Arutz Sheva Egyptian Minister: We're 'Open' to Importing Gas from Israel Egypt is open to importing gas from Israel, its oil minister said in state-owned media on Wednesday, according to Reuters. Egypt is going through its worst energy crisis in decades and is seeking fresh sources of natural gas, which powers most of its homes and factories, including Algeria, Russia, and Cyprus. But importing gas from Israel is more controversial. Despite a peace treaty between the two countries, popular mistrust of Israel runs high among Egyptians. Oil Minister Sharif Ismail said gas imports from Israel were a possibility, when asked in an interview by the state-owned Al Mussawar magazine. "Anything can happen. Whatever achieves the best interests of Egypt, and of the Egyptian economy and the role of Egypt in the region... That will determine the decision to import gas from Israel," he said. Companies are already negotiating to bring Israeli gas to Egypt, but any deals will hinge on approval from Cairo. Read more: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/189974#.VLdtWEfoRZ8 European Parliament News Egypt: "We need to support the transition process" Egypt Egypt is holding parliamentary elections in March and April 2015. Matias, a Portuguese member of the GUE/NGL group, said the EU could play an important role as an intermediary by working together towards national political reconciliation with all parties, should they wish so. "Egypt is in a difficult process to end a crisis after a period of high instability," she said. "We should work to promote civil peace and holding parliamentary elections is a positive step. The goals should be achieving political and social peace, confronting terrorism and protecting human rights." Previously MEPs have also expressed concerns about the increasingly severe clampdown and physical attacks on both media and civil society in Egypt. Read more: http://www.europarl.europa.eu/news/en/news-room/content/20150113STO07502/html/Egypt-We-need-to-support-the-transition-process New York Daily News Egypt's president is a courageous warrior who has the guts to confront radical Islam This New Year's Day, Egypt's current president (also a former general), Abdul Fattah Al-Sisi, followed directly in Sadat's footsteps. At Cairo's Al-Azhar University, he spoke forcefully against today's Western conventional wisdom regarding Islam and terrorism. Just days later, on Jan. 6, Christmas Eve for Coptic Christians, Al-Sisi spoke at Egypt's principal Coptic church, an unprecedented appearance by an Egyptian president. Egypt's president has destroyed this debilitating misconception, demonstrating that clear-thinking Muslims fully understand how radical Islamicists and the all-too-common religious ideology they espouse constitute a mortal danger to Muslims themselves. The president of the Arab world's most populous nation has taken bold and provocative steps. He needs U.S. and broader Western support. Let's see which American political leaders figure this out. Read more: http://www.nydailynews.com/opinion/john-bolton-egypt-courageous-warrior-article-1.2076747
