Americans
in Cairo
Contact
AmericansInCairo.org
statement on Palestine-Israel
Americans in Cairo are dedicated
to the
notion that Israel constitutes no exception to the law that says:
"The Occupying Power shall not deport or transfer parts of its
own civilian population into the territory it occupies."
Geneva Convention of 1949
A few months after the 1967 war, Charles de Gaulle observed that -
| Moving
to Cairo - The Transitions
Abroad Egypt page and links Wikipedia's "Cairo" Community Services Association - Top all purpose family-arriving-to-Cairo centre Link - Jimmy Carter of late Link - Jeffrey C. Marck - The 2004 Elections - Link Link - Jeffrey C. Marck - 11 September 2011 - Link What haven't changed are Egyptian views of the US. In mid- summer 2011,
only five per cent held a favourable view of the US, pointing to
American bias towards Israel and meddling in Arab affairs as the main
reasons for their negative views, with 89 per cent saying that US
policies do not "contribute to peace and stability in the Arab world". It is a
significant sign to me
that the currently ruling military council in Egypt declined an offer
of a new $3 billion American shot in Egypt's arm. Just as it was
unwilling to sully the reputation of the Egyptian military by acting to
save the Mubarak regime, the supreme command may be declining
unsolicited aid from the United States so as not to burden the new
elected government with unnecessary carry on baggage from a foreign
power... or at least the United States.
Just guessing, the new government of Egypt that will form after elections later this year shall take a rights-based approach to resolving the formation of a Palestinian state that will be quite different to and independent of America's security-based approach. The record below of links to almost weekly "semi-official" Egyptian government opinion since May of 2007 gives Egyptian perspectives on America's futile quest to give the Israeli government anything it wants and give the Palestinians nothing they deserve while at the same time expecting to enjoy peace at home and abroad. Apparently it all remained "semi-official" because of the former regime's invariable experience with the uselessness of taking a rights-based approach directly and officially to the Yank presidents or congresses. Typically the Al-Ahram opinions linked below are expressions of the dreariness of what America is doing to sustain Israeli Apartheid, what is wrong with the "new" ideas that come out of Washington, how long it will take them to come to naught, the prediction that the Yanks will, once again, learn nothing, etc. ad nauseum - deadly accurate predictions over many, many years well before May 2007 when I started pasting links to that opinion into this page. Certainly the Cairo Yank Embassy and State Department in DC had and do now have people reading Al Ahram - Opinion about America. Apparently the only option of the Yank presidents and congresses have had was to ignore such facts and opinion as one could/can find in Al Ahram for fear of what AIPAC (the American-Israel Public Affairs Committee), News Corp and others would do to their careers. Or perhaps they are simply as ignorant, violent and rascist as they look when they potter about during this, America's violent adolescence on the world stage, November 1963 to the present... oblivious to President Eisenhauer's warnings about what he called the American "military-industrial complex". Senator Kerry was in Pakistan some days ago, chastising Pakistan for its national duplicity with respect to America's war on terror. Unconditional American support of Israeli government Apartheid is without duplicitousness? Saying "Naughty, naughty," doesn't count. One has to do things that matter. Like not voting against UN resolutions that, however mildly, censor Israeli government Apartheid. Senator Kerry and people like him are not welcome in the Middle East. Not when making the shallow, Roadmap to Nowhere sorts of remarks he made in Pakistan. And all we remember of Obama's Nobel Prize winning oration in Cairo... is his premature peace prize and the inconvenience of having had him in town for the day. Have an occasional look at Israel's Haaretz Daily Newspaper. My opinions are not uncommon among Jewish people in Israel and elsewhere. See also links to Jewish rights-focused peace groups in the column to the right. So now I retire from trying to matter as I imagine more "semi-official" opinion such as in the links below will soon become quite official, indeed, and less subject to Yank government dismissal. El Shabaab!!! Gameel! Gameel! Gameel! "The (Egyptian) Youth!!! Gorgeous! Gorgeous! Gorgeous!" But
The Youth, too, will be dealing not with just racist American
presidents and
congresses. They will be dealing with large portions of well
educated segments of the American population who either 1. believe in
their heart of hearts that
Jesus will come back if they help Israel steal more land, life and liberty from the
Palestinians or 2. believe there is a constellation of intractable
problems and, in the meantime, think that they are saving people like
Anne Frank or
something. I have trouble figuring out what they are thinking. Or if
they are actually thinking at all. They seem only to respond to News
Corp name-calling while our Yank government
just sort of does what it wants... or more precisely, what AIPAC wants.
Always and in all ways.
Right now they are in the business of supporting the vile desires of
certain extremely violent, rascist Russian Jewish fundamentalist
emigré Israeli voters
who
Netanyahu needs to maintain his own power. All supported by News Corp
and others who entirely ignore rights issues.
I'm older that Netanyahu and I hope that fat little racist has a stroke like Sharon and that they both wake up ten years from now to find the Apartheid settlements of the West Bank and East Jerusalem removed to the Negev. Al-Ahram Weekly reports and opinion on USA misbehaviour in the Middle East US-Egyptian relations on the rocks - James Zogby February 2012
US public opinion of Egypt has dropped significantly in the last year, a
fact Egypt's rulers and political forces should take into account No lessons learned - James Zogby December 2011Despite the fact that the US war on Iraq was a disaster, the same
talking heads that sold the war remain influential in US politics Carry on Obama - Deepak Tripathi - November 2011Ruthlessly pursuing its Middle East grand strategy come hell or high water risks another terrorist tsunami US-Egyptian relations: Tantrums will happen - Amr Abdel-Ati November 2011If dictatorship was forthcoming for Washington when it came to
implementing US demands, democracy in Egypt may be more of a handful Obama's free fall - Stuart Littlewood September 2011US President Barack Obama's speech to the UN rejecting the Palestinian
bid for statehood was an exercise in hypocrisy and disinformation Collision course with Arab opinion - James Zogby September 2011The likely veto the US will cast on a Palestinian state at the UN will
only turn Arab opinion further against Washington and its policies Will the US declare independence at the UN? - John Whitbeck September 2011Calling on the UN to recognise Palestine is a win-win for the
Palestinians. If the US abstains, it is a step backward for Israel. If
it vetoes, it loses its credibility as an honest broker Ten lessons of 9/11 - Ralph Nader September 2011How should the events of 9/ 11 be best commemorated The US's defective crystal ball - August 2011 The assumptions on which US scholars are basing their readings of developments in the Arab region The future is Palestine - Jeremy R. Hammond July 2011The Palestinians should take their case for statehood to the UN this September and not be cowed by US rejectionism Egypt, America and the future - El Sayed Shalabi July 2011The Egyptian revolution has changed US-Egyptian relations forever, as surely Washington knows, The Palestinians right to remain and return - Samah Sabawi June 2011The right to return to one's country of origin is a right enshrined in
the rules of international law, and yet it has been denied to the
Palestinian refugees Netanyahu and the Arab Spring - Abdel-Moneim Said June 2012It has not taken long for US President Barack Obama's reaching out
towards the Arab revolutionaries to run up against the Israeli wall America's coming Nakba - William Cook June 2011Is the US reaping the effects of its military domination of the Middle East and unconditional support for Israel Obama must not sideline Israeli-Palestinian Peace - James Zogby May 2011Obama waxing lyrical about Bin Laden and the Arab Spring while ignoring Palestine would be a mistake Mubarak's fatal error - Eric Walberg
April 2011The fall of Egypt's
leader and his political party is because he learned the wrong lessons
from his patrons. Will Americans learn something from Egyptians?
Republicans stir a lethal brew -
James Zogby April 2011A spate of rightwing
bigoted attacks on Muslims is both disgraceful and ominous for the
future of America
Politics and nonsense on Egypt -
James Zogby February 2011The reaction of US
politicians to the momentous events in Egypt has once again revealed
their basic ignorance of the Arab world
A roadmap to justice - William Cook
January 2011In the wake of US
failures to bring peace to the Middle East, there is a need for new
ideas and for a new commitment to justice
Will 2011 see the creation of Palestine?
- Khaled Amayreh December 2010With the peace
process going nowhere, and the US having failed in its role as broker,
Palestinian leaders are considering their options
Obama surrenders Palestinian rights
- Ramzy Baroud November 2010With Obama having
proven his promise false, the time has come for Arabs and
Palestinians to seek better allies
Obama sells America - Ramzy Baroud
October 2010In a capitulation of
breathtaking audacity, President Obama has effectively ceded the
sovereignty of the United States in its foreign policy to Israel
Obama's indecisiveness defines his presidency -
Ramzy Baroud October 2010
Whether
in domestic or foreign policy, Barack Obama's hallmark has been
denial, avoidance and failure
The Arab
"alternative" to negotiations is to wait for the United States to come
up with a new policy.
Construction fever -
Khaled Amayreh September 2010
Flotilla
massacre rocks peace process - Khalid Amayreb June 2010Israeli
triumphalism at the ending of a temporary ban on settlement
construction contrasts with the muted, and confused, Palestinian and
Arab response
Back to the table - Khaled
Dawoud August 2010Though the Palestinians have
caved in to heavy US pressure to take part
in direct talks with Israel, it remains unclear how progress can be
made on final status issues when there is not even an end to settlement
building
United against peace - William Cook July 2010
Only by
vigorously subduing the US and Israel to the authority of the
world community will it be possible to end the intractable
Israeli-Palestinian conflict
Having
taken a risk on Washington and agreed to talks with Israel,
Palestinians are wondering what Obama will do about Israel's murderous
aggression
Plans
to build yet more illegal settlements in occupied East Jerusalem emerge
on the eve of proximity talks
Current
US peace proposals are just as alarming to Jordan as would be any
regional war
For
a large portion of Americans, the balanced facts of the
Israeli-Palestinian conflict are not known
Build,
build, build: as Israel annexes Palestinian property to build yet more
illegal settlements it seems no one has the will to stop them
Forget
the peace process. Only world public opinion can put an end to Israeli
apartheid, just as it did in South Africa
The
only beneficiary from the US government returning to the rhetoric of
the war on terror is Al-Qaeda
"I
have come here to seek a new beginning between the United States and
Muslims around the world; one based upon mutual interest and mutual
respect," said Obama in Cairo. His deeds since then have reaped the
opposite -- mistrust and disrespect.
While
the political horizon in 2010 is still open, few are expecting much
from America's current president
Hopes
for peace unwarranted - Khalid Amayreb January 2010
The
peace enemy within - Ramzy Baroud December 2009
Most
Palestinians view the vague "ideas" being floated in Washington on
resuming peace talks with Israel as pipe dreams
President Obama has done nothing to address
the grip of the Israeli
lobby on US foreign policy, and hence Middle East peace is as
unattainable as it ever was
The Arabs are
growing tired of waiting for the promises the new US president made to
be fulfilled
Exactly what not to do - Gilad Atzmon November
2009
NATO
wants to learn from Israel, but all it will learn is how to kill
and perpetuate war
'Nuke
Gaza' is next - Jeff Gates November 2009
Al-Qaeda reconsidered
- Khalil
El-Anani October 2009
When
it comes to Israel the buck stops in Washington
By luring America
into escalating its war effort in Afghanistan,
Al-Qaeda has driven the last nail into the coffin of the US-centred
unipolar world order
How
long will it take to charge Israeli war criminals?
Impunity wins - Amira Howeidy October 2009
With
the UN Human Rights Council's decision to defer its vote on war
crimes in Gaza, politics has once again triumphed over international
law
Revolving
doors - Khaled
Amayreb September 2009
Evasive moves - Khaled Amayreh June 2009
Moment
of truth - Barack Obama at the table -
Nicola Nasser April 2009Another round of
shuttle diplomacy from US Middle East Envoy George
Mitchell fails to convince the Israelis to freeze settlement
building...
Mocking
Obama - Khaled Amayreb September 2009
While
the world thought Obama would champion justice, Israel has proven
that his words are meaningless.. from occupied Jerusalem
New US thinking? - Azmi Bishara March 2009 Will Obama listen? - El-Sayed Amin Shalabi March 2009 Washington continuing discredited policies - Abdus Sattar Ghazali March 2009 Imposing sanctions on Israel - Ezzedine Choukri Fishere February 2009 America's new(?) foreign policy - Muqtedar Khan February 2009 Obama is not going to change the essence of America's Middle East course - Azmi Bishara February 2009 For Palestinians, so far, the new US president represents no change whatsoever - Ramzy Baroud January 2009 "The Arabs are trapped between the anvil of Israeli belligerency and the hammer of US indifference to their concerns" - Ayman El-Amir January 2009 Isreal's Gaza myths - Jonathon Cook January 2009 PLO sells out Gaza - Curtis Doebbler January 2009 Accountability and the rule of law in America - James Zogby December 2008 Has the American neo-con riot run its course? - Stuart Reigeluth December 2008 Obama and Israel - Hassan Nafaa November 2008 The Republican campaign seems to be benefiting from, and stoking, religious defamation and hate speech - Abdus Sattar Ghazali October 2008 Open letter to President Obama - August 2008 Bush
must twist Israel's arm - April 2008
Opening to Hamas - April 2008 Israel cheerleading genocide - April 2008 Bush not clarifying Lebanon issues - March 2008 Egyptians'
low opinion of the American government - November 2007
Failure of peace talks predicted - October 2007 Israel playing loose with the law - September 2007 Calling Israel's bluff - September 2007 The misery of the Gaza siege - August 2007 Events in Ramallah -July 2007 Failure of Palestine Embargo - May 2007 |
![]() National military budgets ca. 2011 ![]() ![]() The American Congress seems to think it has enough guns to successfully fight international reaction to the kind of thing this You Tube clip shows Al-Ahram Weekly - Cairo The Egyptian Indepenent The Daily News Egypt Al-AhramOnline Daily News Portal Al-Akhbar The Egyptian Gazette Haaretz Daily Newspaper - Israel AIC - The Alternate Information Center - Palestine/Israel The Electronic Intifada - Chicago Schema-Root.org - Encyclopedia of World Events - USA - second by second updates Us Campaign to End the Israeli Occupation American-Arab Anti-Discrimination Committee Jewish Voice for Peace - USA Independent Jewish Voices - UK Independent Jewish Voices - Canada Independent Australian Jewish Voices ![]() photo: Ayman Barayez Al Ahram Weekly 21 April 2011 "The burnt out headquarters of the former ruling National Democratic Party overlooking the Nile epitomises the end of an era, the symbol of authority afire. The party that monopolised power for over 30 years breathed its last with the order issued by the Supreme Administrative Court this week to dissolve the NDP and sequestrate its assets pending the probable trial of the ex-president himself, his family and closest associates. The development shows how the country has changed beyond recognition in a matter of almost three months with high hopes that a new free Egypt will rise from the ashes of the past." ![]() Antony Loewenstein My Israel Question - Antony Loewenstein Australia's Shaik and Loewenstein on Annapolis Australians for Palestine ![]() Karl Sabbagh Palestine, A Personal History - Karl Sabbagh ![]() Tanya Reinhart Roadmap to Nowhere - Tanya Reinhart Walking Downtown Cairo ![]() Google Earth map of
the
Independence Square ("Midan Tahrir") area The Nile
is on the left - the green circle towards the center is "Midan" Tahrir
(Independence "Square") - The old Nile Hilton (now The
Ritz-Carlton
Hotel) is the white rectangular building
northwest of Midan Tahrir - the Egyptian Museum is the building north
and a bit east across the street from the Ritz-Carlton. The American
University in Cairo is the block with green spaces south-southeast of
Midan Tahrir - northeast of Midan Tahrir, all roads lead to Midan
Talaat
Harb (Talaat Harb Square) - shops and street vendors line the streets
leading outward from Midan Talaat Harb.
The large building at the center of the three pictures at the top of this page is the slightly curved building with the bright white sidewalks immediately south-southwest of Midan Tahrir and is a major administrative building - one gets one's visas renewed there. ![]() Talaat Harb Street connects Midan Tahrir and Midan Talaat Harb to its northwest and then continues into further shopping streets. The bridge over the Nile on the road from Midan Tahrir has broad sidewalks which fill with quiet crowds of families and friends who walk the length of it on a hot summer's evening and, less so, through much of the rest of the year as well. The Cairo Nile tour boats are boarded on the beach straight out from the Midan Tahrir area. Some can be chartered in the evening for a very low cost per person to your group (even six or eight). "Evening" runs to 2am and 4am on hot summer nights as whole families are drawn to the fresh cool air of the Nile's bank where they walk the wide sidewalk. ![]() |
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The Google Earth
map to the left
captures the area between the new Ritz-Carlton Hotel (the old Hilton)
and "Islamic Cairo". The Google
Earth map below it is centered on the Citadel area.
In the upper map, the Ritz-Carlton Hotel is the white rectangular building on the east bank of the Nile between the two bridges in the upper left of the picture - Islamic Cairo is the area with numerous blue dots towards the right edge of the picture, just above the picture's center line - the blue dots represent such attractions as the Citadel and the Muhammed Ali Mosque. Islamic Cairo is ancient Cairo and an area about which Egyptians feel a great deal of pride. They will be a disappointed if you haven't visited the main sights. The TourEgypt.net web page for Islamic Cairo is very complete and will make it clear to you how much there is to do and see. The upper picture provides a good view of the walk from the Midan Tahrir area to Islamic Cairo. A beeline takes you through a lot of twists and turns but there are the routes by way of the arch of main avenues to the east-northeast and then southeast or the southern route - southeast and then east-northeast. Better to take a taxi and save your energy for the vast spread of Islamic Cairo itself. Or try walking back to Midan Tahrir from Islamic Cairo if you still have the time and energy. The walk is worth it - once at least - the industry and humanity on the beeline between the two areas is very absorbing. Everywhere people will tell you, "Welcome to Egypt." And they mean it. Plan to drink several liters of water if it's a hot summer day. Sit down someplace and drink lots of water if you start feeling disoriented and confused. It will probably be dehydration although it may come on so quickly you may wonder if it is "heat stroke". Dehydration will catch up with you quickly on a hot summer day... and everybody wears long underwear in the winter. Don't be a fool and try to be different. "You'll be sooooorry." |