Voice of America CPJ Urges Egypt to Stop 'Campaign' Against Al-Jazeera The U.S.-based Committee to Protect Journalists (CPJ) is urging Egypt to stop what it describes as "a politically motivated campaign" against the pan-Arabic Al Jazeera network. A CPJ statement Sunday also called on Germany to release jailed Al Jazeera reporter Ahmad Mansour immediately. Mansour, an Egyptian-British reporter with the network's Arabic service, was detained Saturday in Berlin on an Egyptian warrant while trying to board a plane to Qatar. A German judge on Sunday ordered him held while prosecutors review the case. Mansour was sentenced in absentia by an Egyptian court last year to 15 years in prison on charges of participating in the torture of an Egyptian lawyer during the 2011 anti-government uprising in Cairo that toppled former president Hosni Mubarak. Read more: http://www.voanews.com/content/cpj-egypt-al-jazeera/2831959.html YnetNews Egypt appoints new ambassador to Israel The new ambassador is likely to be the first to serve from Tel Aviv since 2012, when then-president Morsi withdrew his envoy to protest Gaza conflict. The new ambassador, Hazem Khairat, has previously served as the assistant to the deputy foreign minister on diplomatic and consular matters. Khairat will replace Atef Salem el-Ahl, the current ambassador to Israel. The Israeli foreign ministry has authorized reports coming out of Egypt on the appointment, and has issued a statement on the matter, saying: "The Foreign Ministry welcomes the appointment." Read more: http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4671083,00.html Arutz Sheva Egypt Reopens Rafah Crossing for Humanitarian Aid Egyptian authorities on Sunday decided to open the Rafah crossing in both directions on Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, to allow the passage of humanitarian aid, the Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper reported. The crossing was closed last Sunday by Egypt after it had been opened for one week on the occasion of Ramadan. Official sources told the newspaper that the total number of passengers during that period amounted to 5,184 people, as 4,044 people entered Egypt, and 1,140 others crossed into Gaza. Read more: http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/197061#.VYe1usrdf1U
