Egypt has appointed what the Wall Street Journal describes as a “mostly secular group” to draft the country’s next constitution. The group’s composition is being read as a contrast the controversial drafting of an Islamist constitution during the administration of Egypt’s former president Mohammed Morsi, during which women and religious...

• Kindle

Egyptian officials have increased their efforts to clamp down on goods flowing in and out of the Hamas-controlled Gaza Strip. The Iran-backed terror organization is an offshoot of the Muslim Brotherhood, and per The New York Times has been struggling since the Brotherhood-linked government of former Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi lost power...

• Kindle

Egypt’s army-backed interim government is reportedly moving toward banning Al Jazeera’s local affiliate. Three government ministers issued a statement saying that Al-Jazeera Mubashir Misr is operating “illegally, in violation to the profession’s standards and without a permit to work in Egypt,” the state-run news agency MENA reported. The ministers also said the...

• Kindle

Middle East instability has endangered the United Nations peacekeeping force in southern Lebanon, where sectarian violence and threats from Hezbollah have created a situation in which contributors are withdrawing their troops. The deepening regional chaos has similarly undermined the U.N. force patrolling the Israeli-Syrian border (UNDOF), where multiple have attacks...

• Kindle

Why is it that much of Egypt’s private media is “so profusely” opposed to the Muslim Brotherhood, asks Washington Insittute fellow Eric Trager, before supplying an answer in the form of a link to a New York Times opinion piece published this weekend by Egyptian journalist Ibrahim Essa. It turns...

• Kindle

Egyptian media outlets report on dwindling crowds at Muslim Brotherhood rallies being held in support of the country’s former president Mohammed Morsi, even as the pro-Brotherhood National Alliance to Support Legitimacy announced that it was seeking to conduct new demonstrations. Al-Awsat noted a “sharp decline” in turnout, among other things: Pro-Mursi...

• Kindle

The Associated Press assesses the willingness of the White House to accept an Egyptian government heavily backed by the army, and finds the administration… not totally unwilling, actually: The White House is reluctantly preparing to accept an Egyptian government that could be a democracy in name only, two years after...

• Kindle

Analysts are continuing to unpack Israeli and Egyptian military cooperation, amid confusing regarding a strike this month against jihadists in the northern Sinai Peninsula and after – according to foreign sources – a meeting took place last Tuesday in Cairo between a top Israeli security official and Egyptian counterparts. The...

• Kindle

Israel’s political and military echelons are deeply concerned with the unfolding, tragic events in Egypt. On July 3rd the Egyptian Defense Minister and Chief of Staff General Abdel Fattah al-Sisi stipped the Muslim Brotherhood-linked government of President Mohammad Morsi of after massive protests called for the president’s removal. The action...

• Kindle

Supporters of former Egyptian president Mohammed Morsi and his Muslim Brotherhood-linked government clashed in Egypt today, as demonstrators held what Brotherhood leaders dubbed “Friday of Martyrs” marches. Brotherhood sources said late Friday that one person was killed and over 50 were injured today’s protests, which took place a week after...

• Kindle