Category: News

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

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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

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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.

When people remembered the Egyptian POWs once again in Tiran

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It has been awhile , it has been a lot of time. Just as one would think that the case of the Egyptian POWs is fading away with all what is going in Egypt from political changes, the case returns back in the most unexpected way.

In the past two months, there has been a huge controversy about the Egyptian Saudi deal to redraw the maritime borders. According to that deal , the Egyptian government gave up Tiran and Sanafir isles in Tiran strait to Saudi Arabia.

There has been a lot of debate as you may have known. Many Egyptians as well political figures, powers and parties rejected the deal. The deal is being disputed in front of the Administrative court and it is expected to be discussed by the Egyptian House of Representatives according to Constitution.

Now as there is a huge debate currently in Egypt about whether the two Red Sea isles are Egyptians of not, people began to share maps, legal documents and testimonies on how Egyptian soldiers were stationed on those two islands and that those soldiers did not fight for a foreign territory.

Yes , Egyptian soldiers were stationed on those two islands and according to a photo that had been found in Getty Archives those Egyptian soldiers were captured by Israeli forces at Tiran Isle in June 1967.  Read More

Morsi’s Administration , The #MB And The #POWs File

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It is June 2013 and amazingly as I have waited the elected President in Egypt Dr. Mohamed Morsi to open the file of the Egyptian POWs in the anniversary of the six days war but instead there was nothing. Complete silence from the new administration.

The anniversary of the Six days war came and Egyptians found out the members of the Muslim brotherhood which the president belongs to were gloating over the defeat caused by their nemesis Nasser !!

I cannot ignore this opportunity without congratulating the Nasserites with their defeat Happy Six day war anniversary dear Nasserites and you are defeated , the leadership is for those who deserve the leadership Gentlemen !!

This was the tweet of Nour El Din Abdel Hafiz, the star TV host of Misr 25 TV channel. Misr 25 TV channel is owned by the Muslim brotherhood.

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Egyptian POWs in 1967

It did not stop at this , the MB members and supporters kept posting the Egyptian soldiers’ humiliating photos while they were in the IDF capture to tease the Nasserites on social media websites with no respect to all those who were killed and tortured during their torture.

The members of the Muslim brotherhood were actually gloating over the defeat of the Arab people and the death of thousands on 5 June 1967. In 2007 the MB used to speak frequently about “Shaked Affair” but now the whole thing is forgotten.I remember that Ikhwan Online used to follow carefully the case of the Egyptian POWs of 1956 and 1967.

The MB used to criticized Mubarak and his regime for neglecting the POWs file and unfortunately I do not see any difference in time of President Morsi.

Remembering the 6th

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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

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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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#9March : Martyr Day 2012

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Happy Martyr Day to all Egyptians. Today is our National Martyr Day which commemorate the martyrdom of General Abdel Moneim Riyad on the Egyptian front on 9 March 1969. This day we will should pay respect to all our martyrs who died and killed for the sake of this nation and its people throughout history.

The Admin of the SCAF official FB page sent a salute to Egypt’s martyrs from the armed forces as well the #Jan25 Revolution on Thursday. 

Tahrir newspaper’s header included today a beautiful graphic showing the pictures of late General Abdel Moneim Riyad and martyrs from January 25th Revolution “Mina Daniel and late Sheikh Emad Effat”.

Egyptian martyrs

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Egyptian POWs Website is back

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Egyptian POWs website is back after nearly a year or less from technical problems and as neglect from my side to be honest. I could not find time to fix these problems except now.

A lot of things took place and happened since the last time I posted here whether in Egypt or the Middle East when it comes to POWs news. Aside from the Galid Shalit and Palestinian POWs swap and from shocking POWs treatment in Libya after the revolution , there are some updates to our file , the Egyptian POWs file.More dark secrets have been revealed through out the past year

Tomorrow is the National Martyr’s day in Egypt and today Field Marshal Tantawy and the military commanders of SCAF and Egyptian army zones put flowers on the tombs of the Unknown soldiers throughout the country. I wish that our Egyptian people will do this next year on their own. I think we should start with schools and teach our students to pay respect to our fallen heroes in wars and in our revolutions as well.

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The POWs case is back

Zeinobia 1 Comment

This is my first post in 2011 . It is my first post after the Jan25th Revolution in Egypt , it is my first post after ousting Hosni Mubarak , the same man who ignored for 30 years the rights of our Egyptian POWs.

I wanted to write here during the revolution to show to the whole world how the former ousted president had no friend in the world  except the same man who killed our POWs in 1967 : Binyamin Ben Eliezer !! During the climax of the revolution last February almost all the leaders of the world did not talk to Mubarak and he did not dare to call them except Ben Eliezer !!

Mubarak and Ben Elizar
Old buddies !!

It is enough that his last call before stepping down was to Ben Eliezer !! Some will not like what I will say but how come Mubarak was an officer in the Egyptian army and headed our air forces once upon time !! Ben Eliezer killed our unarmed Egyptian POWs in 1967 and he does not deny it for God sake yet they seemed to be close friends to the level that Mubarak spoke to Ben Eliezer for 20 minutes in his last international call as a president !!

Anyhow Ben Eliezer can feel very sad for Mubarak but he has to be worried now because the Egyptian POWs case seemed to be revived again by the Egyptian revolution.

The Egyptian Arabic socialist party has demanded PM Sharaf and the supreme council of armed forces to implement the administrative court rule to demand a UN and security council investigation concerning the Israeli war crimes against our POWs during the Suez war , the six days war and 1973 war.

FM Nabil El-Araby has announced that Egypt is going to join the ICC at last , this great news means we can sue Israel in front of the ICC.

Despite we are busy in our revolution that has not finished yet , we have forgotten the rights of our fallen soldiers , Ben Eliezer should be very worried.