Judge Ahmed El-Shazly of Supreme Administrative court in Egypt

Egypt’s Supreme Administrative Court: The Egyptian government should demand 1956 and 1967 POWs rights

On Saturday, Egypt’s Supreme Administrative court made headlines once again when it rejected the Egyptian government’s appeal against previous administrative court order obliging it to demand the rights of the 1956 and 1967 Egyptian POWs officially.

Judge Ahmed El-Shazly
Judge Ahmed El-Shazly of Egypt’s Supreme Administrative court 

The Supreme Administrative court headed by honourable Judge Ahmed El-Shazly upheld the March 2008 Administrative court’s ruling obliging the Egyptian government to demand the rights of the Egyptian POWs in the 1956 and 1967 wars.

In 2001, a group of  Egyptian POWs families and ex-POWs represented by lawyer and 1973 war veteran Wahid El-Oksori filed a lawsuit in front of the Egyptian administrative court demanding the Egyptian government to investigate the allegations against the Israeli Defense Forces “IDF”.

In March 2008, the administrative court issued its court ruling obliging the Egyptian foreign ministry to investigate the allegations.  Following that court order, the Egyptian government represented in the State Lawsuits authorities

The Egyptian government represented in the State Lawsuits authorities appealed the court ruling in front of the Supreme Administrative court.

Only on 21 January 2018, the Supreme Administrative court made its final verdict rejecting the Egyptian government’s appeal and upholding the 2008 court ruling.

The State lawsuits authority claimed in its appeal that the Egyptian government did not fail its duty. It said that ousted President Mubarak demanded Israel to investigate the allegations of killing the Egyptian POWs in 1995 and that the Israeli government formed a fact-finding committee to investigate the matter. That alleged fact-finding committee finished its work in 1998 but did not share its results with the Egyptian government according to the government’s representative in court.

The State lawsuits authority added that the Egyptian foreign ministry followed the Shaked documentary in 2007 and raised the matter with Israel as well as the Red Cross.  The government’s lawyer added in its appeal that Camp David accords and suspected that the families of the POWs are related to the POWs in the first place !!

According to the Supreme Administrative court’s reasoning that the documents presented to it that the IDF committed war crimes against Egypt and the Arab military and that the Egyptian government failed in prosecuting Israel criminally as well in demanding compensation international for the victims. 

Head of Supreme Administrative court Judge Ahmed EL-Shazly made headlines last week when the Supreme Administrative Court rejected the appeal of the Egyptian government against the Administrative court ruling in April 2016 annulling the Egyptian Saudi deal to redraw the maritime deal, which placed the Red Sea islands Tiran and Sanafir under Saudi Sovereignty.

Ironically, the State lawsuits authority brought up once again the jurisdiction of the Supreme Administrative Court in its lawsuit just like Tiran and Sanafir.

There has been no reaction from the Egyptian foreign ministry about this court ruling yet.

Ben-Eliezer and Mubarak in 2005

The infamous hero of Shaked affair, Ben-Eliezer passed away

On August 28, news came from Tel Aviv that former minister of defense and deputy prime minister Binyamin Ben-Eliezer had passed away at a medical center. The 80-years-old Israeli official was suffering from kidney disease.

A screen shot from Rush Shaked
A screen shot from Rush Shaked

The Iraqi-born Israeli official gained hate in Egypt when Israeli war documentary “The Shaked spirit” or “Rush Shaked” was aired on an Israeli TV channel in March 2007, including testimonies of military veterans in the Shaked unit he headed in 1967 on how they killed 250 Egyptian POWs near Egyptian-Palestinian borders.

In an alleged U.S confidential cable sent from the U.S embassy in Cairo to Washington on 7 March 2007, it was detailed how Ben-Eliezer cancelled his visit to Egypt over the anger of the government of Egypt as well the anger of media.

Interestingly, according to Ben-Eliezer’s Wikipedia page, the Egyptian General Intelligence service warned him of coming to Egypt during that time otherwise he could be arrested.

The public anger during then in Cairo forced the Egyptian People’s assembly summoned the minister of foreign affairs then Ahmed El-Ghait to investigate the matter.

The Egyptian ministry opened an investigation into the documentary vowing to take strong steps if proven the Israeli guilt. It also released the transcript of the documentary in Arabic

The statements of the videos were clear that Egyptian POWs were killed despite they were not holding any arms and they were hiding according to the transcript released by the Egyptian ministry of foreign affairs to the Egyptian media in March.

In 2008, Ahmed El-Ghait stated that the investigation was still open till Israel would finish its investigation.

It is unclear to know the fate of the Egyptian investigations into the Rush Shaked documentary but Israel already made it clear that its veterans did not commit anything wrong as usual.

The Israeli ministry of foreign issued a statement in Arabic on March 7,2007 claiming that video stated those late Egyptian military were actually fighting combatants who had a battle and “both sides had battles and victims during that war”!!

The former Israeli minister of defense was proud of his very close friendship to Egypt’s ousted dictator and convicted ex-president Mohamed Hosni Mubarak, a thing which brought to him criticism sometimes in Israeli media ironically after 2011.

Binyamin Ben-Eliezer stated in August 2011 that he and current Israeli PM Benjamin Netanyahu offered political asylum to Mubarak and his family following his ouster but he declined because “he was patriot”.

Mubarak and Ben-Eliezer in Sharm El-Sheikh
Mubarak and Ben-Eliezer in Sharm El-Sheikh in January 2012. “Getty Images”

As a minister of infrastructure, Ben-Eliezer witnessed along with Mubarak in June 2005 the signing of a memorandum of understanding for supplying Israel with Egyptian national gas.

Mubarak’s long-time friend, Hussein Salem was the main Egyptian partner in this controversial deal.

Ben-Eliezer had a very legacy when it comes to Egypt and its POWs as Lebanon and its invasion and history won’t forget that.

History will also remember how the Mubarak’s administration had an opportunity to restore back some of the rights of the Egyptian POWs but it gave it up.

A footage from Israel as a reminder

Do you remember Israeli “This is us” documentary which included a very rare footage for Egyptian POWs mistreated during their capture by IAF in Al Arish in June 1967 !?

In 2012 we had only 2 minutes only from that documentary directed by Eric Bernstein , well there are more two extra minutes from the same documentary.


The extra minutes show the humiliation of the Egyptian POWs in 1967 forced to be in their underwear.It is very sad footage as well important one.It was filmed at the same location I believe that photo was taken

Egyptian POWs in Al Arish June 1967
Egyptian POWs in Al Arish June 1967

 

The Egyptian #POWs in #1973 : The Thunderbolt POWs Massacre

On the 40th anniversary of the October 1973 war “Yom Kippur war” You will find it rare that Egyptian or Israeli media would speak about what happened to Egyptian POWs during that war. The media’s focus especially in Egypt is about the Israeli POWs and the good treatment they received .

On the other side very few sources speak about what happened during that war from crimes and violations committed by the Israeli Defense army. Group 73 Historians, a group of army veterans who chronicle independently the history of the wars against Israel revealed a horrifying incident which they named “The Thunderbolt Forces Massacre”.

The incident is based upon the testimony of former major general Magdy Shehata’s memories.

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Al Watan Newspaper Remembers Egyptian POWs in #1967 War Defeat Anniversary

Al Watan Newspaper published last 5th of June 2013 a special report in Arabic about the Egyptian POWs in 1956 and in 1967.

Despite it is not the biggest special coverage considering the fact that we are currently in

? Egyptian POWs in tracks “Corbis”

political development marathon in Egypt yet it reminds the Egyptian and Arab readers with what happened to our POWs in both wars.

The special coverage included the testimony of 1967 veteran and former POW Ibrahim El Siyad. Ibrahim was a solider in Al Arish in the Supply and transportation branch during the six days war. After his capture near Al Arish city in his attempt to flee the city , he was transferred to Al Arish military airport where he witnessed the killing of Egyptian POWs in the airport.

“They {IDF soldiers} used to dig a pit in the sand then they ordered the Egyptian POW to sit at the pit and they shot him” MR. El Siyad stated what many had witnessed in Al Arish airport and how it turned to graveyard then.

El Siyad was transferred later to Atlit prison camp to spend there 5 months. 

During his transportation he survived death , when young IDF soldiers “originally Yemeni teenagers” opened their fire in the way on the POWs. Only 3 POWs from 50-60 POWs survived including El Siyad. El Siyad was injured in his hand.

Interestingly I remember reading a similar testimony on how the POWs transferred in  trucks were shot in their head. It seems that there was some order to reduce the number of POWs using all possible ways after all !!

According to the old POW there were 5000 Egyptian POWs in Atlit prison. He mentioned about the inhuman conditions the POWs suffered from during their detention. “We were 100 in each ward, they used to lock us up in the ward from 4 PM to 8 AM without water , we used to pee in a bucket” The old POW remembered his days in the POWs prison camp adding that he did not receive a medical care for his hand injury except one month.

Mr. El Siyad is suing the IDF in front of the State Council in Egypt.

The testimony was recorded in video by the way. I wish it is translated in English.

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Another proof from #Israel about crimes against Egyptian #POWs

Israeli Website “Walla” published last Friday “12/10/2012” footage from a documentary filmed in June 1967 showing how the Egyptian POWs from soldiers and officers were abused by the IDF in Al Arish airport prison camp. It is horrible 2 minutes footage , this was just the tip of the ice-berg for real.

This footage shows clear abuse to the Egyptian soldiers and officers captured during the 1967 war. It is humiliating by all measures. It was shot on 8 mm film by Reuven Sela , an amateur photographer who was serving as reservist in the Israeli Air forces “IAF”

This footage is from a documentary called “This is us” that is directed by Eric Bernstein and produced by Eliav Liliti , it depends mainly on the footage filmed by amateurs in Israel on 8 mm cameras. The full documentary will be screened in Tel Aviv this week.

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Remembering the 6th

Today is the anniversary of the 6th of October 1973 war , today we remember all our fallen soldiers and officers as well our POWs whether in 1967 or in 1973.

Today we also remember the treatment of Israeli POWs in Egypt and how it is quite different to what our Egyptian POWs faced in 1956 and 1967.

In this occasion , I would like to share with you a rare Egyptian documentary directed by late famous director Shady Abdel Salam in 1975 about the war and the Egyptian soldiers. The documentary in Arabic includes the testimonies of Egyptian soldiers including those who had been captured by Israeli forces.

On the other hand this year we find some Israeli veteran returning back the military ID of Egyptian soldier which he took in 1973 during the war , it was a trophy of war I believe. There are not clear details about how he got it. According to Israeli press , the Israeli veteran felt sorry and believed it should return to the family of that late solider who was called “Abdel Hamid Abdel Hamid Ibrahim” after 39 years.

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Al Masry Al Youm Reopens the Egyptian POWs file in North Sinai

Last week Egypt celebrated the April 25th Sinai’s liberation day and Yesterday Al Masry Al Youm Daily published online a report about the Remains of Egyptian POWs scattered across North Sinai with testimonies from eye witnesses about the IDF’s  atrocities against the Egyptian officers and soldiers captured in 1967 war. 

The newspaper spoke with “Said Atika” , a local from North Sinai who is concerned with the POWs file and is angry on how the government is ignoring the lost rights of his POWs who told it that “There are hundreds of POWs remains across Sinai” and that the Bedouin elderly tell him from time to time on how they buried “under that tree couple of officers” or “near that hill they buried three soldiers” ..etc.

The remains of Egyptian POWs in North Sinai
The remains of Egyptian POWs in North Sinai "Al Masry Al Youm"

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