Egyptians hold anti-junta demos

Egyptian protesters wave national flags and shout slogans against the military rulers of the country during a demonstration in Cairo's Tahrir Square on February 10, 2012

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/226055.html

Tens of thousands of Egyptians have taken to the streets to protest against the military rulers who took power after former dictator Hosni Mubarak was toppled in February 2011.

On Friday, demonstrators in the capital Cairo, the coastal city of Alexandria, the northeastern seaport city of Suez, and many other towns called for the ruling junta to hand over power to civilian leaders.

“The people want the overthrow of the marshal,” activists chanted during the protest march towards the Defense Ministry in Cairo, referring to Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, who heads the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces.

Army units obstructed demonstrators marching to the Defense Ministry.

Demonstrators in Alexandria chanted slogans against the generals.

In Suez, protesters burned a US flag.

The demonstrations were staged a day before a strike called by activists to commemorate the first anniversary of Mubarak's downfall. The ruling council has deployed extra troops and tanks to guard state buildings and public property ahead of the strike.

On Thursday, the Muslim Brotherhood called on the junta to dismiss the military-appointed government for failing to deal with the worsening security and economic situation in the country.

Brotherhood spokesman Mahmoud Ghozlan said the military council should provide an opportunity for the Muslim Brotherhood to put forward a nominee for prime minister who could form a new government.

The demand for dismissal of Prime Minister Kamal el-Ganzouri and his cabinet came after deadly clashes in the northern city of Port Said between opposing football fans on February 1 that left 74 people dead. In the following days, 15 more people died in the ensuing mayhem.

Egypt parliament gets legislative powers

Mohamed Saad al-Katatni of the Muslim Brotherhood speaks to other members of the Egyptian parliament during the first session after the revolution that ousted former dictator Hosni Mubarak, Cairo, January 23, 2012

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/222766.html

Egypt's military rulers, who took over the reins after a revolution ousted former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak, have handed legislative powers to the country's parliament.

“Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi, the head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces, has announced in a letter to the people's assembly the transfer of legislative power to the assembly," the cabinet said in statement on Monday.

The lower house of parliament convened for the first time on Monday, two days before the first anniversary of the start of the revolution, which began on January 25 and culminated on February 11 with Mubarak's ouster.

During the marathon parliamentary elections, which ended just days ago, Egypt's two main Islamic parties secured over three quarters of the 498 seats.

The Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) secured the biggest share of seats (47.18) in the parliament while the Islamic al-Nour party finished second with 29 percent of the seats.

During the Monday session, the parliament also elected the FJP's nominee, Mohamed Saad al-Katatni, as speaker of the house.

Egyptian parliament speaker elected

Saad al-Katatni has been elected as speaker of the Egyptian parliament.(File Photo

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/222670.html

The Muslim Brotherhood's Saad al-Katatni has been elected as speaker of the first post-revolution parliament in Egypt.

On Monday, Katatni won 399 votes out of 496 in the first session of the lower assembly, held two days before the first anniversary of the Egyptian revolution.

With 47.18 percent, Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the political wing of Muslim Brotherhood, the biggest political party in the country, secured the biggest share of seats in the recently-concluded general elections.

The country's new parliament will also elect a 100-strong body with the task of drafting a new constitution.

The party, which was officially banned under Mubarak's authoritarian rule, has pledged to guide Egypt on the path towards the transition of power to a civilian government.

Over the past months protesters have been staging mass demonstrations, calling on the ruling Supreme Council of Armed Forces to hand over power to a civilian authority, accusing it of moving against the country's revolution by using violence against civilians.

SCAF took over after the ouster of the former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak in a popular revolution in January 2011.

Egypt's new parliament to hold first session

An Egyptian man takes pictures inside the parliament's meeting hall in the country's capital Cairo on January 22, 2012.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/222560.html

Egypt's new parliament is preparing to meet for its first session since the country's popular revolution ousted former dictator Hosni Mubarak in February.

The opening session will be held on Monday, two days before the first anniversary of the start of the revolution that began on January 25, 2011 and culminated on February 11 with Mubarak's resignation.

Freedom and Justice Party (FJP), the political wing of Muslim Brotherhood, the biggest political party in the country, has secured the biggest share of seats, 47.18, in the recently-concluded general elections. The party, which was officially banned under Mubarak's authoritarian rule, has pledged to guide Egypt in the path towards transition of power to a civilian government.

"It will be a historical session in Egypt's transition to democracy and civilian rule," Mohamed Beltagy, a leading member of the FJP, said before the session, due to begin at 11:00 a.m. local time (0900 GMT).

In Monday's session, the parliament is likely to elect the FJP's nominee, Mohamed el-Katatni, as speaker of the legislature.

The Islamic al-Nour party finished second in the polls with 29 percent of the seats.

The country's new parliament will also elect a 100-strong body with the task of drafting a new constitution.

Egypt's MB wins majority of parliament seats

Egyptians voting in the country's elections which began in November. (File photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/222331.html

Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood's Freedom and Justice Party has won 47.18 percent of seats in the country's parliamentary elections, officials say.

According to the chairman of election's judicial commission, the Muslim Brotherhood won 235 seats in the new People's Assembly.

The Islamic al-Nour party came in second with 29 percent of the seats.

The country's new parliament is to select a 100-strong body with the task of drafting a new constitution.

Tension heightens between Marshal Tantawi, head of Egypt's ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF) and revolutionary forces ahead of 25 January revolution's anniversary as many Egyptians are calling for the downfall of the junta.

Egyptians have in recent weeks staged mass demonstrations against the military rulers.

Protesters have been calling on the SCAF to hand over power to a civilian authority, accusing it of moving against the country's revolution by using violence against civilians.

The ruling Supreme Council of Armed Forces took over after the ouster of the former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak in a popular revolution in February.

Egyptian protesters slam US meddling

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/219908.html

Egyptian protesters have condemned the United States' interference in their country's internal affairs, demanding the closure of US embassy in Cairo.

Chanting anti-US slogans, the demonstrators gathered outside the US embassy in the capital Cairo on Saturday to protest what they described as Washington's meddling in their country's internal affairs.

The demonstrators accused the US of meddling in Egypt's recent general elections and called for the expulsion of US ambassador to Cairo.

The protests came a week after Egyptian military forces raided offices of several NGOs (nongovernmental organizations) in Egypt, accusing them of receiving financial support from the US.

The military rulers have said repeatedly they will not tolerate foreign interference in the country's affairs.

Egypt embarked on a three-stage parliamentary election in late November 2011.

The Freedom and Justice Party of the Muslim Brotherhood said on Saturday that it had garnered 35.2 percent of the party list vote in the final stage of the election. Another Islamic party al-Nur said it received 27 percent in the poll held on January 4.

The ruling Supreme Council of Armed Forces took over after the ouster of the former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak in a popular revolution in February.

Islamic parties win Egypt third vote

Egyptian women enter a polling center during the third round of the elections for Egypt's parliament, Jan. 4, 2012

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/219804.html

Two main Islamic parties in Egypt have announced wining over 60 percent of the vote in the final stage of the parliamentary elections.

The Freedom and Justice Party of the Muslim Brotherhood said on Saturday that it had garnered 35.2 percent of the party list vote. The al-Nur party also said it received 27 percent.

The two Islamic parties took 65 percent of the vote in the first two phases of Egypt's first general election since the ouster of former President Hosni Mubarak in February.

Egyptians went to the polls in three stages to choose a new parliament tasked with drafting a new constitution.

Once the new parliament has been sworn in, a commission will be appointed to draft a new constitution before presidential election is held by the end of June.

The elections came in response to increasing public demand for a shift from military rule to a civilian government.

Prosecution seeks death for Mubarak

Former Egyptian ruler Hosni Mubarak arrives by gurney to court in Cairo, Egypt, Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/219537.html

Prosecutors have called on the court hearing the case of former Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak to hang him for the murder of protesters during the revolution that deposed him nearly a year ago.

Winding up their final arguments on Thursday, prosecutors said the 83-year-old, lying on a stretcher in the defendants' iron cage, bore full responsibility for the killings and should be executed for giving shoot-to-kill orders during anti-government protests.

Prosecutor Mustafa Khater made a passionate plea to the court demanding the death penalty for Mubarak, former Interior Minister Habib al-Adli and four of the police commanders.

They are charged with complicity in the killings of over 800 pro-democracy protesters during the 18-day anti-regime protests that forced Egypt's strongman to quit on February 11, 2011.

“The law punishes premeditated murder with execution. The prosecution demands the maximum punishment," Khater, one of five prosecutors in the case, told the court.

"Retribution is the solution. Any fair judge must issue a death sentence for these defendants," he pleaded.

He said the nation expects the truth, which all people are equal before the law, and that Egyptian blood is no longer cheap.

Khater's appeal came on the final day of court sessions--which began on Tuesday--in which the prosecution presented its case, following months of testimony by witnesses.

Earlier in Thursday's session, chief prosecutor Mustafa Suleiman argued that Mubarak was "politically and legally" responsible for the killing of the protesters.

He stated that Mubarak was aware from meetings with members of his inner circle, regional TV channels and reports by his security agencies that the killing of protesters was taking place but did not order to stop it.

Mubarak is the first Arab leader to stand trial in person since popular uprisings began in the Middle East and North Africa over a year ago.

Egypt officers join anti-junta protesters

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/212139.html

A number of Egyptian army officials join the chorus of calls for change amid mass demos in Cairo and other major cities demanding the downfall of the ruling junta, Press TV reports.

In Cairo, up to a million people gathered on Friday in and around Liberation Square, the focal point of a popular revolution which toppled the four-decade regime of former dictator Hosni Mubarak in February.

The protesters called for an end to the rule of the Supreme Council of Armed Forces which took over after Mubarak's ouster, and voiced their opposition to SCAF's nomination of Mubarak-era official Kamal el-Ganzouri as prime minister.

The calls were soon joined by Egyptians army officers, who supported popular demands for a civilian government and opposed the junta choice to head the transitional government.

“The Supreme Council of Armed Forces does not reflect the whole Egyptian army,” said Egyptian Army Captain Ahmed Shouman. “We must be in cohesion with the Egyptian people once again. This is the best way. We must resort to the essence of the revolution,” he stressed.

Shouman expressed regret about the crackdown on anti-junta protesters over the past days and described it as a sign of the despair of the remnants of the Mubarak regime, who want to stay in power.

The captain recalled that the people's demand since the start of the uprising in Egypt has been the establishment of a civilian government. He then called for the formation of a “real parliament” representing the Egyptian people and their demands.

The SCAF has a six-month mandate to help set up a transitional government and hold elections, but the junta is receiving dictations from outside Egypt, Shouman stated, without explaining where the junta receives commands from. "We must represent our people not the outside world," he urged, addressing the military.

On the nomination of Ganzouri, he expressed doubts about whether the former prime minister was the appropriate choice given the current situation in Egypt.

Another Egyptian army official also expressed regret over the killing of more than 41 protesters in the past week, and called for the junta to meet popular demands.

“I have been a military man for a long time,” said Army Major Amr Metwaly, producing his ID card. “It does not matter if we represent the Egyptian civilians or the armed personnel. But most important of all is that we are all from Egypt; we stand side by side with the revolutionaries and we stand in support of the revolution,” he said.

He condemned the killing of protesters as being part of a Western plot to derail the revolution in Egypt. He denounced the junta's stance against the revolutionaries and the use of excessive force against protesters.

Metwaly also echoed his comrade's remark on the presence of Mubarak-era elements in the defense ministry and the ruling military council.

He said Egyptians are against outside intervention from the West and above all the United States, which has made numerous attempts to hijack the Egyptian revolution.

The major called on Egypt's military ruler Field Marshal Hussein Tantawi to respect popular demand, step down and stand trial in a civilian court. He also urged the junta to hold national referendum for the people to decide on the future of their country.

Metwaly vowed the army personnel would not back off on their pledge to support the Egyptian people and would live up to their duty of maintaining security for the Egyptian public. He expressed hope that the ruling junta would step down in a week's time at longest and people's demands would then be met.

'Nayef hires Egypt's ex-spy chief'

Egypt's former intelligence chief, Omar Suleiman

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/208993.html

Saudi Arabia's new Crown Prince Nayef bin Abdul Aziz has reportedly appointed Egypt's former General Intelligence Director Omar Suleiman as his security advisor.

According to informed sources, Prince Nayef has employed Suleiman as his security advisor after Egypt's ex-spy chief attended a ceremony launched by the US-backed Saudi regime to welcome Hajj pilgrims in Mecca, Fars news agency reported on Tuesday.

This is while other sources have associated Suleiman's appointment with Riyadh's pressure on Egypt's Supreme Military Council to cease trial of former US-backed Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak.

Earlier last week, Suleiman went to Saudi Arabia to participate in Hajj rituals and was warmly received by ranking Saudi authorities, who extended an official welcome for the former Egyptian intelligence director in Riyadh airport, according to the report.

Suleiman became a leading figure in Egypt's intelligence system after 1986 and was appointed vice president by the country's deposed ruler Hosni Mubarak on 29 January 2011, following the Egyptian uprising.

He was known as the “Iron Man” during Mubarak's era and was repeatedly criticized by rights groups for his 'inhumane' measures against Egyptian citizens.

Torture victims and human rights groups have widely charged that Suleiman oversaw the systematic use of torture on anti-government detainees.

Suleiman kept daily contact with Tel Aviv through a secret hotline and enjoyed very good ties with Israeli figures.

Cairo comes under curfew after clashes

Egyptian Coptic Christians clash with military forces and police during a protest in Cairo on October 9, 2011.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/203712.html

Egyptian military authorities impose a curfew on parts of the country's capital after clashes between protesting Coptic Christians and military forces killed at least two dozen people.

State TV announced that the night-time curfew, imposed on Monday on Cairo's Tahrir (Liberation) Square as well as the downtown area, would last from 02:00 to 07:00 am (local time), Reuters reported.

The angry demonstrators were rallying against the ruling Supreme Council of the Armed Forces (SCAF). Their major demand was that the military rulers rebuild a church in southern Egypt that was allegedly torched in October.

More than 200 people were also injured during the confrontation.

The casualties were caused after the forces started firing live rounds at the protesters outside the TV's building in the Maspero district.

At least three soldiers were among the fatalities from the clashes, which also saw a number of Army vehicles being set on fire.

The Egyptian military claims that the protesters were armed with deadly weapons.

Prime Minister, Essam Sharaf, meanwhile, said, "What is taking place are not clashes between Muslims and Christians but attempts to provoke chaos and dissent."

Skirmishes have also erupted between government forces and protesters near the hospital in Cairo, where the wounded from the deadly clashes were being treated.

The Coptic Christian minority makes up about 10 percent of Egypt's population.

At least 846 people were killed during Egypt's February revolution, which led to the ouster of the country's former dictator Hosni Mubarak's regime.

The SCAF has refused to hold presidential election within six months of the revolution as it had promised. The military rulers are also yet to determine a clear timetable for transfer of power to a civilian government.

The Egyptians have, meanwhile, started taking to the streets again, saying the public needed to 'reclaim the revolution.

Egypt forces attack football fans

Egyptian protesters clash with riot policemen outside police Hosni Mubarak's court in Cairo, Egypt, September 5, 2011

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/197842.html

Egyptian government forces have attacked football fans chanting slogans against ousted President Hosni Mubarak at a stadium in the capital Cairo.

Reports say scores of people were wounded during clashes between police and al-Ahli club fans late Tuesday after government forces tried to forcibly remove fans from the stadium, Reuters reported.

More than a dozen people were also arrested during the incident.

Egyptians attending the game were also chanting slogans against Mubarak's former interior minister Habib al-Adly.

Both Mubarak and al-Adly are on trial on charges of corruption and ordering the killing of hundreds of demonstrators during the popular revolution in Egypt that led to Mubarak's ouster.

Egypt's ex-president was ousted in February following weeks of anti-government protests in the North African nation that put an end to his three-decade rule.

'Israeli PM meets with Tantawi in secret'

Egypt's head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces Mohamed Hussein Tantawi

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/197528.html

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has secretly met with Egypt's head of the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces Mohamed Hussein Tantawi, a report says.

Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that the two sides met in secret because of the angry public opinions of Egyptian people toward Israel.

Thousands of Egyptians protested against Tel Aviv outside the Israeli Embassy in Cairo over the killing of five Egyptian policemen in an Israel attack near the border last month.

Cairo had decided to recall its envoy from Tel Aviv to protest the incident. During the secret session, Tantawi intervened and withdrew the decision to recall the Egyptian ambassador from Israel, according to the report. The paper said Tantawi ended the crisis in the last moments.

The two sides also discussed border security and anti-terrorism operations, the report added.

Egypt's revolution in February has put in danger the relations between Cairo and Tel Aviv

Israel sends warships to Egypt border

Israeli soldiers (file photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/196647.html

The Israeli Navy has sent two more warships to the Egypt border in the Red Sea, saying that southern Israel could be attacked from Egyptian soil, a claim denied by Cairo.

“Two naval craft have been sent to the Red Sea,” AP quoted an Israeli military official as saying on Tuesday.

Earlier on Monday, Israeli Defense Forces' (IDF) Chief of Staff Lt. Gen Benny Gantz authorized bolstering deployment across the entire southern territories, specifically areas close to the Israeli-Egyptian border.

Meanwhile, areas next to the border have in recent weeks become the scene of increased military build-up described by some security observers as “unprecedented,” after several Israelis were killed in an attack on a number of vehicler near the Egypt border on Aug. 18.

Following the attacks, Israeli officials had claimed that Egypt's grip on Sinai was weakening.

Meanwhile, Egypt's South Sinai Governor Khaled Fouda denied reports that the attackers had opened fire on Israeli vehicles from Sinai.

"The South Sinai governor denied there was any gunfire from Taba towards Eilat port," state television said in reference to the Egyptian Red Sea resort across the border from Eilat.

Egyptians hold massive anti-Israel rally

Egyptians hold a massive anti-Israel rally in Cairo, August 26, 2011.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/195906.html

Tens of thousands of Egyptians have staged a massive anti-Israel protest, demanding an end to the peace-accord between Cairo and Tel Aviv.

Following the Friday Prayers, protesters and activists gathered in several cities and Cairo's Liberation Square to stage a million-man demonstration.

Egyptians called for the expulsion of the Israeli envoy and chanted anti-Israeli slogans.

Since last Thursday when the Israeli military killed five Egyptian security personnel on the Rafah border crossing, anti-Israeli protests have escalated outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo

Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, but the situation has drastically changed since the Egyptian revolution which toppled former dictator Hosni Mubarak. A number of Egyptian political parties are now calling for changes to the peace treaty.

Under the US-backed Mubarak regime, Egypt consistently served Israeli interests and objectives by helping to impose the crippling blockade on the impoverished Gaza strip after the democratically elected Hamas government took control of the territory in 2007.

The crippling blockade on the territory has triggered a humanitarian crisis. The siege has left nearly one and a half million Gazans in dire need of basic supplies.

Egyptians urge freeze of Israel ties

Egyptian protesters gather in front of the Israeli embassy in Cairo, Egypt, August 20, 2011.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/195470.html

Egyptian protesters continue demonstrating in front of the Israeli embassy in the capital Cairo, calling for an end to Egypt's diplomatic ties with Israel.

The demonstrators insisted that they would press ahead with the protests outside the embassy until Tel Aviv's envoy to Cairo, Yitzhak Levanon, is expelled from the country, a Press TV correspondent reported on Wednesday.

The protesters also demanded efforts by Egyptian authorities to halt natural gas exports from Egypt to Israel and revoke the Camp David Accords -- a US-sponsored treaty that was signed in 1978 to establish 'peace' between Cairo and Tel Aviv.

Tensions between Egypt and Israel has climbed since Israeli forces killed five Egyptian border guards on Thursday at Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Minister for military Affairs Ehud Barak on Saturday said “Israel deeply regrets the deaths of the Egyptian officers” after Egypt announced that it would withdraw its ambassador the Tel Aviv if no official apology was made.

Egyptian demonstrators, however, played down Barak's expression of “regret” over the death of Egyptian officers.

The US government earlier dispatched an envoy to Cairo to try to defuse the surging tensions in Egyptian-Israeli relations, which have further deteriorated in the wake of the killings.

Meanwhile, activists across Egypt have called for a huge protest rally on Friday to press the country's ruling military council into meeting their demands.

US threatens to cut Egypt aid over Israel

US Congresswoman Kay Granger

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/195408.html

US Congresswoman Kay Granger has threatened that if Egypt withdraws from its peace treaty with Israel, Washington would cut its USD 2-billion annual aid to Cairo.

“The United States aid to Egypt is predicated on the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel, and so the relationship between Egypt and Israel is extremely important,” Granger said in an interview with Jerusalem Post on Monday.

The remark came as tension between Cairo and Tel Aviv increased after Israeli forces killed five Egyptian border guards on Thursday at Egypt's border with the Gaza Strip.

Israeli Minister for military Affairs Ehud Barak on Saturday said “Israel deeply regrets the deaths of the Egyptian officers” after Egypt announced it would withdraw its ambassador the Tel Aviv if no official apology was made.

Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, but the situation has changed drastically since the overthrow of Egyptian dictator Hosni Mubarak in February; and a number of Egyptian political parties have been calling for changes in the peace treaty.

The United States' annual aid has been provided to Egypt since the Cairo-Tel Aviv peace treaty was signed.

Granger also warned that the US would cut the USD 500-million aid it provides to the Palestinian Authority if it would seek to win a UN recognition for a statehood at the UN General Assembly meeting in September.

Granger is the chairwoman of the US House appropriations foreign operations subcommittee, which is the institution in charge if setting the US foreign aid bill.

Anti-Israel rallies continue in Egypt

Photo of anti-Israeli protests in Egypt

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/195084.html

Egyptians carry on their protests against Israel, following Tel Aviv's killing of several Egyptian border guards on the country's soil.

Over 100 anti-Israeli protesters rallied in front of the Israeli embassy in the capital on Sunday, repeating the outraged populace's demand for termination of the country's ties with Israel and expulsion of Israel's ambassador to Cairo, a Press TV correspondent reported.

On Thursday, the Israeli Air Force killed five Egyptian border guards, attacking the vicinity of the country's border crossing with the Palestinian enclave of the Gaza Strip.

The demonstrators have downplayed the Israeli Minister of Military Affairs Ehud Barak's expression of 'regret' over the deaths.

Earlier, a young protester climbed the Israeli embassy's building and pulled down the Israeli flag.

Cairo has also demanded that Israel halt its deadly airstrikes against the Tel Aviv-besieged Gaza.

Also on Thursday, the Israeli military killed at least 16 Palestinians and injured more than 45 others during offensives against the coastal sliver.

The Egyptian protests mark the public's venting their anger over Cairo's 30 years of amity and cooperation with Tel Aviv under Hosni Mubarak -- Egypt's former dictator, who was deposed by a popular revolution earlier in the year.

Israel apologizes to Egypt

Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak (C) and Israeli chief of staff Lt. General Benjamin 'Benny' Gantz (L) arrive kilometers away from the southern city of Eilat, on August 18, 2011, following a number of assaults that killed eight Israelis.

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/194923.html

The Israeli defense minister has apologized to Cairo for the death of five Egyptian soldiers who were killed in Israeli airstrikes on Thursday.

"Israel deeply regrets the deaths of the Egyptian officers," AP quoted Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak as saying on Saturday.

He made the remarks hours after Egyptian state television announced that Egypt had "decided to withdraw its ambassador to Israel until there is an official apology."

Egypt has also demanded that Israel halt its deadly airstrikes on the impoverished Gaza Strip.

On Friday, angry Egyptian protesters called on their government to cut ties with Israel and expel its ambassador.

On Thursday, Israel began two days of airstrikes on the Gaza Strip and Gaza's border with Egypt.

The airstrikes killed five Egyptian officers on Thursday.

Sixteen Palestinians were killed and another 45 were injured in the airstrikes.

Israel claims it launched the attacks in response to assaults that targeted two buses and a military vehicle near the Red Sea resort of Eilat in southern Israel, which left eight Israelis dead.

The attack that killed the Egyptian officers has escalated tension between Egypt and Israel.

Egypt was the first Arab country to sign a peace treaty with Israel in 1979, but the situation has changed drastically since dictator Hosni Mubarak was deposed in February, and a number of Egyptian political parties are now calling for changes to the peace treaty.

Egypt: Israel violated 1979 peace treaty

A Palestinian boy inspects damages following an Israeli airstrike on Rafah in the Gaza Strip. (File photo)

Source: Press TV
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/194905.html

Egypt's state media say Israel violated a peace treaty signed between Cairo and Tel Aviv in 1979 after Israeli troops entered Egyptian territory and killed five security personnel.

The international force known as Multinational Force and Observer (MFO), the monitoring force stationed in the Sinai desert under the 1979 treaty, said on Saturday that it has recorded two violations of the treaty committed by Israel.

The MFO said the violations included entering Egyptian territory and firing from the Egyptian side of the border.

The MFO report, however, mentioned nothing about Israel's accusations that militants it was pursuing on Thursday had infiltrated the Negev desert from Egypt.

Egypt, which is the first Arab country to sign a peace deal with Israel in 1979, summoned the Tel Aviv's envoy demanding an apology and an investigation.

Egypt's state television reported on Saturday that the country would recall its ambassador in Tel Aviv.

The death toll for Egypt's military personnel climbed to five on Friday afternoon after two officers that were wounded in the Israeli strike succumbed to death at a hospital.