Latest news with #SixDayWar
New York Post
08-07-2025
- Politics
- New York Post
Mamdani visited controversial Brooklyn mosque on campaign trail — just months after the imam called for the annihilation of Israel
Socialist New York City mayoral nominee Zohran Mamdani visited a controversial Brooklyn mosque to pray while on the campaign trail — just months after the imam had called for the destruction of Israel. Mamdani posted a picture of himself speaking at the Islamic Society of Bay Ridge, alongside firebrand cleric Sheikh Muhammad Al-Barr, on his social media in January. 'It was a privilege to join Jummah prayers at the Islamic Society of Bay Ridge today,' the socialist nominee said in the post on X dated January 17. Advertisement 3 Zohran Mamdani visited a controversial Brooklyn mosque on the mayoral campaign trail. X / @ZohranKMamdani 3 Imam Muhammad Al-Barr gave a controversial sermon at his Bay Ridge mosque months before Mamdani's visit. 3 Pro-Palestine supporters rally outside of the Islamic Society of Bay Ridge in Brooklyn on February 26, 2025. NEW YORK POST Advertisement Mamdani's visit came just five months after Al-Barr called on Allah in a fiery sermon at his Bay Ridge mosque to 'liberate Palestine from the occupiers and the plunderers.' 'Oh Allah, annihilate those who occupied their lands, and those who betrayed and deserted them, and those who spilled their blood,' the cleric said in Arabic in an August service at the Islamic Society of Bay Ridge's Masjid ibn Umair. Al-Barr, whose last name is also spelled 'Elbar,' also said that 'the mujahideen [Hamas fighters] in Gaza are achieving more than our Arab armies could in 1967 and 1973,' a reference to the Six Day War and the Yom Kippur War, respectively.
Wall Street Journal
02-07-2025
- Politics
- Wall Street Journal
Denial Runs From Egypt in 1967 to Iran Today
Ayatollah Ali Khamenei has been issuing victory tweets: 'The Zionist regime was practically knocked out and crushed under the blows of the Islamic Republic.' 'The Islamic Republic delivered a heavy slap to the US's face.' 'The Iranian nation is victorious and will remain victorious by the grace of God.' It's reminiscent of 'Monty Python and the Holy Grail,' in which the Black Knight taunts King Arthur even as the king cuts his limbs off one by one. It's also familiar behavior from Israel's enemies. Perhaps the most notorious instance was in the 1967 Six Day War. State-controlled Radio Cairo continually claimed that Egypt was defeating Israel even after Israel had destroyed the Egyptian air force while the planes were parked and was in the process of taking over the Sinai Peninsula. Michael Oren's 'Six Days of War' lays out some of Radio Cairo's most farcical claims, including that 'our airplanes and our missiles are at this moment shelling all Israel's towns and villages,' that 'we have destroyed most of the Israeli planes and cut off radio contact with the infantry,' and that Egypt had taken over Israel's Sh'ar Yishuv. The claims were lies, but as a result of them, according to one Egyptian intelligence officer, 'the whole world thought our forces were on the outskirts of Tel Aviv.' The false statements had real world effects. Israel had warned Jordan's King Hussein to stay out of the war. Hearing the false reports, he joined the hostilities and lost Jerusalem and the West Bank in the process. Egyptian crowds were bused into Cairo to celebrate the supposed victory that was already—unknown to them—a humiliating defeat. In 1973's Yom Kippur War, the Egyptians and Syrians did better at the outset. Israeli overconfidence in the early days led one Israeli soldier to lament, 'We taught the Arabs how to fight and they taught us how to lie.' Yet the final results were the same—as was the response from Israel's enemies. The false claims continued, even as Israeli forces approached the outskirts of Damascus, having already won the Arabs' capitulation after surrounding and cutting off Egypt's third army. Egypt continued to celebrate its 'October victory,' and President Abdel Fattah Al Sisi still refers to the anniversary of that war as 'a day of pride and victory.' What it was in reality was a wake up call to Egypt's then-leader Anwar Sadat, who wised up and signed a peace treaty with Israel that remains in place to this day.
Watani
29-06-2025
- Politics
- Watani
The day I left my couch
Having had a late 1970s early 1980s childhood, Victory Day—6 October 1973—has never held for me any personal feeling of victory and delight, however it has been this and more for my parents and their friends who have lived the 1967 Six Day War and subsequent defeat, then the pride of Victory Day. On 6 October 1973 the Egyptian air force and army freed Egypt from the bitterness of its humiliating defeat at the hands of Israel in the 1967 Six Day War, bringing about a stunning military victory for Egypt. Despite my appreciation of the momentous historic value of that day, and despite its impact on my parent's generation, it never personally resonated with me. I had to wait till June 2013 to live my own cherished Victory Day. On 30 June 2013, Egyptians in their millions, my family and myself included, took to the streets to demonstrate against the Muslim Brotherhood's (MB) two-year authority over Egypt, including one year of ruling the country. Someone who did not live in Egypt through that period might wonder what was it that was so unsettling about the MB rule? What drove millions of Egyptians to the streets to adamantly demand an end to their religious-based rule? After all, hadn't the MB Muhammad Mursi been democratically elected President in 2012? Wasn't this a healthy politically-needed democratic turn of events? Wasn't this the democracy Egyptians called for during the 2011 Arab Spring uprising? In reply to such questions and many more, I will tell you why I jolted myself up from my 'couch', relinquished my passive political silence, and took the, for me, drastic step of taking to the street to protest against MB rule. My use of the term 'couch' references the expression en vogue in Egypt in 2011 – 2013: 'the couch [political] party'; it was used critically to imply the laziness and apathy of the silent majority, the large segment of Egyptians who, through passivity and political disengagement, abandoned the political arena to activists or people who pushed their own agendas. The first time for me to leave the comfort passivity of my 'couch' was in November 2012—five months into President Mursi's rule—when he issued his notorious constitutional declaration granting himself sweeping powers, and placing his decisions above judicial review. One month later, he and his MB allies pushed in a new constitution for Egypt, one which gave provisions for religious interpretations of laws, and failed to protect minorities especially Christians and women. As a Christian and a woman, I felt that this threatened my very existence and freedoms, and I refused to join the scores of Christians who started touting the opinion that the only answer would be for them to leave Egypt and emigrate. After all, it seemed very far-fetched that the MB, once in power, would ever allow the 'democracy' that brought them in to oust them out; one needed but look at Hamas in neighbouring Gaza and at other religious-based groups to realise that the MB would never ever relinquish power. I felt the need to express my alarm and absolute disapproval of the ruling regime's policy and decisions. I had to make my voice heard, even though I could not clearly see its impact. My husband, himself a 'couch party' member, was sceptical of my participation in a protest, believing it would subject me to nuisances and hazards, and probably achieve nothing. I agreed, but it was also my only chance to express my rejection of the ruling regime. As the days passed, the situation in Egypt got worse; the economy took severe blows; prices spiralled, and power cuts and fuel shortages were all-too frequent. Worse, the security situation declined abysmally, which was very much unlike Egypt. Fear gripped us for our security and that of our children, especially when we felt the tense relationship between the regime on one hand and the police and military on the other. It was also very distressing to see how Egypt was losing grounds in international circles owing to Mr Mursi's foreign policy and his frequent missteps. Worst of all, however, it became alarmingly unsettling to witness the high regard in which he and his regime held Hamas and religious causes and regimes. Our 'Egyptian' President had no loyalty or regard to his Egyptian identity; he gave precedence to his Islamism. By March 2012, a grassroots campaign fanned out on social media under the logo 'Tamarud', literally 'Rebellion', calling for a massive revolt against Mr Mursi and MB rule on 30 June 2013 which marked one year since his inauguration in 2012. Tamarud appeared to be exactly what we were looking for; we were very eager to join, we felt that enough was enough. By 'we' I mean an unimaginably large number of 'couch party' individuals; almost everyone said, personally or on social media, that they intended to join. This time, my husband eagerly joined me in the protests. Our demands centred on the resignation of Mr Mursi; holding early presidential elections that would bring in a government representative of all Egyptians; protection of the sovereignty of the judiciary; and addressing the growing daily life crises once and for all. We aspired for drastic change, we were not willing to contemplate leaving our Egypt as a way out of the quagmire. Hopeful? Yes we were, but never in our wildest dreams could we have believed that the outcome would be what transpired on the ground on 30 June 2013. That day, millions upon millions of Egyptians took to the streets nationwide. The numbers were unprecedented. In Cairo, the focus was to gather in the central Tahrir Square, but none of us were able to make our way there. Mobile phones carried the same message from far flung spots in the metropolis that is Cairo. 'We've gone down only to find huge crowds, but they were at a standstill, no one was moving forward.' Finally, we discovered that all the paths up to Tahrir were already occupied by the masses, so we had to stick to where we were. Yet the crowds were absolutely peaceful, no complaints, no harassment; instead an unusual spirit of unity and camaraderie. On 1 July, the military issued a public ultimatum to Mr Mursi to come up with a political solution within 48 hours, or else the military would step in, given that civil unrest threatened the country. The protests grew larger, but Mr Mursi arrogantly, and unwisely, rejected the ultimatum. Two days later, on 3 July 2013, the military stepped in, Mr Mursi was removed, and a roadmap was announced by General Abdel-Fattah al-Sisi, then Minister of Defence and Commander of the Armed Forces. He was surrounded by political, religious and civic figures, who had all shared in drawing up the roadmap. giving it legitimacy. Following the televised address, we again took to the streets, this time with our children, basking in feelings of pride, relief and jubilation that, with the backing of our armed forces, we were on the road to recover our beloved Egypt. Since then, 30 June has been a day that marks peaceful people power and pride, delight and victory—our generation's very own Victory Day. The year 2025 marks 12 years on that memorable day 30 June 2013. I can but contemplate the Middle East map and the current turmoil in all the countries on Egypt's borders and even beyond. All of them have lived through disastrous unrest under religious-based rule; they have not recovered to this day. Catastrophic internal strife rages unmercifully on their lands, forcing their suffering people to flee their homes or risk their lives and livelihoods. Egypt alone has escaped this fate. Through divine providence, the resolve of the people, and their loyal army at their back, Egypt is today a free, civic State that, despite hardship, lives in peace. Watani International 29 June 2025 Comments comments Tags: 30 June 201330 June RevolutionDalia Victor
Hamilton Spectator
24-06-2025
- Politics
- Hamilton Spectator
Trump holds out Israel-Iran ceasefire deal as validation for his gamble of US airstrikes
WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump on Monday said the '12 day war' between Israel and Iran was set to end in a ceasefire, holding out the reported deal as validation for his strategic gamble of ordering U.S. airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites. 'It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE,' Trump posted on social media. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran would stop its attacks if Israel would. It's unclear what role Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's leader, played in the talks. He had said on social media earlier Monday that Iran would not surrender. Israel has not publicly confirmed that it has agreed to end hostilities. 'As of now, there is NO 'agreement' on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations,' Araghchi wrote on social media. 'However, provided that the Israeli regime stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people no later than 4 am Tehran time, we have no intention to continue our response afterwards.' A ceasefire, if it culminates as Trump laid out, would be welcome news for the region and the world. But the situation in the Middle East remains far from stable and it was impossible to predict how longer-term dynamics might be affected. The Israeli and U.S. bombing of Iran certainly has slowed Iran's ability to enrich nuclear material but it might also have steeled Tehran's resolve to breakout toward a bomb. Trump's announcement comes just before he leaves Tuesday for a NATO summit in the Netherlands, where he will likely make the case that his mix of aggression and diplomacy has succeeded. Never shy to suggest he deserves the Nobel Peace Price, Trump went so far as to give the conflict between Israel and Iran the name of the '12 day war,' a title that seemed to reference the 1967 'Six Day War' in which Israel fought a group of Arab countries including Egypt, Jordan and Syria. As Trump described it, the ceasefire would start with Iran and then be joined by Israel 12 hours later, with the president writing that the respective sides would 'remain PEACEFUL and RESPECTFUL.' The phased-in ceasefire was set to begin Tuesday morning in Israel and Iran and culminate within 24 hours. 'This is a War that could have gone on for years, and destroyed the entire Middle East, but it didn't, and never will!' Trump said. The White House reposted Trump's announcement with a photo of the president holding a red hat that said 'Trump was right about everything' in all capital letters. A senior White House official said Trump communicated directly with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to secure the ceasefire. The official, who insisted on anonymity to discuss the Monday talks, said Vance, Secretary of State Marco Rubio and special envoy Steve Witkoff communicated with the Iranians through direct and indirect channels. The official said the Qatari government played an important role in brokering the coming ceasefire. Trump spoke to Qatar's emir, Sheikh Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani , to thank him for helping land the agreement. The Gulf emirate has been chief interlocutor in the on-and-off ceasefire and hostage negotiations between Israel and Hamas in their ongoing war in Gaza. The White House has maintained that the effectiveness of the U.S. strikes helped get the Israelis to agree to the ceasefire and that the Qatari government helped to broker the deal. The exact terms of the ceasefire other than the timeline provided by the Trump administration remained to be seen. On Sunday, the Trump administration had insisted that Iran abandon its program to enrich uranium for possible use in nuclear weapons as a condition of any lasting peace. While the bombings of the Fordo, Natanz and Isfahan facilities were a powerful show of force, it remained uncertain just how much nuclear material Iran still possessed and what its ambitions would be going forward. Vice President JD Vance said in a TV interview just as the ceasefire was announced that the world would look back at the war between Israel and Iran — and the U.S. bombing of Iran's nuclear facilities — as 'an important reset moment for the entire region.' Appearing on Fox News Channel's 'Special Report,' the vice president said the Trump administration hoped that the Iranians had learned an important lesson: If they want to build a nuclear weapon in the future, he said, 'they're going to have to deal with a very, very powerful American military again.' White House press secretary Karoline Leavitt posted on the social media site X an Associated Press headline of the news and wrote that Trump 'has accomplished what no other president in history could ever imagine — the obliteration of the Iranian Regime's nuclear program, and an unprecedented ceasefire between Israel and Iran.' The ceasefire announcement came after Iran attempted to retaliate for the U.S. assault with a Monday missile strike aimed at a major U.S. military installation in the Gulf nation of Qatar. Trump separately thanked Iran on social media for giving the U.S. and allies 'early notice' of the retaliation. The president expressed hope that Tehran — with its reprisal for the U.S. bombardment of three key Iranian nuclear facilities — had 'gotten it all out of their 'system'' and that the moment would lead to a de-escalation in the Israel-Iran war. 'I am pleased to report that NO Americans were harmed, and hardly any damage was done,' Trump said on social media. 'I want to thank Iran for giving us early notice, which made it possible for no lives to be lost, and nobody to be injured. Perhaps Iran can now proceed to Peace and Harmony in the Region, and I will enthusiastically encourage Israel to do the same.' The Iranian attack on U.S. forces at Qatar's Al Udeid Air Base marked Tehran's first act of direct retaliation against the U.S. since Trump ordered strikes on Iran's nuclear facilities. Leon Panetta, who served as CIA director and defense secretary under former President Barack Obama, said Iran's restrained response suggests that 'their ability to respond has probably been damaged pretty badly.' He also said it's a potential signal 'they're not interested in escalating the war, either with Israel or the United States.' Trump said Iran launched 14 missiles at the base, a sprawling facility that hosts the forward headquarters of the U.S. military's Central Command and was a major staging ground during the U.S. wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. The base houses some 8,000 U.S. troops, down from about 10,000 at the height of those wars. The president said 13 of the Iranian missiles 'were knocked down' by U.S. air defense systems while one was ''set free' because it was headed in a nonthreatening direction.' Hours before Iran launched its attack on Monday, the U.S. Embassy in Qatar issued an alert on its website urging American citizens in the energy-rich nation to 'shelter in place until further notice.' The Qatari government issued an extraordinary order to shut down its busy airspace. The attack came as global markets were trying to ascertain what lays ahead after the U.S. struck key Iranian nuclear facilities over the weekend with a barrage of 30,000-pound bunker-busting bombs and Tomahawk missiles. The financial markets appeared to respond to the tensions with a relative measure of calm, given the possibility that Iran could try to block oil shipments through the Strait of Hormuz. But oil prices that had been elevated when the war started between Israel and Iran fell roughly 5% on Monday to $65 a barrel, quickly appearing to erase the risk that the war could cause energy prices and overall inflation to spike worldwide. Trump earlier Monday called on the U.S. and allied oil-producing nations to pump more oil and 'KEEP OIL PRICES DOWN.' ___ Associated Press writers Stan Choe in New York, Jon Gambrell in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, and Matthew Lee and Eric Tucker in Washington contributed to this report. Error! Sorry, there was an error processing your request. There was a problem with the recaptcha. Please try again. You may unsubscribe at any time. By signing up, you agree to our terms of use and privacy policy . This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google privacy policy and terms of service apply. Want more of the latest from us? Sign up for more at our newsletter page .
New Indian Express
24-06-2025
- Politics
- New Indian Express
Trump holds out Israel-Iran ceasefire deal as validation for his gamble of US airstrikes
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump on Monday said the '12 day war' between Israel and Iran was set to end in a ceasefire, holding out the expected deal as validation for his strategic gamble of ordering airstrikes on Iranian nuclear sites. 'It has been fully agreed by and between Israel and Iran that there will be a Complete and Total CEASEFIRE,' Trump posted on social media. Iran's Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi said Iran would stop its attacks if Israel would. It's unclear what role Ayatollah Ali Khamenei, Iran's leader, played in the talks. He had said on social media earlier Monday that Iran would not surrender. Israel has not publicly confirmed that it has agreed to end hostilities. "As of now, there is NO 'agreement' on any ceasefire or cessation of military operations,' Araghchi posted on X. 'However, provided that the Israeli regime stops its illegal aggression against the Iranian people no later than 4 am Tehran time, we have no intention to continue our response afterwards.' A ceasefire, if it culminates as Trump laid out, would be welcome news for the region and the world. But the situation in the Middle East remains far from stable and it's unclear how longer-term dynamics might be affected. The Israeli and US bombing of Iran certainly has slowed Iran's ability to enrich nuclear material but it might also have steeled Tehran's resolve to breakout toward a bomb. Trump's announcement comes as he prepared to depart on Tuesday for the NATO summit in the Netherlands, where he will likely make the case that his mix of aggression and diplomacy has succeeded. Never shy to suggest he deserves the Nobel Peace Price, Trump went so far as to give the conflict between Israel and Iran the name of the '12 day war,' a title that seemed to reference the 1967 'Six Day War' in which Israel fought a group of Arab countries including Egypt, Jordan and Syria. Later, Trump in another social media posting said that 'Israel & Iran came to me, almost simultaneously, and said, 'PEACE!'' 'They have so much to gain, and yet, so much to lose if they stray from the road of RIGHTEOUSNESS & TRUTH,' Trump added. "The future for Israel & Iran is UNLIMITED, & filled with great PROMISE. GOD BLESS YOU BOTH!"
