This Week in Egypt by Nervana Mahmoud

The war in Gaza has increased the tension between Egypt and Israel to unprecedented level since the signing of the Camp David Accords in 1979

I remember how I visited the Rafah border in the 80s, and how we need to learn from past events to formulate a plan for its future

It is clear that Israel about to enter Rafah soon. I herewith propose three different outcome: victory, open-ended mess, or last minute deal

Some argued Netanyahu was foolish to attack the Iranian embassy in Damascus.

I would argue that it was his smartest move since #mHamas #Oct7 attack on Israel as deliberately or not it triggered a clearly that signal a reversal of fortune of Israel

Palestinians begin to see Sinwar and his cult’s destructive actions

Islamists pick every opportunity to criticise the Egyptian player, simply because he is not confirming to their ideology

The recent attacks by Houthi rebels is directly harming Egypt’s Suez Canal. Un-intentionally? I believe no. So what the Iranians want from Egypt? I listed 3 possible demands.

Like most Egyptians, I never met any Jews, until I moved to UK. My own experience of British Jews has always been positive. They are caring, supportive, and friendly. Time to stand by them against antisemitism

Islamists are using Gaza to rejuvenate their image around the globe

Hamas has clear links to ISIS in Sinai.

Hamas military cadres did not graduate from military academies, but they are avid learners of Islamic history

It is not the first time that Egypt was “encouraged” to inherit Gaza, but Egypt despite many temptations won’t do that.

It is no surprise that Egypt is dragged into the conflict, which triggered a comparison with 1973 war, and ongoing mediation efforts. The domestic responses inside Egypt is different to the official ones, with irrational hostility to Israel, despite the murder of two Israeli tourists in Alexandria

Egypt has now become a pawn in the domestic political infighting inside the US and could suffer politically and economically because of those explosive allegations

Time for Egyptians to embrace and celebrate their Jewish heritage

Can Tantawi convince Egyptians to vote for him?

The Egypt-US relationship is full of contradictions

Destroying this unique is very un-Egyptian act that betrays history and logic.

Among lack of transparency, confusion, official silence, blackouts, inflations, uprooting the dead from their restive cemeteries, Egypt is a country on the edge!

Two actors life indicates why Egyptians were right to oust Muslim Brotherhood

Few Egyptian civilian politicians casually met in the North coast but their meeting was not widely welcomed

The current power cuts in Egypt sums up the médiocre approach to Egypt’s chronic problems amidst confusion and resentment among the public

Egypt has managed to host a successful summit on Sudan attended by all neighbours of Sudan. It has also convinced Ethiopia to restart negotiations on Ethiopian dam filling and Egypt’s water share of Nile water.

The scarcity of Tennis players in Egypt and the Middle East reflects not just lack of resources, but the dominance of regression and misogyny. That is why Tunisia’s Ons Jabeur is a breath of fresh air

Many headlines in my weekly newsletter on the progress of relations between Turkey and Egypt

Immigration is a complex topic that is hijacked by many political groups. Here is few humble thoughts.

India’s PM Modi visit to Egypt represents a revival of Delhi-Cairo axis: Mohammed Soliman

Three unlawful killings; three different attitudes inside Egypt. An alarming indication of confused moral campus

After 3 Israeli soldiers and an Egyptian policeman were killed in a rare incident at the border between the 2 countries. Many rushed to cheer the Egyptian policeman and portray him as a hero. Indulging in myths has become one of Egypt’s and the Middle East’s gravest illnesses. Fake heroes have become a convenient way to score political points and create false perceptions. Khater’s heroism is the product of the ugliness of the political Islam and the misguided dogma of the Arab socialists and Nasserism

Tribalism is a major piller of Islamism with historical roots since the Arabs dreamt of conquering Constantinople.

Oman may succeed in its mediation between Egypt and Iran, and they may exchange ambassadors within months, however Egypt does not have many reasons to hold ties with Iran, so I don’t expect full normalisation between the two countries

Egypt backs the return of Syria to the Arab league, but the motive behind that is not a simple bond between two authoritarian leaders as some put it. There are many historical, emotional, and pragmatic reasons behind the Egyptian decision to support the normalisation with Assad’s Syria

Egypt faces a deepening economic crisis. For the average the problem is rising inflation, for foreign observers, the problem is the army outsized rule in economy. Dr Foud’s see the main problem now is diagnosis of the main reason behind current crisis, is balance of payment deficit. He also highlighted how selling state-owned assets us a slow process and won’t attract fair valuation from buyers. We also discussed the impact of 2 prices of US dollar ( formal and informal), and how the Suez Canal income ( not assets/lease) can help ease the crisis.

As the crisis in Sudan continues, more challenges are facing Egypt.

The ongoing power struggle in Sudan has many negative impacts on Egypt, but can also an opportunity to rebuild bridges with Sudan’s civilian groups and expose Ethiopia’s negative fiddling in the crisis

The impact of Saudi regional reshuffle on Egypt

The Egyptian president Sisi is heading to Saudi Arabia. Also Egypt has relaxed visa rules to Iranians. I discuss the possible impacts of both.