Ayoon Wa Azan (We Won’t Buy Israel. They’re Not Selling Democracy)

I was examining the Western news stories, reports and analyses collected on my behalf as I prepared to travel to Cairo yesterday. I was surprised to find that an unfair American campaign of blatant lies was taking place against Ms. Faiza Aboul-Naga, Minister of Planning and International Cooperation, against the backdrop of the arrest of Americans working for NGOs in Egypt. This issue is well known to the Egyptians. But I want to add to their benefit and that of all the readers the account given by the American media of what happened. In an editorial, the Washington Post said: “The campaign against the International Republican Institute, National Democratic Institute and Freedom House, “is being led by Minister of International Cooperation Faiza Aboul Naga”, a civilian holdover from the Mubarak regime, and an ambitious demagogue, who is pursuing a well-worn path in Egyptian politics — whipping up nationalist sentiment against the United States as a way of attacking liberal opponents at home.” Ms. Faiza Aboul-Naga is a liberal, and anti-American sentiment does not need to be stoked by a minister of a party. To be sure, the United States is a country that endorses Israel, the apartheid and criminal occupation state. Further, American wars have killed more than one million Arabs and Muslims in the last decade, and the killing is still ongoing. Moreover, the organizations in question are funded by the National Endowment for Democracy, while the first two groups mentioned above represent the Republican Democratic Parties and their policies and interests, not any Egyptian interests. As regards Freedom House, it is full of known Likudniks and members of the Israel lobby. Furthermore, the reputation of the Endowment itself is one of instigating unrest from Russia to Nicaragua, Ukraine, Georgia, Serbia and elsewhere. I can refute every line in the editorial. By the way, the newspaper did not content itself with it, but also ran a news story with the same gist entitled “Architect of Egypt’s NGO crackdown is Mubarak holdover”. To this, all I can say is, “The writer of the news story and all writers in the paper do not know Ms. Faiza as I have known her, for over a quarter-century. She is a source of pride for Egypt and the Arabs, and if she had any mistakes or violations, then the revolutionaries of Egypt would have shown her no mercy”. The pro-Israeli writer Michael Gerson, in the Washington Post as well, said that the campaign against the NGOs was ominous, and echoed others in talking about the possibility of cutting of U.S. military aid to Egypt. At least, David Ignatius wrote objectively about the dispute (he is the only remaining objective journalist there) and warned against the U.S. “stoking the chaos in Cairo”. The New York Times wrote about the subject with the same sense of prejudice and fabrication. Its editorial entitled “Egypt’s Unwise Course” began by stating that “In Egypt, it’s unlikely that any group receives more money from foreign sources than the military — roughly $1.3 billion in United States government aid per year, more than $39 billion over the last three decades.” This is a lie. Egypt would not have received a dime were it not for the peace treaty with Israel. Aid to Egypt is under the scope of aid to Israel alone, the aggressive occupying state that hogs half of U.S. foreign aid or more because the Israel lobby has bought members of Congress. Since the two newspapers share sources, they also share thoughts. For this reason, the New York Times ran a story that began by claiming that Ms. Faiza “is a holdover from the Mubarak era”, that she is the driving force behind the campaign against 16 Americans facing criminal charges and that she is defying the ruling military council. (The number of detainees varies from newspaper to another). Faiza Aboul Naga does all this? Are there two Faizas, one that I know and another that the Americans, or Israeli-Americans, know? I also read the following titles: -Egypt's attack on civil society. -Egypt Defies U.S. by Setting Trial for 19 Americans on Criminal Charges -Egypt's cold shoulder: A sudden new wave of anti-Americanism is thriving in Cairo. -The Brewing Egyptian Hostage Crisis. -Egyptian Military Scapegoats US for Its Own Crimes. What is common to the extremists I quoted here is that they are all Likudnik enemies of Arabs and Muslims. Their attacks against Faiza Aboul Naga are therefore the equivalent of a medal that she can wear on her chest. Imagine with me the embarrassment if the goons of the Israel lobby had praised her instead. Finally, among the American detainees in Egypt is Sam LaHood, the son of Ray LaHood, U.S. Secretary of Labor. The son is the director of the International Republican Institute, and is therefore the last person who can promote democracy. According to what I read about him, he worked as an observer under the U.S. occupation in Iraq. We will not buy Israel, and they’re definitely not selling democracy.