Protests demand that government get serious in demands for Hamas officials release
CAIRO: Sunday’s parliament session saw heavy protests as a large number of opposition MPs decided to bring the issue of captured Palestinian government officials to the top of the assembly’s agenda. The protests, however, went largely uncovered by national newspapers.
Opposition, independent and Muslim Brotherhood MPs sat in for an hour in one parliament hall, threatening to kick-off a strike if the Egyptian government does not take a “serious position toward freeing 50 captured Palestinian deputies and MPs in Israeli prisons. The imprisoned Palestinian government members are affiliated with militant resistance group Hamas, whose assassinated spiritual leader Sheikh Ahmed Yassin was an off-shoot of Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood.
The Muslim Brotherhood has long been supportive of Hamas amid criticism from the West, especially since the latter won the majority of seats in the Palestinian parliament around five months ago and formed a government.
In their sit-in, the MPs held anti-American and anti-Israeli banners and signs. “We refuse a conspiracy on the Hamas government, read one banner. “The Zionist enemy is breaking all the rules, [and] violating UN resolutions and everyone is silent, read another.
During the protest, several MPs had threatened to continue protesting for a few days “consecutively, but later changed their minds, saying that their protest calls will resume in upcoming parliamentary sessions.
“The Egyptian system is a weak system and the Egyptian position is unable to influence world and regional political affairs, Gamal Zahran, an independent MP, said in his statement during the sit-in. “[On the internal level] the parliament has become so weak that it cannot even oversee its own government.
“Although we – the Muslim Brotherhood, opposition and independents – only represent the minority in the People’s Assembly, we are strong and influential, Zahran added to the Muslim Brotherhood’s official Web site.
From their side, the Muslim Brotherhood MPs said that there is a tendency to alienate Egypt from Arab issues and causes, clearly referring to the Egyptian ruling party members. “Where was Egypt during the offensive on Lebanon?
Another Muslim Brotherhood MP said that there are some “top National Democratic Party members whose interests’ are in accord with those of Israel and the West. The MP was quoted by the official Brotherhood news Web site as saying that these top NDP members, in turn, pressure their deputies in parliament.
The criticism was not exclusive to Egypt. Arab states, primarily Syria’s and Jordan’s assemblies, were criticized for failing to pressure Israel to free the jailed parliamentarians.
“Apparently there is a conspiracy against the Hamas government, editor-at-large of Al-Osbou, Mustapha Bakri a strong opposition member, was quoted as saying during the one-hour-long protest. “It’s all in the interest of Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas and for U.S., Zionist interests. They want to overpower Hamas. [They want it] to be bankrupt.
In the end, the MPs told the press personnel present at the protest that their first and foremost demand is a freeze on all economic relations between Egypt and Israel and the withdrawal of the Egyptian ambassador from Tel Aviv.
