Egypt released an American-Israeli it held as an alleged spy and Israel freed 25 Egyptians in a prisoner swap on Thursday that will ease strains between Cairo\’s new rulers and the United States and Israel.
The Arab Spring, as a moniker for the revolution that seemed about to sweep the Middle East earlier this year, has given way to far less cheerful seasonal metaphors — from long, hot summer to dark, dismal winter. In Egypt, where “people power” toppled Hosni Mubarak’s corrupt dictatorship, the dream of freedom has morphed into a nightmare of mob violence and military crackdown. In other countries whose dictators have been more willing to use extreme savagery to hold on to power, the opposition is getting slaughtered — except for Libya, where Western intervention has made the difference.
Bashar Assad must have felt a chill when he saw the pictures of Muamar Gadhafi’s final moments and knowing that Syrian crowds were chanting, “Assad is next.”
Israel\’s Cabinet unanimously approved a deal to release dual American-Israeli citizen Ilan Grapel in exchange for 25 Egyptians being held in Israeli prisons.
Egypt has renewed pumping gas to Israel through a pipeline that has been attacked six times in less than a year.
An aide to Benjamin Netanyahu denied an Israeli lawmaker’s assertion that the prime minister had offered Hosni Mubarak asylum in Israel.
As the trial of Hosni Mubarak began in Egypt, an Israeli lawmaker said he had offered political asylum in Israel to the longtime Egyptian president.
Egyptian judicial authorities have extended deposed President Hosni Mubarak\’s detention to question him regarding a natural gas deal with Egypt. Egypt lost more than $714 million in the deal, Egypt\’s prosecutor said in a statement, the New York Times reported.
Former Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and his two sons have been detained for 15 days while the country\’s prosecutor general investigates corruption allegations. Wednesday\’s detentions came a day after Mubarak, 82, was hospitalized in Sharm el-Sheik with heart problems, which afflicted him as prosecutors began questioning him over allegations of corruption and abuse of power. He is also being investigated on allegations that he ordered the military to fire on demonstrators. State prosecutors are probing his sons, Alaa and Gamal, on allegations of embezzlement.
Egypt\’s new foreign minister said the days of Israel getting cheap gas and strategic benefits are over.
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