MEMRI July 12, 2016 Special Dispatch No.6520
Reactions In Egypt To Israeli PM Netanyahu's Africa Visit – Egyptian MP: The
Visit Threatens Egypt's National Security; 'Al-Masri Al-Yawm' Owner: Time
For Cooperation With Israel
http://www.memri.org/report/en/0/0/0/0/0/0/9318.htm

In early July 2016, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu visited
Uganda, Rwanda, Kenya, and Ethiopia, and also met with the leaders of South
Sudan, Tanzania, and Zambia. The visit, which began with a July 4 ceremony
at Entebbe Airport marking the 40th anniversary of the Israeli hostage
rescue operation, in which Netanyahu's brother Jonathan was killed, was
aimed primarily at strengthening Israel's economic and political ties with
Africa.

The visit elicited many responses in the Egyptian media, with most
commentators expressing reservations and fears regarding its implications
for Egypt, particularly regarding the sensitive issue of Egypt's Nile water
quotas. On the other hand, businessman Salah Diab, owner of the Egyptian
daily Al-Masri Al-Yawm, argued that such comments reflect "childish logic"
and "wartime behavior during peacetime," and called on Egypt to cooperate
with Israel's investments in Africa.

Following is a review of reactions in Egypt to Netanyahu's Africa visit:

Arab League Secretary-General: Israel-Africa Relations Cannot Come At The
Expense Of The Palestinians

Newly elected Arab League Secretary-General and former Egyptian foreign
minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said that Arab relations with African nations are
good and must not be negatively impacted by Netanyahu's visit. The visit, he
said, was aimed at breaking Israel's international isolation, which stems
from its ongoing occupation of Arab lands and from its racist actions. He
added that Israel was attempting to market itself as a normal country that
can help others on issues like security and growth, but expressed confidence
that African nations that once fought for their freedom are fully cognizant
of the meaning of occupation and colonialism. Reiterating the African
Union's position on the Palestinian matter, he stated that he hoped that the
countries visited by Netanyahu would not allow their relationship with
Israel to come at the expense of their great and historic support for
Palestinian rights.[1]

Sa'id Al-Lawandi, a researcher at the Al-Ahram Center for Political and
Strategic Studies, told Al-Ghad TV that the visit was "questionable and
undesirable." He argued that while Egypt has neglected relations with
African nations until recent years, Israel, "the classic enemy of the entire
Arab ummah," has been operating there for some time.[2]

Egyptian MP Hatem Bashat, chairman of the Egyptian parliament's African
Affairs Committee and an official in the Free Egyptians Party, said that his
committee would meet on July 17 with the foreign minister's African Affairs
advisor and his team, at parliament headquarters, to discuss the Foreign
Ministry's official response to Netanyahu's visit and what they called his
dangerous and divisive statements. According to Bashat, Egypt should act on
both the parliamentary and the Foreign Ministry level on the matter and the
parliamentarians should seek a meeting on the issue with President Al-Sisi .
He added that discussing Netanyahu's visit with African ambassadors in Egypt
would not help, but Egypt had to tighten its relations with African nations
in light of the current global competition.[3]

Fears That Netanyahu Visit Will Impact Intra-African Nile Water Dispute

Concerns in Egypt regarding Netanyahu's visit centered primarily on its
potential implications for the sensitive intra-African dispute on the
division of the Nile water. This issue has been a major concern in Egypt
since Ethiopia's 2013 announcement that it was diverting the Nile in order
to construct the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance hydroelectric dam, which would
impact Egypt's guaranteed quota of Nile water. In 2014, Egyptian media
featured many articles implying that Israel had encouraged the Ethiopians to
construct the dam and was the chief benefactor of the move.[4] Following
Netanyahu's visit, this issue is again in the headlines.

Ibrahim Youssri, a former aide to the Egyptian foreign minister, posted a
Facebook status using the hashtags #Al-Nahda Dam [the Arabic name for the
Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam] #Netanyahu, and #Egypt: "Netanyahu's
provocative visit to the Nile Basin countries is meant to congratulate them
on their policy of drying Egypt up, to which [Israel] incites. Are we still
truly allies of the Zionists? ..."[5]

Egyptian MP Mustafa Bakri called for an urgent parliamentary session
attended by the prime minister and the ministers of foreign affairs, water,
and electricity and energy, to discuss Netanyahu's visit to the Nile Basin
countries and the risks it poses to Egypt's Nile water quota and national
security.[6]

In the official Egyptian daily Al-Ahram, Nabil Al-Sagini wrote that the Nile
originates in the four countries visited by Netanyahu, and that this
"confirms that the issue of the Nile water will be one of the main topics
discussed during the Israeli prime minister's visit to Africa, in an attempt
to realize Israel's historic dream of diverting the Nile water to the Negev
desert... Suspicious Israeli movements in Africa come at the same time as
intensive Egypt-Sudan-Ethiopia talks, and the presentation of the Al-Nahda
Dam issue at the African Summit... and it is clear that [Israel] is working
to thwart any potential agreement" between the three countries on the issue
of the dam.[7]

Dr. Hazem Hosny, professor of economics and political science at Cairo
University, warned that the visit was part of a plan to expand Israel "from
the Nile to the Euphrates... since the Nile begins in Ethiopia. This visit
is an expression... of an organized Zionist plan against Egypt [aimed at]
controlling its water and food..."[8]

"Al-Sisi gave Netanyahu [control of] the faucet" for the "Al-Nahda Dam"
(klmty.net, July 8, 2016)

'Al-Masri Al-Yawm' Owner To Opponents Of Netanyahu's Visit: It Is Time To
Cooperate With Israel

A July 7, 2016 article in Al-Masri Al-Yawm by "Newton" (pen name of the
paper's owner, Salah Diab), criticized the opponents of Netanyahu's Africa
visit, and argued that the time has come to cooperate with Israel:

"[Some say:] 'I will allow Israel to achieve exclusivity in Africa, since we
have a disagreement with it. I will let it invest in the Nile Basin since I
hate Israel. Let us look from the side as it expands its joint projects with
the African governments [since] I am already at odds with Netanyahu.' All
these [comments] reflect childish thinking and nothing more. This is
illogical behavior, wartime behavior during peacetime. Outdated clichés.

"No one in Africa wants to relinquish Egypt. Egypt cannot relinquish Africa
and the Africans will never relinquish Israel or their own interests
[merely] to play nice with the Arabs. They want us to work together and
cooperate with anyone who invests in Africa. The Dark Continent suffers from
many problems and Africans will not reject any hand extended to them, even
Netanyahu's.

"This is the truth we should accept. This is reality and it is our duty to
recognize it. Ever since Yitzhak Rabin's famous visit to Africa in 1987
[likely referring to his visit to South Africa], Israeli investments have
been streaming into African countries, while we lived, and still do live,
under the illusion that Africans would reject the hand that Israel extends.
This has not happened, and will not happen. There is no escaping
cooperation, because it is unthinkable for us to forgo our strategic
interests in Africa, first and foremost the Nile.

"Yesterday, Al-Masri Al-Yawm ran, on its front page, an Anadolu News Agency
report on [Turkish Prime Minister] Erdogan, who said: 'Yes to normalization
and partnership with Israel; no to reconciliation with Egypt.' This was said
by a man who wants to appoint himself leader of Sunni Muslims around the
world, and sees no problem with partnership with Israel. Erdogan will be
Netanyahu's partner in Dark Continent investments. He will enter Africa hand
in hand with Israel...

"Today, after some 50 years of peace, and after [President Al-]Sisi's call
for reconciliation between Arabs and Israel, this call cannot pass us by as
if it never existed. It can change the face of the region in terms of
economics, culture, science, and more... We must demand that Al-Sisi follow
through [with this initiative] until it achieves its goals."[9]



Endnotes:





[1] Al-Ahram (Egypt), July 7, 2016.


[2] Al-Quds Al-Arabi (London), July 7, 2016.


[3] Al-Ahram (Egypt), July 10, 2016.


[4] See MEMRI Special Dispatch No. 5671, After Reaching A Dead End In Talks
Over Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam, Egyptian Media Ponders Diplomatic,
Military Alternatives In Nile Water Crisis, March 10, 2014.


[5] Facebook.com/Ibrahim.youssri, July 7, 2016.


[6] Al-Yawm Al-Sabi' (Egypt), July 7, 2016.


[7] Al-Ahram (Egypt), July 7, 2016.


[8] Rassd.com, July 7, 2016.


[9] Al-Masri Al-Yawm (Egypt), July 7, 2016.


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