An Aggressive "Mea Culpa"

Egypt is mad at Israel. Again. This time because of an Israeli documentary on an alleged massacre of Egyptian soldiers in the 1967 Six Day war with Israel.

...the foreign ministry is finalising a political and legal action against Israel.

[...]

The parliament members called for the distribution of a petition to the international Supreme Court of Justice and criminal courts, in order to sue the Israeli leaders involved in the slaughter of the Egyptian captives.

The wheels of justice are in full motion. All penalties are being called for.

Parliament members also called for the dismissal of the Israeli ambassador to Egypt and to summons the Egyptian ambassador to Israel.

In other words, the government is calling for the peace deal between Israel and Egypt to end over this alleged crime, even though the peace agreement was made nearly 12 years after the war.

...the foreign ministry have started to act following Israeli TV publishing a documentary, which showed the massacre of the Egyptian soldiers.

[...]

Israeli leaders confessing to the assassination of 250 Egyptian soldiers while Egypt was withdrawing from the Sinai Peninsular [sp] in 1967.

One minor detail: no leader has confessed all of this is alleged, so far. Nothing has been proven yet. The leader of the alleged massacre, Benyamin Ben-Eliezer, "confesses".

Ben-Eliezer, a former brigadier-general, told an Egyptian newspaper on Saturday that the accusations were inaccurate. Those killed, he said, were not Egyptian POWs, but rather Palestinian fedayun (suicide troops paid and trained by Egyptian intelligence) who were killed in battle.

Who knows? According to the Egyptians, a documentary on Israeli prime-time television is enough proof for them to scrap peace with Israel. If guilty of a massacre, then something must be done on some level. It must be emphasized that nothing here has been proven yet, either way.

Chief of the foreign relations committee, Dr Mustafa Al-Faqi, said that Israeli crimes cannot be forgotten just because time has lapsed since the event.

If that's the case, how about the Egyptian crimes toward the Hebrew slaves over 3000 years ago? Former (Israeli political party) Meretz leader Yossi Sarid put things in perspective.

"The killing of Egyptian captives in the Six Day War was a war crime … but the problem in the region is that war crimes are numerous."

That's for sure. If this lawsuit goes forward, then imagine the counter suits to follow. Remember that justice is a 2-way street, especially in this part of the world.

As usual, Israel's admission of possible wrongdoing is never without a conspiracy or two waiting in the wings. Chief of the foreign relations committee, Dr. Mustafa Al-Faqi, perceptively sees the Zionists' plot where your average dope sees none.

He [Al-Faqi] also said that the Israelis showed the documentary in an attempt to terrify Arab people and armies.

Admission of past sins = "attempt to terrify". If only Israel were this clever...


UPDATE - Already the Egyptians are swiftly taking action.

Egypt's deputy foreign minister for legal affairs, Abdel Aziz Seif al-Nasr, said Egypt had summoned Israeli ambassador Shalom Cohen to demand an explanation for the contents of the documentary, aired on Israel's Channel One television last week.

Egypt also asked its ambassador in Tel Aviv to obtain a copy of the film from the Israeli government, he said.

That was quick. I'm glad to see Egypt is keeping a level head about this.

"That dog of an Israeli ambassador must leave Egypt," said Mahmoud Salim, a lawmaker from President Hosni Mubarak's ruling National Democratic Party.

You can just feel the love.

UPDATE 2 - Another Egyptian lawmaker, Salaam Al-Ruqi’i from the Sinai, weighs in.

The only way this can be eased is through a declaration of a state of war.

The Religion of Peace(TM).