Today's Zaman Turkey alone in region in challenging Egypt's legitimacy Qatar's recent move toward reconciliation with Egypt has left Turkey as the only country in the region taking a position against the legitimacy of the regime of Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi, but there are also dissenting voices inside Turkey pushing for a normalization of relations with this key Arab country. According to various sources, Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu, Foreign Minister Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu and possibly certain other Cabinet ministers disagree with Erdoğan's decision to continue to have troubled relations with Egypt. There have been a few attempts by the Foreign Ministry to mend ties with Egypt, but at least two of these attempts were blocked by Erdoğan. "Turkey is losing the Arab world and the international community. The government is trying to emerge as the leader of the new Islamic world. And they share the same line as the Muslim Brotherhood," the Arab diplomat said. While Qatar is giving in to pressure from Saudi Arabia and the United Arab Emirates, it still remains to be seen whether Turkey will be able to change its position toward Egypt. Read more: http://www.todayszaman.com/anasayfa_turkey-alone-in-region-in-challenging-egypts-legitimacy_368653.html The New York Times After Killing of Gaza Teenager, Calls for Egyptian Inquiry GAZA — Palestinian officials are demanding that the Egyptian government investigate the fatal shooting of a 16-year-old boy from Gaza who they say was killed by Egyptian soldiers, condemning what the officials called excessive force against a teenager who had been crossing the frontier to find work. The shooting of the boy, Zaki al-Hobi, on Friday was the first time in several years that Egyptian security forces had been accused of killing a Palestinian on the border, according to Palestinian officials. It highlighted the Egyptian military's intensifying clampdown to deter smuggling in an area that the government of President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi increasingly regards as its most serious security threat. An Egyptian military spokesman denied that soldiers had killed the boy, saying in a text message that "the shooting was not from our side." "The child was defenseless and did not pose any threat to Egyptian security," Iyad al-Buzom, a spokesman for the Ministry of Interior and National Security in Gaza, said in a statement. Read more: http://www.nytimes.com/2015/01/04/world/middleeast/after-killing-of-gaza-teenager-calls-for-egyptian-investigation.html?_r=0 The Times of Israel Libya Islamists said to abduct 20 Egypt Christians Islamist militants have abducted 20 Egyptian Christians in Libya in recent days, a source close to the government said Saturday. The Ansar al-Sharia militia had kidnapped 13 of them Saturday in the coastal city of Sirte and the rest of them there over the past few days, the source said. Their identity was not immediately clear, except that they were said to be Coptic Christians. Thousands of Egyptians work in Libya, mainly in the construction and craft sectors, and several have been killed in recent years. In February, the bodies of seven Egyptian Christians who had been shot were found near the second city of Benghazi. Read more: http://www.timesofisrael.com/libya-islamists-said-to-abduct-20-egypt-christians/ Haaretz Israeli jailed in Egypt freed after two years Israeli left-wing activist Andrey Pshenichnikov was released from Egyptian jail and deported to Israel on Saturday, after serving a two-year sentence for entering Egypt illegally. He was arrested two years ago by Israeli authorities on the Egyptian border, and investigated on suspicion of attempting to enter the Gaza Strip. Both his passports - Israeli and Russian - were confiscated, and he was released. The next day he was apprehended by Egyptian authorities on the Egyptian side of the border, and was tried there for entering the country illegally. Pshenichnikov was sentenced to two years in prison, and described his time there in letters he sent as hugely difficult, due mostly to harassment by fellow Egyptian inmates. Friends and family won the support of the Foreign Ministry in their efforts attempted to bring about his release, but were unsuccessful. He crossed the border into Israel on Saturday evening, after spending two days in limbo due to Egyptian border authorities refusal to accept travel documents issued to him by the Israeli Interior Ministry. He is currently being held by the Eilat police, and will apparently be brought before a judge on Sunday. He could face charges in Israel in the future. Read more: http://www.haaretz.com/news/diplomacy-defense/1.635174
