Reuters CAIRO: Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit on Monday praised the way the Lebanese group Hezbollah held out against Israel for over four weeks but faulted the Islamist group for possible carelessness. In an interview with Reuters, Aboul Gheit was more critical of the Israeli response to a Hezbollah raid into Israel on July 12, the …

Coverage on the Israeli-Lebanese conflict continues as the bloodshed seems to be witnessing its last hours CAIRO: Egypt’s newspapers continue to report on what they call “the last hours of the Israeli-Lebanese exchange of fire after both countries’ cabinets approved a United Nations cease-fire deal, due 8 a.m. Monday. In their columns, many of the …

CAIRO: An Egyptian court has ordered the release of two leaders from Egypt s largest Muslim activist group after being jailed for organizing pro-reform protests, police officials and the group s Web site said Monday. The two Muslim Brotherhood leaders were among more than 500 members detained by authorities in May after the group led …

CAIRO: Iran and Egypt called Sunday for a United Nations-backed truce between Israel and Lebanese movement Hezbollah to be respected, hours before the ceasefire agreement secured by UN chief Kofi Annan was to come into effect. Iran and Syria, seen as the main backers of the Shiite fundamentalist movement Hezbollah, also expressed their support for …

The Egyptian Liberal Party presents platform based on Egyptian national heritages CAIRO: After the rejection of Masr El-Om (Mother Egypt) Party, the founders are establishing a new party: the Liberal Egyptian Party (LEP). Many of the party founders are the same as those who were behind Masr El-Om Party, which was not approved by authorities. …

CAIRO: The foreign ministers of Iran and Italy are due in Cairo within the next few days for talks with Egyptian officials on the conflict in Lebanon, a diplomatic source said Friday. Iranian Foreign Minister Manouchehr Mottaki is expected Saturday for a two-day visit to meet Egyptian counterpart Ahmed Abul Gheit, while Italy s Massimo …

GAZA CITY: The border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt opened Friday for a second straight day for humanitarian cases, after weeks of closure, but was shut early again, officials said. The Rafah crossing is Gaza s only gateway to the world that circumvents Israel and was open for less than three hours and …

Reuters MARJAYOUN, Lebanon: Israeli troops seized the Christian towns of Marjayoun and Qlaiah in south Lebanon on Thursday, witnesses said, even though Israel says it has put off plans for a broader offensive against Hezbollah guerrillas. A Reuters journalist said Israeli troops had moved on foot through Marjayoun, about 8 km inside Lebanon, as well …

GENEVA: The UN s Human Rights Council will meet in Geneva on Friday at the request of Muslim states to discuss the war in Lebanon and Israel s role there, the world body said on Wednesday. A letter calling for the session presented by Tunisia on behalf of 16 nations said the 47-member body should …

Press coverage concentrates on Israeli proclamation CAIRO: In a blood-red headline, Al-Masry Al-Youm features the news of the Israeli decision to continue its offensive on Lebanon for another month, “Tel Aviv: The war will continue for 30 more days. “Israel decides to expand its ground operations . the Security Council will not reach a decision …

CAIRO: Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said the United States and the West were losing credibility in the Middle East because they were dragging their feet on a ceasefire in Lebanon between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas. In an interview with the Egyptian magazine October, released on Thursday, Mubarak also said it would be impossible to implement …

Jurists organizing ‘popular’ court to publicize accusations A group of attorneys and jurists have decided to form a joint committee to publicize a list of accusations against what they have described as the Israeli war crimes of committing massacres against the peoples of Lebanon and Palestine. The discussion group was organized by the Egyptian Organization …

CAIRO: Any United Nations resolution to end fighting between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas should call for an immediate cease-fire on both sides and must be accepted by the Lebanese, Egypt s foreign minister said Wednesday. The targeted resolution should be accepted by the Lebanese side, said Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit, according to Egypt s …

Human rights center says further investigation needed to uncover other violations The Sawasya Center for Human Rights and Anti-Discrimination issued a statement earlier this week announcing that a court ruling fined a police officer for abusing three judges in last year s parliamentary elections. Edko District Court fined police officer Mohammed Roshdy from El-Beheira security …

Time will tell if calls for a U.S. boycott will find support CAIRO: If you can t buy a bullet for the resistance, don t pay for one for the Jews, reads an Internet advert calling for a boycott on American products as it flashes the logos of many fast food chains and well-known consumer …

BEIRUT: An Egyptian military flight arrived in Beirut Tuesday carrying relief aid and 70 officials and public figures-including Secretary General of the National Democratic Party Gamal Mubarak-who joined the trip to express their support for war-torn Lebanon. Egypt s ministers of information, health, and industry and foreign trade; the leaders of several minor opposition parties, …

Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiyya denies ties with Al-Qaeda CAIRO: Egypt-based Islamic group Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiyya said they denounce violence and deny having any connections with Al-Qaeda militants, reports the independent Al-Masry Al-Youm on its front page. In a video message broadcast Saturday by Al-Jazeera network, the terror group’s second in command Ayman Al-Zawahri announced what Al-Qaeda deemed “the …

Associated Press CAIRO: Arab and Islamic officials on Sunday condemned Israel for arresting the Palestinian parliament speaker and called for his immediate release. Egypt, the Arab League and the Organization of the Islamic Conference said the arrest early Sunday of Abdel Aziz Duaik, a member of Hamas, at his West Bank home violated international laws. …

Reuters CAIRO: One of Egypt s most prominent Islamist groups, which waged a bloody campaign in the 1990s, denied on Sunday it had made any alliance with the global Al-Qaeda militant network led by Osama bin Laden. Meanwhile, a former official in Egypt s Al-Gamaa Al-Islamiya said that even if some members had joined Al-Qaeda, …

Reuters UNITED NATIONS: UN Security Council envoys attempted on Sunday to put finishing touches on a draft resolution from France and the United States calling for a halt to fighting between Israel and Hezbollah guerrillas and setting terms for a settlement to the conflict. The text calls for a full cessation of hostilities, asks UN …

An eyewitness account of Beirut under attack BEIRUT: No one moves in Beirut in the evening. Lately, the bombing has started again and for the last couple of nights (not last night), Beirut has been bombed from about 2:00 a.m. to 6:00 a.m. First, you hear the drones, unmanned planes used for reconnaissance. They buzz …

DUBAI: Al-Qaeda second in command Ayman Al-Zawahiri on Saturday announced that a string of key players from Egypt s Jamaa Islamiya militant group were joining the global terror network, in a taped message aired by Arabic television Al-Jazeera. In the message, the Egyptian-born Al-Zawahiri welcomed a number of the Jamaa Islamiya s leadership under the …

CAIRO: A former official of Egypt s Jamaa Islamiya said on Sunday that even if some members of the Islamist group had joined Al-Qaeda it was unlikely that most would. Al-Qaeda s deputy head Ayman Al-Zawahri had said in a video aired on Al-Jazeera television on Saturday that some Jamaa leaders had joined the militant …

Associated Press DAMASCUS, Syria: Six weeks after Hamas militants captured an Israeli soldier near Gaza and Egypt stepped in to mediate, a prisoner swap for Palestinians was still not imminent, a senior Hamas official said Saturday. Moussa Abu Marzouk, deputy head of Hamas political bureau, told The Associated Press that Egypt had put forth many …

CAIRO: More than 2,000 people marched in downtown Cairo on Saturday, demanding authorities allow them to fight in Lebanon in support of Hezbollah, police said. The crowd, including activists from several political factions, shouted anti-Israel slogans and vowed to support the guerrillas. We will all be resistance in the Arabs struggle against Israel, they yelled, …

Imprisoned politician Ayman Nour has returned to jail from hospital without having stent implants inserted in his arteries because of a disagreement over his care, his wife said on Sunday. Gameela Ismail told Reuters authorities had not allocated enough time for Nour to prepare for the procedure, or to receive proper follow-up care afterwards. They …

CAIRO: President Hosni Mubarak has urged his U.S. counterpart George W. Bush to support an unconditional and immediate ceasefire in Lebanon, the official MENA news agency said Thursday. In a message sent to the U.S. leader on Wednesday, Mubarak reviewed the dangerous situation in Lebanon and its consequences on the situation in the Middle East …

ASSIUT: Egyptian police detained more than 100 Islamists in connection with protests against Israel and in support of the Lebanese guerrilla group Hezbollah, police and the opposition Muslim Brotherhood said. The Brotherhood alleged on its official Web site that 130 demonstrators were held in the southern province of Assiut on yesterday after demonstrations that followed …

CAIRO: The leader of the Muslim Brotherhood said Thursday he was ready to send 10,000 fighters to Lebanon to combat Israel alongside Hezbollah. I am ready to send immediately 10,000 mujahadin to fight the Zionists alongside Hezbollah, Supreme Guide Mohammed Mehdi Akef told AFP. He admitted, though, that the chances were more than slim that …

PUTRAJAYA, Malaysia: The Islamic world s biggest bloc on Thursday demanded an immediate cease-fire between Israel and Hezbollah, as Iran s hard-line president called for the obliteration of the Jewish state. Key leaders in the 56-nation Organization of the Islamic Conference (OIC), including Egypt, Saudi Arabia, and Lebanon, warned that Israel s warfare would stoke …