighting Wednesday night in which the antigovernment protesters were able hold off attacks from supporters of President Hosni Mubarak.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/kYC8xRn91Ok/Egypt-street-battles-How-Cairo-s-Tahrir-Square-turned-into-a-war-zone-overnight

Robert Fisk: Blood and fear in Cairo’s streets as Mubarak’s men crack down on protests
“President” Hosni Mubarak’s counter-revolution smashed into his opponents yesterday in a barrage of stones, cudgels, iron bars and clubs, an all-day battle in the very centre of the capital he claims to rule between tens of thousands of young men, both – and here lies the most dangerous of all weapons – brandishing in each other’s faces the banner of Egypt. It was vicious and ruthless and bloody and well planned, a final vindication of all Mubarak’s critics and a shameful indictment of the Obamas and Clintons who failed to denounce this faithful ally of America and Israel.
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-blood-and-fear-in-cairos-streets-as-mubaraks-men-crack-down-on-protests-2202657.html

Egypt: Mubarak Reveals a Brutal Plan to Hold Power, Tony Karon
The “Berlin Wall” analogy that has been a staple of Western media discussion of the struggle for power in Egypt looked way off the mark on Wednesday as the regime unleashed a brutal strategy for remaining in power that might make “Prague Spring” a more apposite European analogy. The Berlin Wall’s rupture saw East Germany’s communist regime collapse; the democratic uprising in Czechoslovakia in 1968 was crushed by Russian tanks.
http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2045870,00.html#ixzz1CrWYcX3F

Robert Fisk: Blood and fear in Cairo’s streets as Mubarak’s men crack down on protests
“President” Hosni Mubarak’s counter-revolution smashed into his opponents yesterday in a barrage of stones, cudgels, iron bars and clubs, an all-day battle in the very centre of the capital he claims to rule between tens of thousands of young men, both – and here lies the most dangerous of all weapons – brandishing in each other’s faces the banner of Egypt. It was vicious and ruthless and bloody and well planned, a final vindication of all Mubarak’s critics and a shameful indictment of the Obamas and Clintons who failed to denounce this faithful ally of America and Israel.
http://www.independent.co.uk/opinion/commentators/fisk/robert-fisk-blood-and-fear-in-cairos-streets-as-mubaraks-men-crack-down-on-protests-2202657.html

Egypt protests: Mubarak shows his dark side | Simon Tisdall
The counter-revolutionary message to the people from an unvanquished, still vicious regime is: it’s over – go home, or else. Hosni Mubarak launched his counter-revolution today, sending waves of armed thugs to do battle with pro-democracy demonstrators in Cairo and other cities. The attacks, reportedly involving plainclothes police and vigilantes as well as pro-regime citizens, appeared to be carefully co-ordinated and timed. And the army, which only days earlier had sworn to protect “legitimate” rights of protesters, stood back and watched as the blood flowed.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/02/egypt-protests-mubarak

The Egyptian regime has turned its thugs loose again … | Ahdaf Soueif
The tactics used against protesters at the last election have appeared with redoubled viciousness. I knew something was wrong when I woke up to the sound of car horns. It’s been so quiet and peaceful the last few days we’ve even started seeing the bats once again flitting in and out of the fruit trees at dusk. This wasn’t the normal noise of Cairo traffic; this was aggressive, patterned and constant, like what you get after a football match only lots more so.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/02/egyptian-regime-thugs-protesters

Developments
Suleiman calls for end to protests
Egyptian vice-president says talks with opposition can start only after protests end.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/02/20112220474650549.html

U.S. sees debate within Mubarak inner circle
WASHINGTON, Feb 2 (Reuters) – The United States believes Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s inner circle is debating whether he needs to do more to meet the demands of protesters seeking his ouster, an Obama administration official said on Wednesday.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/us-sees-debate-within-mubarak-inner-circle

WITNESS-Mubarak speech changes game in Egypt protests
CAIRO, Feb 2 (Reuters) – Walking across Tahrir Square in central Cairo on Wednesday, it was hard to miss a huge slogan daubed in paint on the road for the military helicopters above to see: Game Over. After Mubarak’s dramatic speech late on Tuesday, announcing he would not seek re-election in September but vowing to stay on for now to see through democratic reforms, the question was whose game was over. The slogan was visible to passers-by for a reason: the number of protesters in the vast urban space where the battle for the street has taken place had dwindled significantly. Mubarak had convinced many with his bravura performance that democracy was coming, the revolution was over and — with food and fuel running short — it was time to get back to normal. In what appeared to be a coordinated plan, immediately after the speech was broadcast, thugs began to tussle with protesters in Alexandria and other cities.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/witness-mubarak-speech-changes-game-in-egypt-protests

Opposition Rallies to ElBaradei as Military Reinforces in Cairo
Cairo was seized by growing fears of lawlessness and buoyed by euphoria that three decades of President Hosni Mubarak’s rule may be coming to an end.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/01/31/world/middleeast/31-egypt.html

Middle East: Locals Staff Security Checkpoints in Cairo Neighborhoods
Barricades have appeared with the departure of police as fears of looters or vengeful state security forces push citizens to turn to vigilantism for the safety of their communities.
http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=5983f54dcfb1f3c6b94a5ed3b11daf00

Tensions along the Egypt-Gaza border
All the unrest has also led to heightened tensions along the Egypt-Gaza border. Both Israel and Hamas, which controls Gaza, have been watching the situation closely, the border has been closed since Friday.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rUen4i9QtrI&feature=youtube_gdata

Apache pulling some workers from Egypt
HOUSTON, Feb 2 (Reuters) – U.S oil and gas company Apache Corp <APA.N> said Wednesday it is moving an undisclosed number of workers out of Egypt due to civil unrest in that country. Apache’s production, located in remote locations in the Western Desert, has continued uninterrupted, the company said in a statement on its website.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/apache-pulling-some-workers-from-egypt

Egypt’s revolt hits UK businesses
With revolt on the streets some of Egypt’s ports have been closed, hitting companies importing Egyptian products. But some analysts believe the downturn will prove temporary. Nadim Baba has more.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6B6fawF2Puo&feature=youtube_gdata

In Cairo, checkpoints mark a city transformed
CAIRO (AFP) — As the plane banks towards Cairo airport, passengers peer from the windows onto the highways below, empty of the cars usually inching along in heavy traffic at all hours of the day and night. Arriving in Egypt’s protest-shaken capital after curfew, visitors quickly see how the usually heaving, noisy city has been transformed by eight days of demonstrations against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. At the arrivals terminal, immigration booths that are usually fully staffed and tending to enthusiastic tourists are now mostly empty.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=356426

Protests raise hopes for women’s rights in Egypt
Long treated as second-class citizens in their homeland, Egyptian women say they have found an unexpected equality on the front lines of the demonstrations against President Hosni Mubarak’s rule. Women, long considered second-class citizens, say they have found an unexpected equality on the front lines of the demonstrations against President Hosni Mubarak. ‘It’s a revolution in how we’re perceived,’ says one.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/vLNHrA28Cqo/la-fg-egypt-women-20110203,0,7694267.story

Egypt: Gazans Describe Shootings in Egyptian Prison Break
(Gaza) – Egyptian authorities should investigate claims from escaped Palestinian prisoners that prison guards in Egypt used unnecessary lethal force during a prison break, killing and wounding prisoners, Human Rights Watch said today. Officials should also ensure the wounded receive medical care and publish information about the names of prisoners killed, Human Rights Watch said.
http://www.hrw.org/en/news/2011/02/02/egypt-gazans-describe-shootings-egyptian-prison-break

The Protests & Reports from Eyewitness Accounts
The Female Factor: Equal Rights Takes to the Barricades
It wasn’t the first time online activism has drawn people to protest, but in Egypt, the fact that such a call was made by a young woman is worth noting.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/02/world/middleeast/02iht-letter02.html

The chants from Tahrir Square
It goes:الشعب يريد إعدام السفّاح
People want to execute the butcher
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/chants-from-tahrir-square.html

Egypt’s ‘war of stamina’
Protesters in Cairo continue to speak out against Hosni Mubarak’s government, many of them camping out in Cairo’s central Tahrir Square for round-the-clock demonstrations against the dictatorship. The demonstrators rejected Mubarak’s speech on Tuesday and said they want freedom, justice and a change to the regime that has brought them nothing for three decades. Al Jazeera’s correspondent reports from Cairo.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6APljWH5in4&feature=youtube_gdata

Ahmed Moor: The people are undaunted, they have held Tahrir, anything less than Mubarak’s ouster means nighttime arrests by the secret police
https://mondoweiss.net/2011/02/ahmed-moor-these-are-tough-undaunted-people-they-have-held-tahrir-square-to-yield-now-would-mean-nighttime-arrests-by-the-secret-police.html

Voices of the Egyptian Revolution: Democracy Now!’s Sharif Abdel Kouddous Speaks with Demonstrators in Tahrir Square at “March of Millions”
In a display of defiance unimaginable just weeks ago, millions of Egyptians marched on Tuesday across the nation against the Mubarak regime. Democracy Now!’s Sharif Abdel Kouddous and Hany Massoud file this video report from Tahrir Square capturing the voices of the uprising. “Finally I feel it’s my country. It’s not the country of the police. It’s not the country of the governing elites or ruling elites,” one protester said. “I’m really proud to be an Egyptian today.” [includes rush transcript]
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/2/2/voices_of_the_egyptian_revolution_democracy

As Mubarak Pledges To Finish Term, Egyptian Protesters Stay in Streets Demanding Immediate End to Regime: Democracy Now! Reports Live from Cairo
Democracy Now!’s senior news producer Sharif Abdel Kouddous reports live just blocks from Tahrir Square in Cairo where supposed pro-Mubarak crowds are descending on the peaceful demonstrators. He interviews University of California-Davis Professor Nora Radwan about the current situation in Egypt. “The emotional response of the people on the street is that we did not come here to negotiate with him. We came here to ask him one thing, which is to step down,” Radwan said. “The Egyptians understand that there is no guarantee that Mubarak and his government can deliver any constitutional reform or any meaningful change in Egypt.” [includes rush transcript]
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/2/2/as_mubarak_pledges_to_finish_term

Undaunted in Cairo’s Tahrir Square
Yesterday I stood among more than a million people in Cairo. They came to Tahrir Square in the morning, some even came days ago and haven’t left since, and all day long they energetically called for the ouster of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. Matthew Cassel writes from Cairo.
http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article11773.shtml?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+electronicIntifadaPalestine+%28Electronic+Intifada+%3A+Palestine+News%29

Egypt uprising: Making my way home during the battle for Tahrir
I arrived in Egypt after what appears to have been an attempt to crush dissent at Tahrir Square. I was unaware of the events of the day, but got a flavor of the tension in Cairo as I made my way out of the airport.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/z7Y6x4Y0L5o/Egypt-uprising-Making-my-way-home-during-the-battle-for-Tahrir

Egypt Women Show Courage Participating In Mubarak Protests
“If I wasn’t pregnant, I would’ve just stayed home.” Marwa Rakha told the Huffington Post by phone, explaining her attendance of the protests in Egypt while seven months pregnant. “I went out because of my baby. I owe this to him.” Rakha, an adjunct professor at the American University in Cairo, is one of many women who has participated in the recent protests in Egypt. In these demonstrations, which have already led to Mubarak agreeing not to run for re-election, women have taken an active role: promoting them, leading crowds, and providing aid to harmed protesters.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/02/egypt-women-protests_n_817822.html

They stole our freedom and happiness…they ruined our revolution, Parvez Sharma
Today was the day everything changed for the peaceful patriots of Egypt. It was the saddest day of what was a peaceful revolution and has now been attacked with unspeakable violence by a regime that has had three decades to finesse it.
https://mondoweiss.net/2011/02/they-stole-our-freedom-and-happiness%e2%80%a6they-ruined-our-revolution.html

Sign: Obama stop supporting Mubaral we don’t want to hate the USA
http://www.flickr.com/photos/codepinkalert/5410194505/in/set-72157625962002256/

The End
http://www.flickr.com/photos/elhamalawy/5404618012/

traveller.within’s photostream
http://www.flickr.com/photos/travellerw/

#Jan25 – Revolt in Egypt- Mahalla
http://www.flickr.com/photos/mar3e/sets/72157625964479562

“Mubarak Leave The Plane Awaits”
http://www.flickr.com/photos/travellerw/5411953838/in/photostream/

Christians protect Muslims
http://yfrog.com/h02gvclj

Pictures from the New York Times
http://www.nytimes.com/packages/html/world/middleeast/201101-egypt-protest-gallery/?hp

Media & Communication Repression
Media in the line of fire in Egypt
Domestic and foreign journalists have come under siege amid the turmoil in Egypt.
http://english.aljazeera.net//news/middleeast/2011/02/201123131258705359.html

Journalists Rounded Up By Egyptian Army
CAIRO — The Egyptian military started rounding up journalists, possibly for their own protection, on Thursday after they came under attack from supporters of President Hosni Mubarak who have been assaulting anti-government protesters. The U.S. State Department condemned what it called a “concerted campaign to intimidate” foreign journalists in Egypt. The New York-based Committee to Protect Journalists said Wednesday that violence against journalists was part of a series of deliberate attacks and called on the Egyptian military to provide protection for reporters.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/03/journalists-rounded-up-by_n_817991.html

Hossam el-Hamalawy, “Egypt: Vodafone Supports Dictatorship”
So not only did Vodafone have a disgraceful role during the April 2008 Mahalla uprising, now also the company is sending out text messages announcing pro-Mubarak’s protests.
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2011/hamalawy020211.html

Vodafone: Egypt Forced Us To Send Pro-Government Messages
(AP/Huffington Post) LONDON — Vodafone says Egyptian authorities forced it to broadcast pro-government messages during the protests that have rocked the North African nation. Micro-blogging site Twitter has been buzzing with screen grabs from Vodafone’s Egyptian customers showing pro-government text messages sent to them in the run-up to the violent clashes in central Cairo which broke out on Wednesday. Vodafone Group PLC said in a statement Thursday that Egyptian authorities have been using the country’s emergency laws to script text messages to its customers.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/03/vodafone-egypt-text-messages_n_817952.html

New York Times Journalists Arrested In Egypt: Report
Two New York Times journalists have been arrested in Egypt, a correspondent for the Associated Press is reporting. Hadeel Al-Shalchi, a Middle East correspondent, for the wire service, tweeted on Thursday that “2 visiting NYT journos been arrested.” Al-Shalchi then tweeted that the journalists have been taken into “protective custody” by the military. The uprising in Cairo has proved to be intensely dangerous for journalists–many have been arrested, roughed up and otherwise targeted by pro-Mubarak forces and the military.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/03/nyt-journalists-arrested-in-egypt_n_817949.html

Report: Four Israeli reporters arrested in Egypt
Foreign Ministry officials in contact with counterparts in Egypt for release of reporters arrested for violating curfew in Cairo; CNN’s Anderson Cooper, other foreign journalists attacked during clashes.
http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/report-four-israeli-reporters-arrested-in-egypt-1.340881?localLinksEnabled=false

Anderson Cooper Egypt Attack Video (VIDEO)
CNN has released video of the attack on Anderson Cooper and his crew in Cairo by supporters of President Hosni Mubarak. The video is extremely shaky, but Cooper and his crew are clearly under siege, and Cooper can be heard saying he’s been hit, yelling “calm down” and talking to his camerawoman.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/02/anderson-cooper-egypt-attack-video_n_817794.html

Journalists Are Attacked in Cairo
Journalists covering the scene on the ground found themselves the targets of violence and intimidation by demonstrators chanting slogans in favor of President Hosni Mubarak.
http://feeds.nytimes.com/click.phdo?i=ed82b486e3758edbe4c9ad59bc49c409

Solidarity
Hundreds in Gaza rally against Egypt’s president (AP)
AP – Hundreds of Hamas supporters in Gaza are demonstrating against Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110203/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_palestinians_egypt_protest

The Popular Struggle in Solidarity with the Egyptian People
Throughout the West Bank, demonstrations will call for the safety of Egyptian protesters engaged in legitimate political protest. The villages of Bil’in, Ni’ilin, Nabi Saleh, and Al Ma’asara will stand in solidarity with the Egyptian people.
WHEN: Friday, 4 February 2011, 12:30
WHERE: The Villages of Bil’in, Ni’ilin, Nabi Saleh, Al Ma’asara
WHAT: Demonstrations Against the Israeli Occupation and Separation Barrier in Solidarity with the Egyptian People
At least one thousand demonstrators from five Palestinian towns and villages will demonstrate tomorrow against the Israeli occupation and in solidarity with the Egyptian people. The demonstrators will demand that their call for freedom of self determination denied to them by the Israeli occupation be heard along with the call for freedom of the Egyptian people. The villages of Bil’in, Ni’ilin, Nabi Saleh, Al Ma’asara and Wad Rahel will join together against the Israeli occupation and the separation barrier. In light of the incredible events in Egypt, the demonstrations will be held in solidarity with the Egyptian people and against the repression of the people’s will. The demonstrators will be calling for the safety of the Egyptian people engaged in legitimate political protest.
http://josephdana.com/2011/02/the-popular-struggle-in-solidarity-with-the-egyptian-people/?utm_source=rss&utm_medium=rss&utm_campaign=the-popular-struggle-in-solidarity-with-the-egyptian-people

International Day of Mobilization in Solidarity with the Egyptian and Tunisian Revolutions
What: Protest and march to stand in solidarity with the people of Egypt, Tunisia, and other countries in the region as they struggle against repressive governments.
When: Saturday, February 5th, 2011, 1pm
Where: U.N. Plaza, Market and 8th, San Francisco, CA
http://www.answercoalition.org/national/index.html

Interview: Two Israelis on the joining the protests in Egypt
Hagar Sheizaf and Bar Rose were touring Egypt on their way to “see some mummies” at the Egyptian Museum when the first protests broke out. As they joined the ever-growing crowd — and later fled in terror from rubber bullets and water cannons — they felt “envy” for the courage, diversity, and unity they witnessed. “For me, it was one of the scariest moments of my life,” Sheizaf, 20, said in a phone interview from Israel, where she and Rose returned on Thursday. “But I felt very, very proud — if I may feel proud for the Egyptian people….It’s so courageous to stand up like this. I can only hope that, in Israel, people will do the same one day.” (Sheizaf and Rose are pro-Palestinian human rights activists.) … One conversation about Israeli politics with three Egyptian medical students left a particularly strong impression on Sheizaf. The medical students earned about 300 Egyptian pounds per month ($51), and came to the demonstrations to protest the economic crisis and Mubarak’s repressive government. When the students asked about democracy in Israel, Sheizaf told them about the Israeli parliament’s decision to investigate the funding sources of Israeli human rights organizations — to which one of the students replied, “‘Ah, Lieberman’s law!'” (Avigdor Lieberman, the Israeli foreign minister, is the main backer of the legislation.)
http://m.motherjones.com/mojo/2011/01/interview-two-israelis-joining-protests-egypt

World Supports You Egypt!
The world has heard Egypt’s call for help, and now we are responding. We need our nations to respond equally. Today, it doesn’t matter what race, ethnicity, gender, or religion you are. Today we are all Egyptian, today we are all human beings. The Egyptian people have fought for their freedom but their government won’t set them free. This video is a testament that we are all people fighting for a free Egypt and a free world. Today we make our voice heard. Individually we’re a whisper, Together we’re deafening. We call for peace and ask our leaders to do the same.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WQnrHAKN4a8&feature=youtu.be

Anonymous Hacker Group Attacks Egyptian Government Sites
NEW YORK — Hacker activists started attacking Egyptian government websites on Wednesday, apparently taking them offline soon after the country restored Internet service. An Internet forum run by a loose international group that calls itself “Anonymous” directed participants to attack the websites of the Egyptian Ministry of Information and the ruling National Democratic Party. Neither was accessible from New York on Wednesday afternoon.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/02/egypt-government-hackers_n_817805.html

Role of Media
US student bypasses Egypt’s web blackout
After internet services were disconnected in Egypt, protesters were prevented from speaking to the world. But thanks to John Scott Railton, a Los Angeles based student, who took upon himself the task of uploading messages on micro blogging site twitter. He started making calls and posting messages on a twitter account he created for the Egyptian protests.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OyFbdZXH5gs&feature=youtube_gdata

Inside Story – Media war in Egypt
Events in Egypt are at the top of the news agenda in many countries worldwide. And how is that news being handled? Very differently, depending on where you stand. If you’re Egypt’s government – it’s “crisis? What crisis?” Lovely pictures of a sun-bathed Nile and not a placard in sight. Contrast that with 24-hour coverage of demonstrators, security forces, tanks and the obvious tensions. There is a media war over Egyptian street coverage. Is putting street views on air without censorship an incitement? The gap between the official media and the vernacular, private satellite TV, and independent newspapers, Who is telling the truth?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h0VMMf7r52Q&feature=youtube_gdata

The internet is destroying the idea of the nation, Philip Weiss
Two big surprises of the Egyptian revolution so far are: its speed and Mubarak’s failure to act like Stalin. Forget about the thugs for a moment; he could have murdered thousands to put this down at the start; he didn’t. Both surprises reflect the power of the internet. This revolution was not only impelled by young people who are interconnected in Egypt, but it has gained support from an international community. The hours and hours you are spending in front of the television and twitter feeds and streaming Al Jazeera now are not wasted. No, of course, you are not in Tahrir Square risking your own life; but you are committing your energy, and that energy is in itself transformative. We are creating a community of people everywhere who believe in the promise of the Egyptian revolution. Those believers now include many in power across the United States, who feel they have power to affect events. The same was not true even in the Spanish Republic or the Bolshevik revolution, despite the international waves of support for same.
https://mondoweiss.net/2011/02/the-internet-is-destroying-the-idea-of-the-nation.html

The Egyptian revolutionary spirit will not be crushed by a lacklustre British media
A spirit of awakening has gripped the Egyptian people with unprecedented and previously unthinkable defiance and bravery. They have awoken from their slumber and have realised, at last, that they can forge their own destinies. They have found their voice and are uniting to use their freedom of expression to demand liberation from the shackles of a 30 year dictatorship.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/articles/middle-east/2013-the-egyptian-revolutionary-spirit-will-not-be-crushed-by-a-lacklustre-british-media

Twittering the Revolution, PETER LEE
Foreign Policy’s Josh Rogin has an interesting article on how the U.S. State Department has been working energetically with Twitter, Facebook, Google et. al. to keep the information pipelines open in Tunisia and Egypt. The Tunisian government responded by hacking massive amounts of Twitter, Facebook, and e-mail accounts and targeted other sites where protestors were convening or communicating.
http://www.counterpunch.com/lee02022011.html

Daoud Kuttab: Connected Arab Youth Are the Secret to Present Uprising
The Arab youth of today are connected and determined to take part in deciding their own future. Understanding them and giving them an opportunity to share in power is the only logical way to help find solutions.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/daoud-kuttab/connected-arab-youths-are_b_817533.html

Noam Chomsky: “This is the Most Remarkable Regional Uprising that I Can Remember”
In recent weeks, popular uprisings in the Arab world have led to the ouster of Tunisian dictator Zine El Abidine Ben Ali, the imminent end of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak’s regime, a new Jordanian government, and a pledge by Yemen’s longtime dictator to leave office at the end of his term. We speak to MIT Professor Noam Chomsky about what this means for the future of the Middle East and U.S. foreign policy in the region. When asked about President Obama’s remarks last night on Mubarak, Chomsky said: “Obama very carefully didn’t say anything… He’s doing what U.S. leaders regularly do. As I said, there is a playbook: whenever a favored dictator is in trouble, try to sustain him, hold on; if at some point it becomes impossible, switch sides.”
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/2/2/noam_chomsky_this_is_the_most

It feels good to be Arab | Goufrane Mansour
The revolutions in Tunisia and Egypt are a great awakening for Arabs led to believe they were incapable of change. The Arab awakening, for that is what it is, which began in Tunisia and is now gripping Egypt, has taken western powers, and indeed the world, by surprise. Yet it is the Arab people themselves, myself included, men and women of all ages, who have been most surprised by what is happening – perhaps even more than the region’s dictators and regimes. Until now, it has been accepted and tacitly taught in Arab society that Arabs are weak, incapable of change, of holding their destiny in their own hands.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/03/arab-feel-good-revolutions-egypt-tunisia

Support for the Dictator
Netanyahu: Due to turmoil, Israel must get stronger
JERUSALEM, Feb 2 (Reuters) – Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu called on Wednesday for “bolstering Israel’s might” in response to the turmoil unfolding in Egypt, while at the same seeking to pursue peace efforts with the Palestinians.
http://www.trust.org/alertnet/news/netanyahu-due-to-turmoil-israel-must-get-stronger

Barack Obama’s Egypt Response Slammed In Israel
JERUSALEM — President Barack Obama’s response to the crisis in Egypt is drawing fierce criticism in Israel, where many view the U.S. leader as a political naif whose pressure on a stalwart ally to hand over power is liable to backfire. Critics – including senior Israeli officials who have shied from saying so publicly – maintain Obama is repeating the same mistakes of predecessors whose calls for human rights and democracy in the Middle East have often backfired by bringing anti-West regimes to power.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2011/02/03/egypt-protests-barack-oba_n_817992.html

Israeli PM says Iran wants ‘another Gaza’ in Egypt (AP)
AP – Israel’s prime minister on Wednesday said Iran wants to take advantage of the chaos in Egypt to create “another Gaza” there, run by Islamic fundamentalists.
http://us.rd.yahoo.com/dailynews/rss/mideast/*http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20110202/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_israel_egypt

‘Unnerved & scared’ Israel: ” “Mubarak was good for Israel, maybe not for Egyptians.”
Unnerved by the quickening collapse of Hosni Mubarak’s regime, Israel is pressing the U.S. and other Western leaders to demand that any successor in Egypt preserve that country’s peace accord with the Jewish state….Egypt’s transition to a new and still-uncertain leadership, Netanyahu told his parliament Wednesday, conceals a struggle between democratic and Islamist forces that could tip the balance of an increasingly hostile region more firmly against Israel. “There are two worlds, two opposites, two world views, one of the free world. The democratic. And one of the radical world. Which world view will win? It could be,”that there won’t be a decisive end for a long while and there could be ongoing instability for many years.” The prospect of prolonged uncertainty has led some Israeli officials to suggest that the country might be forced to significantly expand its army and defense spending, and to abandon what little efforts Netanyahu’s government has made to restart peace negotiations with the Palestinians on creating their own state. “It’s very scary what’s happening in Egypt, especially for Israel,” said Adva Gilboa, a 33-year-old store manager in the town of Kiryat Tivon, reflecting the Israeli public’s heightened fears for the survival of their state.”Mubarak was good for Israel, maybe not for Egyptians.”…”
http://friday-lunch-club.blogspot.com/2011/02/unnerved-scared-israel-mubarak-was-good.html

Tony Blair: Mubarak is a ‘force for good’
Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak still has a few friends in high places. Former British Prime Minister Tony Blair explained Tuesday that the embattled Egyptian president was “immensely courageous and a force for good.” Appearing on CNN, Blair praised Mubarak’s role in brokering peace between Israel and Palestine.
http://www.rawstory.com/rs/2011/02/tony-blair-mubarak-force-good/

PA bans anti-Mubarak protest
Palestinians break up demonstration supporting anti-government protesters in Egypt, permit protest backing Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4023635,00.html

PA launches pro-Mubarak demonstration in Ramallah
Dozens of supporters rallied in support of the Egyptian president; Fatah-controlled media call ElBaradei a “CIA agent.”
http://www.jpost.com/MiddleEast/Article.aspx?id=206421

Why Palestinians remain so quiet as Egyptians loudly rail against Mubarak
Hamas and the Palestinian Authority dispersed rallies supporting Egyptian protesters, but Palestinians don’t seem eager to push back.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/7LWOgIcjd2M/Why-Palestinians-remain-so-quiet-as-Egyptians-loudly-rail-against-Mubarak

Why isn`t the PA supporting the Egypt uprising?
Amira Hass – Haaretz – What is that Palestinian Authority afraid of when it bans solidarity demonstrations? There are two reasons. Due to the close relations with the Mubarak regime, the leadership is perplexed by expressions of support for the opponents of a friend. The second reason – when a regime is insufficiently democratic, it fears that popular demonstrations might spin out of control.
http://www.haaretz.com/print-edition/features/why-isn-t-the-pa-supporting-the-egypt-uprising-1.340966

Palestinian media mum on Egypt protests
Silence prevailed, from the Palestinian Authority, the government in Gaza, the factions and the people; all kept a safe distance from the Egyptian hot potato for fear that coming out on the wrong side would impact their future. As with Lebanon and Tunis, the shadow of former President Yasser Arafat’s strong support of Saddam Hussein when he invaded Kuwait still hangs long over Palestinian foreign policy. For Arafat’s support in the 1990s, Palestinians were expelled from the gulf states, had properties seized and accounts frozen. For a people who helped build the gulf, support of the wrong regime saw a second home become unwelcoming.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=355890

Why the Israelis prefer Omar Suleiman
Since it was first mooted about eight years ago that the son of Hosni Mubarak was being groomed to take his place as president of Egypt, the Director of the country’s General Intelligence Services, Omar Suleiman has faced fierce competition for the top job. Meanwhile, the neo-con Zionist lobby has come to dominate the US Congress with the result that US foreign policy is more captive to Israeli interests than ever before.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/articles/arab-media/2019-why-the-israelis-prefer-omar-suleiman

As`ad Abukhalil’s Commentary
Mubarak’s reforms
So they are now announcing that the assets of some former Mubarak ministers–MUBARAK MINISTERS–have been frozen and that they were banned from leaving the country so that they can stand trial. Who are those people? Ahmad `Izz: a billionaire who headed Mubarak’s ruling party and whose wealth was shared with Jamal Mubarak. `Izz ran the ruling party’s last parliamentary election which crowned Mubarak King of he Nile. Who else? Mubarak’s own henchman, the former minister of interior who was appointed and picked by–you guessed it–Husni Mubarak.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/mubaraks-reforms.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Jamal Mubarak is not running for president
So the head of Mubarak’s secret police, whose torture services were rendered for the US and for other countries and who got praise for the torture techniques that he had introduced–Hillary calls that reform–today announced that Jamal Mubarak won’t run for president. And that is made to sound like a concession or as–you guessed it–reform that the US is seeking. The man can’t stop foot in Egypt, and you tell me he won’t run for president? This is like saying that as a gesture to the Iranian people, the son of the dead Shah in Washington, DC, announced that he won’t run for election in Iran anymore. When you are finished, you don’t run for anything. Jamal Mubarak won’t be running for the Egyptian cultural club in London.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/jamal-mubarak-is-not-running-for.html

Even Al-Arabiyyah TV is reporting
It is now reporting that “supporters of Mubarak” are storming into hotels and chasing journalists. But the biggest insults from the regime of Operation Ajax II, the Obama administration, is this silly tweet from the spokesperson of the US State Department: ”There is a concerted campaign to intimidate international journalists in Cairo and interfere with their reporting. We condemn such actions.” It is so weak you would think it was issued by a foreign minister of a small non-state island republic.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/even-al-arabiyyah-tv-is-reporting.html

Mubarak’s end
I am glad that Mubarak is leaving in this. He deserves to end this way: loathed, hated, despised, disrespected, exposed, and humiliated forever. King Faruq–in comparison–left in dignity (as despicable as he was). Sadat was killed in a military parade: the irony was great for his end. And this one: will be forced to leave in a most humiliating way. I think it is likely that it is possible that Jamal Mubarak’s chances of stepping foot in Egypt will be as high as those of the Shah of Iran’s son of stepping foot again in Iran. Let him join the ranks of the families of despised and dethroned kings and dictators in Europe. He embezzled enough money to last him a lifetime.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/mubaraks-end.html

Egyptian Army
Not only is the Egyptian Army an enemy of the Egyptian people, but since 1975, it has been a key tool of the US strategy in Egypt. It has been the key implementer of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty. If there is a new regime, and if it wants to break with the old regime, it needs to fire all officers with three stars and up and start from scratch.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/egyptian-army_02.html

Meet Asma’ Mahfuz
There is no one leader to the Egyptian Uprising–and that is good. There is no one hero: there are many. The murder of Khalid Sa`id (an episode that was ignored by much of the Western and official Saudi owned Arab media) by Mubarak goons was the first major spark. Asma’ Mahfuz is now hailed by many as one of the pioneers of the Egyptian uprising through her tireless work and organizing on Facebook. She is an impressive speaker as well, and some are even nominating her to be president, as Al-Quds Al-`Arabi has reported.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/meet-asma-mahfuz.html?utm_source=twitterfeed&utm_medium=twitter

Baradi`i
I don’t like Baradi`i, nor to I trust him. But my impression is that US official meetings with him did not go well, that they did not receive iron-clad commitment regarding–what else?–the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/baradii.html

`Umar Sulayman’s heart attacks
The man has survived five heart attacks so far. So maybe some noise down his window can trigger a last fatal one.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/umar-sulaymans-heart-attacks.html

You may kill Egyptian, but how dare you attack Anderson Cooper
I hate to say this, but it may be the attack on Anderson Cooper that will be remembered as the one event that increased the pressure on the Obama administration to distance themselves from Mubarak. I really believe that it is possible that the Obama administration will ask for Mubarak’s resignation in a matter of hours. And the statement by Sen. McCain and the changing lawyerly language of Gibbs at the White House (lately his language is as clear as that of Clinton when he answered the question as to whether he had sex in the oval office or not) indicate that people in government did not have stomach to watch Anderson Cooper being beaten by Mubarak’s goons. I mean, you may kill and torture Arabs, but how dare you attack the White Man, o Mubarak. Of course, for his best friend in the whole world, Netanyahu, he would stand by Mubarak even if his goons annihilate the entire Western press corp in Egypt. Now that I would call a friend–of a brutal dictator.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/you-may-kill-egyptian-but-how-dare-you.html

Yusuf Al-Qaradawi
Of course, I don’t like Aljazeera’s cleric, Yusuf Al-Qaradawi, and it is not because I don’t like clerics, priests, etc. And I don’t like him in particular but he is, whether I like it or not, very very influential. Today, he appeared on Aljazeera and urged the Egyptian Army to move against Mubarak, whom he accused of butchering the Egyptian people, and he urged the clerics of Egypt to join the revolt. He is quite influential and I would say his influence exceeds that of all the Al-Azhar clerics combined.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/yusuf-al-qaradawi.html

Can you imagine?
Can you imagine if Castro or Mugabe were doing what Mubarak is doing? Can you imagine the uproar? I believe that the lousy secretary-general of the UN would say something more than his lousy words yesterday that they are “unacceptable.” I think the meant to say that revolting against a puppet of Israel is unacceptable.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/can-you-imagine.html

Jamal Mubarak scenario from 1997
A former analyst in Husni Mubarak’s office is speaking to Aljazeera right now. He said that the Jamal Mubarak scenario was prepared as early as 1997. He also said that it is clear that there is a plan to disperse the demonstrators at all cost and by all means necessary.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/jamal-mubarak-scenario-from-1997.html

How Obama “pushed” Mubarak
“Obama officials in Washington were working on his message to Mr. Mubarak: to announce that he would not run for re-election (he did that), and to promise that his son would not run for election (he did not do that).” But Mubarak could not do that anyway. It was unthinkable based on what happened that Mubarak could seem another term or that his son, who fled to London, could dream of ever succeeding his father. This is like saying that Obama asked the captain of the Titanic to not commandeer a ship again.
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/how-obama-pushed-mubarak.html

The Obama counter-revolution plot
“Though Mr. Mubarak appeared to have done what people familiar with the diplomacy said the U.S. had asked—declare he won’t seek re-election—his speech didn’t end tensions in Egypt and didn’t put the U.S. on the side of the people in the street…While the swelling protests have raised the pressure on Mr. Mubarak, U.S. officials have played an increasingly prominent role in his deliberations over the past two days…With the prospect of Mr. Mubarak remaining in office until the fall, the U.S. and Egyptian regime appeared to be working together to try to ensure a transition that wouldn’t immediately thrust opposition groups into positions of power.”
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/obama-counter-revolution-plot.html

Remember those words of Sen. Kerry
“RAY SUAREZ: When you look two steps to the east, to Amman and King Abdullah firing his cabinet and looking ahead to a regime change there, are you concerned?
SEN. JOHN KERRY: No, I’m not. King Abdullah of Jordan is extraordinarily intelligent, thoughtful, sensitive, in touch with his people. The monarchy there is very well-respected, even revered.”
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/remember-those-words-of-sen-kerry.html

You can’t say that the White Man does not care about Egypt
“Now, as many tourists and Egyptians attempt to flee the African country, cats and dogs are being abandoned, with some winding up on the streets as strays.…The Society for the Protection of Animal Rights in Egypt also has a Facebook page where it’s reported that at least one organization has 600 animals now “and they are running out of food. Looting in the street”…. If you wish to support ESMA’s work at this difficult time, the organization accepts donations online.“
http://angryarab.blogspot.com/2011/02/you-cant-say-that-white-man-does-not.html

Analysis/Op-ed
Mubarak Defies a Humiliated America, Emulating Netanyahu, Juan Cole
It should be remembered that Egypt’s elite of multi-millionaires has benefited enormously from its set of corrupt bargains with the US and Israel and from the maintenance of a martial law regime that deflects labor demands and pesky human rights critiques. It is no wonder that to defend his billions and those of his cronies, Hosni Mubarak was perfectly willing to order thousands of his security thugs into the Tahrir Square to beat up and expel the demonstrators, leaving 7 dead and over 800 wounded, 200 of them just on Thursday morning.
http://www.juancole.com/2011/02/mubarak-defies-a-humiliated-america-emulating-netanyahu.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+juancole%2Fymbn+%28Informed+Comment%29

A landscape lies in tatters, but a movement stands its ground
Egypt’s walking wounded roam a Tahrir Square littered with wrecked vehicles and debris. ‘We must hold this place,’ one says. The morning after in Tahrir Square resembled the aftermath of a hurricane: a desolate landscape of walking wounded, husks of wrecked vehicles and a scatter of random debris. Here, a rubber sandal, there a bloodied scarf and on the periphery, a very small, very dirty kitten.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/fb_N-2cPhL4/la-fg-egypt-scene-20110204,0,4164502.story

Riz Khan – Uprising in Egypt
Who will win the standoff between millions of angry Egyptians and the country’s defiant leader?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wAl6NeMX4nw&feature=youtube_gdata

Inside Story – Shaping Egypt’s future
Dramatic violence erupts in central Cairo, as more pressure mounts on the Egyptian president to leave office immediately – even though he says he wont run for re-election. Away from the demonstrations, there is worrying political uncertainty. Mubarak says he will stand down, but how will the transition of power be managed – and what role will Egypt’s military play in shaping the country’s future? What are the political options open to Mubarak?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LOkaKSO-GZk&feature=youtube_gdata

Time to end US fear of the Muslim Brotherhood | Richard Bulliet
Barack Obama must accept the Muslim Brotherhood is likely to be part of Egypt’s post-Mubarak government. When chaos in Cairo gives way to a resumption of government, the United States will face a crucial test. For three decades American policymakers have vilified the Islamic Republic of Iran. Likewise they have supported the oppression of Islamist parties and leaders by the likes of Zine al-Abidine Ben Ali in Tunisia and Hosni Mubarak in Egypt. They must now bring themselves to accept the reality of an Egypt in which the Muslim Brotherhood plays an important role in government.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/03/us-fear-muslim-brotherhood

Former U.N. official Mohamed ElBaradei, the unlikely face of Egypt’s protesters
Mohamed ElBaradei, the Nobel Prize-winning former United Nations bureaucrat, has emerged this week as an improbable revolutionary, clamoring for the overthrow of Egypt’s President Hosni Mubarak.
http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=a36ddadc54e1b8ba963730ce6e60417e

Sudden Split Recasts U.S. Foreign Policy, HELENE COOPER, MARK LANDLER and MARK MAZZETTI
WASHINGTON — After days of delicate public and private diplomacy, the United States openly broke with its most stalwart ally in the Arab world on Wednesday, as the Obama administration strongly condemned violence by allies of President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt against protesters and called on him to speed up his exit from power. Egypt’s government hit back swiftly. The Foreign Ministry released a defiant statement saying the calls from “foreign parties” had been “rejected and aimed to incite the internal situation in Egypt.” And Egyptian officials reached out to reporters to make clear how angry they were at their onetime friend.
http://www.nytimes.com/2011/02/03/world/middleeast/03diplomacy.html?_r=1&hp

In backing change in Egypt, U.S. neoconservatives split with Israeli allies
The uprising in Egypt has resulted in a relatively muted debate between the political parties in the United States – at least so far – with Republican lawmakers mostly backing the Obama administration’s approach or registering minor disagreements.
http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=d552a4a9db230a57ed5364d6d8c80c9f

Rebuffed U.S. turns to Egypt military in the crisis
‘Our sense is that the military, on balance, is still serving as a buffer between both sides and they likely still hold the key to a peaceful transition,’ says one senior U.S. Defense official. Faced with a bloody rejection of its call for a rapid, orderly transition of power in Egypt, the Obama administration finds itself with diminished leverage over President Hosni Mubarak, and has stepped up its contacts with the Egyptian military to try to exert influence over events rocking a key ally.
http://feeds.latimes.com/%7Er/latimes/middleeast/%7E3/36vZdgxLXYg/la-fg-egypt-white-house-20110203,0,7479278.story

U.S. reexamining its relationship with Muslim Brotherhood opposition group
As it braces for the likelihood of a new ruler in Egypt, the U.S. government is rapidly reassessing its tenuous relationship with the Muslim Brotherhood, an opposition movement whose fundamentalist ideology has long been a source of distrust in Washington.
http://feeds.washingtonpost.com/click.phdo?i=b173f434e9e66ea0ddf45b715764bbd9

How the Senate resolution on Egyptian democracy died, Josh Rogin
Last fall, a bipartisan group of senators led a months-long drive to pass a resolution calling for greater freedom and democracy in Egypt. The resolution died last December due to a fatal mix of divided loyalties, lobbying influence, and secret Senate holds.
http://thecable.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/02/02/how_the_senate_resolution_on_egyptian_democracy_died

The forces unleashed in Egypt can’t be turned back | Seumas Milne
The upheaval spreading across the Arab world is at heart a movement for self-determination. The west resists it at its peril. The fate of the Egyptian uprising is in the balance. There is a revolutionary situation in Egypt, but there has not yet been a revolution. In the wake of Hosni Mubarak’s pledge not to stand again for the presidency next September, gangs of government loyalists were today let loose on the streets of Cairo and Alexandria.
http://www.guardian.co.uk/commentisfree/2011/feb/02/forces-unleashed-egypt-cant-turned-back

Dyab Abou Jahjah, “Egypt: On the Barricades”
Every revolution, sooner or later, has to stand on the barricades and fight a counter-revolution. . . . Mubarak’s speech yesterday did leave the opposition confused and the street doubting. The argument of many was “he said he is leaving, so let’s wait a few months.” The Wafd party and other liberals accepted the Mubarak “geste” and ended their participation in the revolution. The youth movement, which is the largest component of the revolution, and the Muslim Brotherhood, which is the largest political party and the best organized entity, both rejected the speech and declared their determination to continue the struggle. Mohamed ElBaradei also joined that position. My fear, and that of many, was that confused and divided, starved and scared, the people would back down and the revolution would die. But Mubarak committed a large mistake sending his militias against the people.
http://mrzine.monthlyreview.org/2011/jahjah030211.html

Tunisia and Egypt are strategic warnings for Israel
West Bank newspaper reports claim that the head of Israel’s Foreign and Security Committee in the Knesset described “what has happened in Tunisia and Egypt as a strategic warning to Israel”. Shaul Mofaz also expects “2011 to be a turning point in a number of other places in the region”. Mr. Mofaz told Israeli reporters that the Zionist state “must undertake new strategic assessment in light of what is happening in Egypt and closely follow-up on its internal situation as well as the situations in other places in the region.” He added, “Israel must confirm its non-interference in what is happening in Egypt as well as its desire to maintain the peace treaty and the stability of the authority there.” The Egyptian army, he said, “carries on its shoulders responsibility for the maintenance of stability”.
http://www.middleeastmonitor.org.uk/news/middle-east/2016-tunisia-and-egypt-are-strategic-warnings-for-israel

Mubarak speaks! (people don’t listen), Stephen M. Walt
There’s a part of me that would like to blog about something other than Egypt, but how can I? Events there are both too dramatic and of potentially great import, so I find it hard to wrench myself onto other topics. Apologies to any of you who’d like me to turn my attention elsewhere… If history is any guide (and it is, albeit a rather fickle and ambiguous one), we are still in the early stages. The French revolution went through a series of distinct phases for more than a decade (accelerated, to be sure, by war), before Bonaparte’s seizure of power. The Russian Revolution began with the March 1917 uprisings, followed by the Bolshevik coup in October and then a civil war. The Islamic republic of Iran did not leap full-blown from the brow of the Ayatollah Khomeini, but took several years to assume its basic form. Even the United States was a work-in-progress for years after victory in the revolutionary war. (Remember the Articles of Confederation, and the debate over the Constitution?).
http://walt.foreignpolicy.com/posts/2011/02/02/mubarak_speaks_people_dont_listen

Mubarak and the Egyptian army: the Pinochet option?, Helena Cobban
In last night’s post, I said that prior to his speech, Muabarak had the option to be like Frederik De Klerk but instead had come out swinging with his dead-end rear-guard action like Ceausescu.
http://justworldnews.org/archives/004145.html

Egyptian workers’ protest anticipated revolution, Michael Riordon
Not unusually, the western mainstream media have treated the Egyptian intifada as a total surprise, a shocking bolt from the blue. Their surprise is not surprising. Apparently they’ve been listening to the wrong people. When I met Michal Shwartz in Haifa in 2008, she knew this was coming. She isn’t psychic, she simply has a long view of history. Though I’ve learned to be shy of the loaded and much abused label ‘revolutionary,’ that is how I see Michal, an Israeli activist with the Workers Advice Centre, or WAC as it’s known. It builds unions of marginalized workers, across all the formidable barriers of race, nationality, gender and religion.
https://mondoweiss.net/2011/02/egyptian-workers-protest-anticipated-revolution.html

The “Anderson Cooper Effect” on American TV Reporting from Cairo
On February 2, CNN journalist Anderson Cooper was one of many victims of violence by Mubarakoids who turned Tahrir Square into a battle zone. Cooper was beaten by thugs, as were other members of his crew. A BBC crew was arrested, blindfolded and taken into custody for several hours before being released. MSNBC’s Richard Engel and his NBC colleague Brian Williams reported throughout the night from a vantage point where they could see, film and comment on the violence that has engulfed what, a day earlier, was a site of celebratory hopefulness. Katie Couric, a “sweetheart” journalist, was filmed being surrounded by a menacing gang of thugs. Reporters on the ground in Cairo’s Tahrir Square have disrupted the earlier narrative being relayed to viewers of American TV news. Until February 2, anyone in the US who wanted to know what was happening in Egypt was streaming Al Jazeera. To be sure, Al Jazeera hasn’t been dethroned—far from it, and there is a growing swell demanding that US cable stations carry the network. But at last the American cable news networks—with the notable and predictable exception of fact-free Fox News—are getting into the game of reporting actual news, rather than relying on a mixed bag of talking heads opining far from the scene.
http://www.jadaliyya.com/pages/index/525/the-anderson-cooper-effect-on-american-tv-reporting-from-cairo

The Intriguing Alliance, George S. Hishmeh – Washington, D.C.
The surprising but determined refusal of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak, who has been in office for nearly 30 years, to step down immediately has probably stunned many world-wide and especially the hundreds of thousands of his ever-increasing opponents who have been demonstrating for days against his regime in Egypt’s main cities.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16610

U.S. Chickens Come Home to Roost in Egypt, Marjorie Cohn
Egypt minds U.S. interests in the Middle East, notably providing a buffer between Israel and the rest of the Arab world. Egypt collaborates with Israel to isolate Gaza with a punishing blockade, to the consternation of Arabs throughout the Middle East.
http://www.informationclearinghouse.info/article27396.htm

Mubarak’s Basij, Juan Cole
When Wednesday, the Mubarak regime showed its fangs, mounting a massive and violent repressive attack on the peaceful crowds in Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo. People worrying about Egypt becoming like Iran (scroll down) should worry about Egypt already being way too much like Iran as it is. That is, Hillary Clinton and others expressed anxiety in public about increasing militarization of the Iranian regime and use of military and paramilitaries to repress popular protests. But Egypt is far more militarized and now is using exactly the same tactics.
http://www.juancole.com/2011/02/mubaraks-basij.html?utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+juancole%2Fymbn+%28Informed+Comment%29

Why the Egyptian Army Won’t Shoot Protesters, Mohammed Omer
CAIRO – Khalid Ibrahim Al-Laisi has been a soldier in the Egyptian army for 20 years. Today, far from shooting protesters, he says the time has come “to revolt against oppression.” And as protesters vow to continue to press for President Hosni Mubarak to leave now, rather than at election time later in the year as he offered to do Tuesday, Al-Laisi, 38, is the face of an army that is one with protesters, not against them. Khalid tells IPS just why. “My monthly wage is 1,100 Egyptian pounds (188 dollars). It’s not enough, and I have to do another job in the evenings.” He and his wife struggle to bring up their three children, aged 13, nine and four in the Al-Zaytoun neighborhood of Cairo.
http://original.antiwar.com/omer/2011/02/02/why-the-egyptian-army-wont-shoot-protesters/

The Empire’s Bagman, VIJAY PRASHAD
From inside the bowels of Washington’s power elite, Frank Wisner emerges, briefcase in hand. He has met the President, but he is not his envoy. He represents the United States, but is not the Ambassador. What is in his briefcase is his experience: it includes his long career as bagman of Empire, and as bucket-boy for Capital. Pulling himself away from the Georgetown cocktail parties and the Langley Power-point briefings, Wisner finds his way to the Heliopolis cocktail parties and to the hushed conferences in Kasr al-Ittihadiya. Mubarak (age 82) greets Wisner (age 72), as these elders confer on the way forward for a country whose majority is under thirty.
http://www.counterpunch.com/prashad02022011.html

Why Egyptians are Calling Obama the “Black Bush”, SUZY KASSEM
Most of the world celebrated the advent of Obama as a beacon of hope for a new peaceful world. The Egyptians on the streets heralded him as a light messenger, and his visit to Cairo was the most talked about event since the coming of the last messiah. Even long after his post-election speeches to the nation, his ads ran on Egyptian television like a Mister Roger’s episode for years — reminding the world that real change was on its way.
http://www.counterpunch.com/kassem02022011.html

An Arab 1848: Despots Totter and Fall, TARIQ ALI
He can’t stay any longer because the military has declared that they will not shoot their own people. This excludes a Tiananmen Square option. Were the Generals (who have so far sustained this regime) to go back on their word it would divide the army, opening up a vista of civil war. Nobody wants that at the moment, not even the Israelis who would like their American friends to keep their point man in Cairo for as long as possible. But this, too, is impossible.
http://www.counterpunch.com/tariq02022011.html

Ehsan Zaffar: We Could Use Some Egyptian Courage Ourselves
In part, Egyptians have been inspired by our democratic movements. And no, much like them, we too can be inspired by their courage — and look past the non-issues which divide our people.
http://www.huffingtonpost.com/ehsan-zaffar/the-united-states-i-want-_b_817000.html

How revolt in Egypt, Tunisia plays in South Africa
As the number of young people in South Africa increases and access to the Internet improves, so too will access to the kind of resistance we’re witnessing in Egypt and Tunisia, writes guest blogger Khadija Patel.
http://rss.csmonitor.com/%7Er/feeds/world/%7E3/mf-FPKAGlT8/How-revolt-in-Egypt-Tunisia-plays-in-South-Africa

Pass the Onions: In Egypt a Demonstration is a Riot, Ahmed Amr – Cairo
The Egyptian uprising came to my front door last Friday and I ended up getting my fair share of America’s foreign aid budget by inhaling an unhealthy dose of tear jerking fumes, courtesy of Combined Tactical Systems. The American ‘aid’ that I inhaled came from surprisingly attractive tear gas canisters with the company’s logo and a description of the contents – ‘6230 Riot CS Smoke’. I’m not sure what the occasion was because I wasn’t rioting. The only thing I did to deserve being tear-gassed was join a peaceful march to demand some basic democratic changes in Egypt starting with the removal of Hosni Mubarak.
http://palestinechronicle.com/view_article_details.php?id=16611

Mubarak unleashes his thugs and it backfires

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