Will Egypt’s conscript army support Mubarak and repress the people? It doesn’t look like it: the people are greeting army tanks with the soldiers coming out of their vehicles and shaking hands with the cheering protesters. According to the soldiers, they were not given order to do anything, only to protect the physical city (Cairo) — not, the implication being, the Mubarak’s state. The police are another matter: plainsclothesmen are riding around beating people with sticks.
Month: January 2011
Why Do They Hate Us?
Where Is Hosni?
Earlier, it was announced that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak would address the nation, but there’s no sign of him. Is he getting his Boeing jet ready to take off — or, as one Arab paper is reporting, has that plane already taken off en route to London?
Update: Al Jazeera reports that a plane-load of “influential” officials, major businessmen, and other regime supporters has indeed taken off. Was Hosni on it?
Update: On Twitter, there are reports that Israeli Channel 10 has said Hosni Mubarak is on a plane to Switzerland. NBC reports that three private planes have taken off under heavy security from the airport. Who could be on them? (from Jeremy Sapienza)
Egypt in Turmoil, While Gibbs Gibbers
Robert Gibbs on the Egyptian events:
via Al Jazeera:
Has Obama spoken to Mubarak? — Gibbs is blithering: a “national security memo” has been given to the Prez, a meeting was held. But, no, they haven’t spoken.
Does the Prez stand by his Egyptian buddy? — Gibbs says this is “not about picking a person.” We are very concerned.” Again the moral equivalence: both the government and “the protesters need to refrain from violence.” We’re for democracy, freedom, etc., etc.
Gibbs: “We will be reviewing our assistance posture based on events that take place in the coming days.”
Is the revolution spreading across the Middle East: “We’re monitoring this. You have different countries, different circumstances, I don’t want to generalize.” You bet he doesn’t.
What about the military in the streets of Egypt’s cities? Is that good? Gibbs: “Restraint. Restaint. Restraint.”
What about reports of gun battles between the police and the military? Gibbs: “I don’t want to get into that.” You bet he doesn’t.
What about conversations with our allies? Gibbs: “A number of meetings have been held, but I am unaware of any calls that have been made.”
Why doesn’t the Prez pick up the phone and call Mubarak? Gibbs: More Gibbering…..
Notable here: no expression of support for Mubarak. Is an aid cut-off next? Don’t hold your breath.
Egypt: All Incoming Flights Suspended
Israel Reacts
The Israeli government reacts:
“‘We believe that Egypt is going to overcome the current wave of demonstrations, but we have to look to the future,’ says the minister in the government of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. Israel enjoys diplomatic relations and security cooperation with both Egypt and Jordan, the only neighboring states that have signed treaties with the Jewish state. But while it may be more efficient to deal in with a strongman in Cairo – Mubarak has ruled for 30 years – and a king in Amman, democracies make better neighbors, ‘because democracies do not initiate wars,’ he says. ‘Having said that, I’m not sure the time is right for the Arab region to go through the democratic process.'”
That the racist regime in Tel Aviv, which pretends to be a “democracy,” believes “the time is not right” for Arabs to enjoy the benefits of democracy — witness their own treatment of their Arab subjects — is hardly surprising. What’s surprising is that they openly say so. In this, they agree with Joe Biden, whose remarks to PBS explicitly referenced Israel as one reason to look on the protests with a jaundiced eye. With American politicians, it’s all about Israel.