CAIRO — President Hosni Mubarak of Egypt resigned his post and turned over all power to the military on Friday, ending his nearly 30 years of autocratic rule and bowing to a historic popular uprising that has transformed politics in Egypt and around the Arab world.
The streets of Cairo exploded in shouts of “God is Great” moments after Mr. Mubarak’s vice president and longtime intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman, announced during evening prayers that Mr. Mubarak had passed all authority to a council of military leaders.
“Taking into consideration the difficult circumstances the country is going through, President Mohammed Hosni Mubarak has decided to leave the post of president of the republic and has tasked the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to manage the state’s affairs,” Mr. Suleiman, grave and ashen, said in a brief televised statement.
Even before he had finished speaking, protesters began hugging and cheering, shouting “Egypt is free!” and “You’re an Egyptian, lift your head”
“He’s finally off our throats,” said one protester, Muhammad Insheemy. “Soon, we will bring someone good.”
The departure of the 82-year-old Mr. Mubarak, at least initially to his coastal resort home in Sharm el-Sheik, was a pivotal turn in a three-week revolt that has upended one of the Arab’s world’s most enduring dictatorships. The popular protest, peaceful and resilient despite numerous effort by Mr. Mubarak’s legendary security apparatus to suppress it, ultimately deposed an ally of the United States who has been instrumental in implementing American policy in the region for decades.
His departure leaves the military in charge of this nation of 80 million, facing insistent calls for fundamental democratic change and open elections. The military, which has repeatedly promised to respond to the demands of protesters, has little recent experience in directly governing the country. It will have to defuse demonstrations and strikes that have paralyzed the economy and left many of the country’s institutions, including state news media and the security forces, in shambles.
Shortly before the announcement of Mr. Mubarak’s departure, the military issued a communiqué pledging to carry out a variety of constitutional reforms in a statement remarkable for its commanding tone. The military’s statement alluded to the delegation of power to Mr. Suleiman and it suggested that the military would supervise implementation of the reforms.
The military did not indicate whether it intended to take the kinds of fundamental steps toward democracy that protesters have been demanding. This was the second direct statement from the military in two days, and it largely stuck to the main constitutional and electoral reforms that Mr. Mubarak and Mr. Suleiman had promised to implement. It was not immediately clear whether Mr. Suleiman would retain a role, under the military council, in running the country.
State radio reported that Naguib Sawiris, a wealthy and widely respected businessman, has agreed to act as a mediator between the opposition and the authorities in carrying through the political reforms, a development that was cheered by protesters.
In Tahrir Square, the focal point of the uprising, many protesters were overcome with the emotion of achieving their unlikely but determined quest to overthrow Mr. Mubarak. More than an hour after Mr. Suleiman spoke, the din was undiminished, as the celebrants, some in tears, shouted, sang, embraced and chanted. The slogan of the revolution, “The people want to bring down the regime,” adopted from Tunisia, became, “The people, at last, have brought down the regime.”
My thoughts were with respects to the Jews of Israel. If they are secular or multicultural, they need to realize the importance of Israel being a Jewish State, as Yamit points out “Put more succinctly, the only viable Jewish state is a state in which Jews behave as Jews: that the law of the land is the Law of the Jews” and not to try to change it.
Remember the days of old, consider the years of many generations; ask thy father, and he will declare unto thee, thine elders, and they will tell thee. 8 When the Most High gave to the nations their inheritance, when He separated the children of men, He set the borders of the peoples according to the number of the children of Israel. 9 For the portion of the LORD is His people, Jacob the lot of His inheritance. 10 He found him in a desert land, and in the waste, a howling wilderness; He compassed him about, He cared for him, He kept him as the apple of His eye. 11 As an eagle that stirreth up her nest, hovereth over her young, spreadeth abroad her wings, taketh them, beareth them on her pinions– 12 The LORD alone did lead him, and there was no strange god with Him. 13 He made him ride on the high places of the earth, and he did eat the fruitage of the field; and He made him to suck honey out of the crag, and oil out of the flinty rock; 14 Curd of kine, and milk of sheep, with fat of lambs, and rams of the breed of Bashan, and he-goats, with the kidney-fat of wheat; and of the blood of the grape thou drankest foaming wine.
Deuteronomy 32
There might also be a Divine lesson for that that may take a day, year, generation or lifetime. Such a lesson may eventually have them or their children wind up here, whether they like them or not.
1 And it shall come to pass, when all these things are come upon thee, the blessing and the curse, which I have set before thee, and thou shalt bethink thyself among all the nations, whither the LORD thy God hath driven thee, 2 and shalt return unto the LORD thy God, and hearken to His voice according to all that I command thee this day, thou and thy children, with all thy heart, and with all thy soul; 3 that then the LORD thy God will turn thy captivity, and have compassion upon thee, and will return and gather thee from all the peoples, whither the LORD thy God hath scattered thee. 4 If any of thine that are dispersed be in the uttermost parts of heaven, from thence will the LORD thy God gather thee, and from thence will He fetch thee. 5 And the LORD thy God will bring thee into the land which thy fathers possessed, and thou shalt possess it; and He will do thee good, and multiply thee above thy fathers. 6 And the LORD thy God will circumcise thy heart, and the heart of thy seed, to love the LORD thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, that thou mayest live.
– Deuteronomy 30
Yamit, that makes a lot of sense. I don’t believe G-d led His people to return to Israel for no other reason than as you state.
For the secular progressive and multicultural Jews who don’t believe it there’s Miami Florida.
I am a Sinai rat having fought,dwelled and worked in the Sinai and Negev for over 23 years. There was a reason the desert was chosen as a place of national revelation. Our origins are of the desert and I feel at home like nowhere else in the Land of Israel than the desert.
The Land is more important than so called peace, without the Land there cannot be Judaism. Without Judaism there cannot be Jews. So for us the Land is all important.
Abraham was punished for giving land for peace and G-d’s punishment was 7 generations of rule by the Philistines and 7 leaders of the Jews would die by the enemies hand. The Jewish people is a National-Religious people whose fulfillment of purpose rests in the reclamation of Eretz Yisrael and in the Jewish institutions that govern it. Unique among the nations, only the Jewish people is a people for whom it is a religious and national obligation to establish an independent polity. As important to the physical reclamation of the land is the physical return of the Jewish people to the biblically promised lands of our forefathers.
G-d has promised the Jewish people the Land of Israel as the physical homeland for its national existence. We must understand that there can be no other reasons for the establishment of a Jewish State other than for it to represent the totality of Torah thought and observance. Put more succinctly, the only viable Jewish state is a state in which Jews behave as Jews: that the law of the land is the Law of the Jews. There is no other way for one to justify the need for an independent Jewish polity.
The Rambam (Mimonides) writes:
It is forbidden at all times to leave Eretz Yisrael for the Diaspora except: to study Torah; to marry; or to save [one’s property] from the gentiles [lit. the worshippers of the stars and signs]. [After accomplishing these ends,] one must return to Eretz Yisrael.
Mishne Torah, Sefer Shoftim, The Laws of Kings and Their Wars, Chapter 5, Halakha 9
It is my belief that we will have PEACE when we have all the Land within our national sovereignty that was promised to us by The G-d of Israel.
If our purpose of national or individual existence was Peace, then I would suggest those Jews in Israel who seek such a peace move to a place like Mt Horeb WI or Toronto.
Yamit, I’ve been there too.
In summer 1974, Stefi and I joined one of the Israeli tour groups that spent the better part of a week riding a couple of old Egged buses on a tour that took us from Jerusalem over to the Dead Sea road through the Judean desert, then straight south through the Arava valley to Eilat, then south again into the heart of the Sinai.
We spent some glorious days and nights sleeping on beautiful beaches on the Gulf of Eilat, across the peninsula to Hamam on the Gulf of Suez, from where we could see the El Morgan oilfield at work across the gulf; then back into the interior where we have an all but unearthly experience enjoying the hospitality of a Badawi tribe near Mount Sinai.
That night, we camped beside the great mountain, which rises straight up from its desert floor. At about 4 am, we were awakened, and just as daylight was peeking at us across the sky, we began the long ascent up the mountain. (A literal rather than figurative aliya!). Part way up, there were a couple of Badawi selling us freshly brewed and delicious coffee. Finally, the long climb up steep paths to the summit. Walking down the thousands of steps cut in the mountain was more difficult than climbing up.
Down at the base, we toured the Santa Katarina monistery, where Stefi amazed everybody by reading from some of the ancient Glagolica (early medieval south-slavic) writings of the “Provoslavci”, which translates to “true believers” as the Orthodox Christians terms themselves. From there we traveled on down to the tip of the peninsula, to Sharm a Sheikh and its hotel that the Israelis had constructed there, which was guarded by a Zahal unit. We all had a fine swim in the beautiful salt water lagoon and its mangrove marshes. Where I was wading, a fine, large stingray swam by in the direction of the Red Sea. On the way back up the coast along the Gulf of Eilat, we made a quick stop at the old Egyptian artillery piece that had been put out of action by Zahal in the 1956 Suez campaign commanded by Moshe Dayan, then back up the coast to one of a couple of small fishing villages, where an Israeli-operated tour boat with a glass bottom took us out over the great underwater coral fields.
Then back up north to Eilat, and thence to a rock-climbing expedition in the mountain ranges along the edge of the Dead Sea, and finally home to Jerusalem.
Nothing like that anywhere in the world. I still have all the photographs we took, and it’s all still fresh in our memories, 37 years later. May Ha-Shem and Zahal restore the Sinai to the Jewish nation, and in our own time. I want that more than I want peace.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
Mubarak it’s been reported retreated or escaped to SHARM EL SHEIKH one of my old haunts. I started getting nostalgic remembering the place before Mubarak and his gang took it over from us. Hope these events eventually pave the way for our return.
Song: SHARM EL SHEIKHRare
SHARM EL SHEIKH
SHARM A-SHEIKH
Great is the night and it smiles at you
We returned in the morning to Sharam A Sheikh
We passed in the night, the sea and the mountain
Arriving in the morning at the straits
CHORUS :
You’re Sharam A Sheikh,
we’ve returned to you once again
You are in our hearts,
always in our hearts
The sea and the salt will view the song
We’ve returned to you Tiran and Snapir
The same skies above your heart
Strait, sea and water- you are Sharam A Sheikh
CHORUS :
You’re Sharam A Sheikh,
we’ve returned to you once again
You are in our hearts,
always in our hearts
The morning rises in the coral beach
Fishing boats pass through the water again
The evening sets, bringing another dream
Brings on the water a hope for peace
CHORUS :
You’re Sharam A Sheikh,
we’ve returned to you once again
You are in our hearts,
always in our hearts
Hoy, Sharam A Sheikh
SG, what you really want is to get rid of it and not just get off it. In any case, I’m sure you don’t walk around with a piano strapped to your ass, so there’s nothing to stop you from doing exactly what my wife and I have been doing for 15 years.
Then you too can strip down, stand in front of a full-length mirror, and smile like an angel. And don’t forget that HaShem likes only the skinny folks. Which is why he gives everybody else heart attacks and strokes so they can croak and get planted early.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
Damn! I gotta get off my tuchus.
BO,
What’s this stuff about “old man”? I’m only 76 going on 77 in early April. My mom lived to 94, my dad to 86, and I’m in much better much medical and physical condition than either of them were. Much of this is because I not only seriously diet, but also work out with my wife every day at one of the big physical fitness centers in the Madison, Wisconsin area, using a treadmill to walk 2 miles per day at 3.5 mph. After 15 years of this, I’m back to wearing the same size 34 straight-leg jeans that I wore when I was riding a Harley-Davidson to high school and back almost 60 years ago.
—
Back to the Middle East. I maintain that nations and states have no permanent friends or enemies; only permanent interests. Israel has the technology to continue expanding its economy many times over, and I think that country’s destiny is to expand at the expense of her quarreling neighbors.
The so-called international system will break up and collapse one day, and none of the so-called great powers will have the strength or interest needed to send an army to the eastern Mediterranean to stop the Jewish nation. If Israel stands fast and continues settling Yehuda and Shomron, nobody will be able to stop her from annexing enough of those territories to permit development of an Arab statelet west of the Jordan River.
As for Egypt, the exit of Mumarak spells opportunity as well as danger. Israel has trapped Egyptian armies in the Sinai in 1949, 1956, 1967 and 1973, using blitzkrieg tactics of armor, mechanized artillery, motorized infantry and its incomparable air power. If and when a fifth such occasion arises, I hope an expansionist government will be in power in Jerusalem that will simply annex whatever portion of the Sinai they have taken before orders are given to stop the advance.
In short, I want development of a center of Jewish power that is as cunning, ruthless, pitiless and implacable as the Nazis dreamed we were. That way, we will begin attracting more converts and more allies as well. My almost 77 years of observing life has convinced me that as much as people claim they want nothing more than godliness, most of them really want to dance with the devil.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
Hi, Arnold
You’re amazingly lucid for an old man. I guess there’s still hope for me.
1. Kurdistan — not a very profitable alliance for either Israelis or Kurds. At best, they provide an intelligence and infiltration platform into Turkey, Iran and Iraq. But they are geographically cut off from Israel, even more than the Poles were from the French; and you probably know what good that alliance did to the Poles when German tanks advanced against their cavalry. What’s more, the two Kurdish factions represent two major clans; and they are as likely to ally themselves with their enemies against each other, as they are to effictively fight together. There are many good reasons that Kurdistan is not a nation; and problems from outside Kurdistan are only one of them.
2. India — yes, they have some dealings with Israel, and I have often advocating that Israel look to them as a potential ally in time of need. They have a great deal to offer, not the least of which is potential basing facilities. On the other hand, India has a consistent record of opposing Israel diplomatically, voting in the UN as though it were an Islamic state.
3. The Christians in Lebanon and Egypt. Israel betrayed the ME Christians in 2000, and I doubt that they have forgotten it, much less forgiven Israel. There will be NO Israel-ME Christian alliance. Why even suggest such a thing? 🙁
BO,
I have only layman’s knowledge of the technology of plutonium processing. So I cannot argue that point with you.
It is true as you say that the Russians, Brazilians and Chinese are courting the Israel-hating Moslems. But I think that has been induced by perceived international weakness of the Jewish state. In addition, Israel has long served as one of Washington’s lackeys, whose government has always been fearful of getting involved in sales of their high-technology armaments to China and other powers, for fear of incurring Uncle’s displeasure. So what other power would take Israel seriously under such circumstances? Presumably the international oil market is another important factor. But with world peak oil looming soon (see the recent Guardian Online report of information from an Aramco petroleum geologist that estimated Saudi oil reserves had been artificially inflated by about 40% in order to attract more foreign investments), the importance of the Moslem oil sources as foreign policy inducements will shrink markedly over time. But China and Russia are perpetually at war with their own Moslem dissidents, and over time, this factor almost certainly will sour their relations with the Arab, Iranian and Pakistani parts of the Middle East.
Israel, however, can make immediate headway with three or four other local or nearby players:
Kurdistan is in perpetual war with Turkey, Iran and the remaining parts of Iraq. It is in Israel’s interest to provide military assistance to the Kurds and encourage them to break up Iraq into separate Sun’a and Shi’a Arab states with no Kurds. That too would embolden them to pull southeastern Turkey apart, with its irreconcilable Kurdish population. And a large and independent Kurdistan would cause permanent troubles both in Iran and Syria.
India already has improving relations with Israel, and there is good opportunity one day for India to neutralize Pakistan, which presently is the lone Islamic state with militarily deployable nuclear weaponry.
The Christian community in northern Lebanon are permanent enemies of just about anything Islamic. The day will come when it will be in Israel’s interest to help arm them against the Hezbollah-dominated government in that country, finishing off exactly what Ariel Sharon started around Beirut almost 30 years ago. And next time, I hope most Jews will have enough common sense just to shut their mouths if not their eyes when the Christian forces begin butchering the Moslem that they get their hands on.
The Coptic Christian can be encouraged from outside to act as a permanent thorn in the hide of Moslem Egypt, possibly causing some sort of outcome similar to what happened to break off the southern part of Sudan from the northern Moslem-dominated part.
Yes, the next US administration, assuming Obama is tossed out of the White House, should prove more friendly to Israel. But the problem with counting on any US government is that they all are undependable in the long run. Americans by nature are just not ruthless enough to play the Great Game. And as the oil resources begin running dry, American interests will shrink back into their Atlantic and Pacific boundaries.
Finally, do not forget one major reality for the Jewish nation:
“Whatever happens we have got,
the nuclear weaponry and they have not.”
(Thank you, Hilaire Belloc.)
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
Arnold, you said.
Correct me if I’m wrong, but I believe the problem at the moment is Iran’s ability to enrich the U-235 component of uranium by succesively passing UF6 through a bank of thousands of centrifuges at Natanz. This is a delicate procedure, among other reasons because UF6 is highly corrosive, and the Stuxnet virus has made a mess of things. Weapons-grade Pu-239 is a reaction product of functioning nuclear reactors — such as the one, say, at Bushehr, if Stuxnet ever allows its operation. Most reactors are set up to maximize uranium reaction; and the extra neutrons generate an unacceptable amount of Pu-240. The latter isotope makes the plutonium unstable, and liable to “blow” prematurely. Weapons-grade plutonium should contain less than 7% Pu-240. I don’t think Iran has the capability of producing it in the foreseeable future; but they may be able to purchase it from outside Iran and make bombs out of it.
Concerning what you said about Israel’s allies, Israel has always had to do something of a song and dance routine to keep her enemies at bay. It was nice, for a while, have the US as sort of an ally — especcially during the Cold War, when the US had to support Israel in order to counter the Soviets. Now the enemy is not the USSR, but Iran and the Islamic Brotherhood. Obama has been falling over himself, trying to win favor with these enemies of Israel, much as Eisenhower courted Nasser. Ike failed, and Obama is failing. Meanwhile, the Chinese, Brazilians and Russians are courting the Israel-hating Moslems; and they are more likely to succeed than the Americans. The next US Administration should be more friendly to Israel than Obama was, just as Kennedy and Johnson were more favorable than Eisenhower; but it’s dangerous to think we can predict the future.
I notice that Mubarak has taken up digs at Sharm el Sheikh, just across the water from Saudi Arabia — swift boat at the ready, no doubt. That batallion of Egyptian troops that Bibi allowed Egypt to guard the place have found a job to do.
If the above statements represent all but certain facts to come, then Israel must prepare quickly for a pre-emptive war to retake control of the Sinai. In any case, Israel must do this on its own. No US government ever will give Israel any “green light” for warring against any Arab state, even if that state maintains a state of war against Israel. Israel therefore should begin distancing itself insofar as possible from the present US administration. Israel’s powerful allies among the Bible Christians will give political support to Jerusalem in all this, but most US Jews will be lukewarm. So stop whining about Christian missionaries; Israel needs support now from wherever it can be found.
In any case, the time has come for Israel to begin seeking arrangements with Russia, China and India, and encourage right-wing groups in Europe whose hate and fear of Moslems in Europe surpass their historic hostility to their Jewish communities. It no longer matters what their forefathers did in World War II; all that is now ancient and irrelevant history. What Israel needs is allies now, even if some of them are hostile to “democracy”.
Meantime, I sincerely hope the Israeli military and secret services will have initiated steps to permanently destroy Iran’s capability of converting uranium to weapons-grade plutonium. That at least would remove the main threat against Israel’s eastern borders, and possibly destabilize its present islamofascist regime. If the latter collapses, Hezbollah in Lebanon will largely be de-fanged. And if the Iranians are broken, one way or another, the Ilkwan in Cairo will think twice about pushing the Egyptian armed forces into a war that they would almost certainly lose.
Remember. In existential situations, all that counts is winning at any price.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
The new masters of Egypt are the islamist extremists and terrorists,murderers of tourists,and the new partners of new Egypt are Hamas,Hezbollah,and Iran,Tantawi is nothing other than a direct ticket to an islamist terror and subversion
The Egyptian Military since Mubarak are a professional class and not aligned or active politically. Since The coup by the colonels in the early fifties the army were political positioned at the top of the Egyptian elites. Since MB bumped off Sadat and Mubarak’s one party rule The Egyptian Military elites have remained largely neutral politically except where their mega businesses are concerned, much like the Turkish military they constitute essentially a state within a state. The confidence and fidelity of the Egyptian people to the army is because they are seen to be non political. Egypt’s vast military is made up of conscripts reflecting all sectors of Egyptian society. Were the Army to place itself as the determining political force in Egypt they will lose most of the peoples support.
My intuition is the Army dumped Mubarak because he was endangering both their economic interests and was forcing them to take a position of non neutrality in domestic political conflicts. The Army of Egypt in IMHO is incapable of running Egypt.
The MB just announced that they expect the military to transfer control to civilians asap.
I see the potential for war in two to three years with Egypt. In any event our relations with Egypt will be less than cordial from here on out.
My comment responding to an earlier post today is reprinted above. I have chosen to stick with this response, because I think the announcement by that control of the Egyptian government shall at least temporarily shall be in the hands of the supreme military council confirms my assumption that “temporarily” in Egypt is measured in multiple decades. Moreover, a continuation of the military control of Egypt is in the interests both of Israel, the USA, and the more or less stable elements of the Arab states and the rest of the Islamic civilization and its states. I never have felt that western style political democracy is compatible with the way of life of any Islamic society. For that matter, I do not necessarily think that democracy, in the long term, is compatible with a truly Jewish state.
Arnold Harris
Mount Horeb WI
And the NYT is certainly elated by the fall of an American ally and the ascension of jihadists, as was Diane Sawyer when announcing on ABC. Having Egypt in the Iranian and jihad orbit brings them one step closer to destroying Israel.