Die oppositionelle Zeitung Al-Masry Al-Youm legt in diesem instruktiven Bericht die Legende bloß, das ägyptische Regime sei Israels bester Freund in der Region. In Wahrheit ist unter Mubarak die „Israeliphobie“ zum geduldeten Element der nationalen Identität geworden. Und dieser Tage benutzen Elemente des zerfallenden Regimes das Propagandainstrument des Antisemitismus, um die Demonstranten als Agenten einer fremden Macht zu diskreditieren. Das müsste doch in Israel die Frage aufwerfen, ob es nicht ein Fehler war, Mubarak und seine Garde für Garanten der Sicherheit des jüdischen Staates zu halten:
Sherif Younis, a historian, attributes the dissemination of the rumors to a group of National Security Services members, secret police, NDP members, businessmen and media agencies–both government-owned and self-claimed independents–whose interests are tied to the existing political regime.
Some of these groups might have been previously critical of the regime. “Times of uprisings are nevertheless critical ones and people need to clearly decide which camp they support,” said Younis.
“With anti-Mubarak protestors’ success in demolishing the security apparatus last Friday, many institutions sided with the regime,” Younis said.
Various tactics were developed to turn the public against the uprising. Some newspapers praised the demonstrators for achieving so much progress toward democracy. This was however, immediately followed by a quick condemnation of violence and chaos with the anti-Mubarak protestors taking the blame. This approach was even used by President Mubarak, according to Younis.
The media has been spreading a culture of fear among the Egyptian public, highlighting events of vandalism, looting and violence due to the absence of security forces. “Protect Egypt” has become a recurring slogan across various TV stations.
Last week, the Muslim Brotherhood was accused of organizing the protests. When this narrative failed to gain popular support, the recurring scenario of Israel emerged, said Younis.
For decades, Israel has been blamed as the root cause of all evil in Egypt. Despite the 1979 peace accords, the public continues to perceive it as a “symbol of evil or even Satan,” explained Younis. Egyptian media has been nurturing this narrative for years, with Egyptian cinema and TV showing Israelis as villains in various scenarios regardless of the genre of the movie.
Conspiracy theories are commonly accepted in Egypt, Younis said. Accusations of conspiring with Israel are common among opposition parties as well as the regime, he adds. The allegation was even used during sectarian strife earlier this year.
In his first official comments on the uprising in Egypt, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated last Sunday that Israel is „anxiously monitoring“ the anti-government protests. The Israeli government has also been actively advocating Western governments to support political stability in Egypt to preserve Israel’s security.
“The uprising is a threat and the regime needs to justify its actions during the last ten days,” said Younis. Therefore the regime sent its supporters to Tahrir Square to clash with the anti-Mubarak demonstrators. The government has announced casualties on both sides and has been emphasizing calls for Jihad at Tahrir, he adds.
Some people are unfortunately buying into this due to a certain level of naivety or due to discomfort caused by protestors and the paralysis of the country, according to Younis. He believes the poor have come to accept the status quo and fear change and are mainly concerned with feeding their families as they have no stable income.
“Israeli-phobia” has become a characteristic of Egyptian national identity, which the state has been building over the past decades, said Younis.
Peaceful relations with Israel remain unacceptable to the majority of the Egyptian public, something acknowledged by the Israeli government in WikiLeaks documents released last year to the Jerusalem Post. Despite Israel’s unpopularity in Egypt, however, the Mubarak’s regime has remained one of its main supporters.