Egyptians protest outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo

More than two thousand Egyptians gathered outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo Friday night to protest against the killing of five Egyptian soldiers in Israeli border attacks.
The protesters, who represented different colors of the Egyptian political spectrum urged the authorities to expel the Israeli ambassador and sever all ties with Israel as a response to the attacks. "The Egyptian blood is not cheap" chanted the protestors, and "Give us guns and send us to Sinai".
The cement barriers that blocks the way to the building where the embassy is located, were removed by the protesters, however the clashes erupted between the protesters and the military police surrounding the area was quickly contained.
A number of Israeli flags were burned and Egyptian flags, black Islamic flags and red flags were held along with pictures of nationalist leader and president Gamal Abdel Naser.
On Friday the Egyptian government lodged a formal protest with Israel over the killings of five members of its security forces during an Israeli border raid against Palestinians.
“Egypt ... demands an urgent investigation into the reasons and circumstances surrounding the deaths,” the army said in a statement after a meeting of the ruling military council.
However, the official response to the incident does not seem to satisfy the protesters.
"It is very strange that the army is busy discussing what should come first, the elections or the constitution, while our soldiers are being killed on the borders" says Ahmed Mahmoud. "What is happening today shows that nothing changed after the ouster of Mubarak."
Presidential candidates Amr Moussa and Hamdeen Sabbahi also denounced the loss of Egyptian lives: “Israel must realize that the day when Egypt’s sons are killed without an appropriate and strong reaction are over,” Moussa told Reuters.
Presidential hopeful Mohamed ElBaradei joined the chorus but declined to join other candidates calling for a strong military response. He called on the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces to issue a report on what happened.
Former Muslim Brotherhood leader Abdel Moneim Abouel Fotouh called for the expulsion of Israel's ambassador.
"The Israeli enemy should be aware that Egyptian blood is the most precious thing we have, and that agreements and treaties are not worth the ink used to write them if the blood of citizens is shed," a statement on Abouel Fotouh's Web site said.
Israel said the assailants came from the Hamas-run Gaza Strip through Egypt’s Sinai region and it launched attacks in Gaza which killed several Palestinian fighters and others.
But Sinai governor Khaled Fouda dismissed Israeli government suggestions that Egypt’s new rulers were doing less to stop Palestinians: “We reject such statements and have increased security patrolling and checkpoints in Sinai,” he said.

200 protesters threaten to blockade Israeli embassy in Cairo

Following Friday’s noon prayers, 200 people have started gathering at the Israeli embassy in Cairo to protest Israel’s murder of an Egyptian army officer and two soldiers in Sinai yesterday.
Israeli troops killed all three Egyptians while apparently chasing Palestinian militants on the Egyptian side of the border between the two countries.
The attack came hours after unknown armed men ambushed an Israeli bus near the town of Eilat on the Red Sea, killing 10 Israelis and injuring 27.
The protesters are calling on the government to expel the Israeli ambassador to Egypt and have threatened to prevent him from entering the embassy in the meantime.
So far, Egypt's ruling military council is yet to issue an official statement on the incident.

Egypt's rising labour movement wins significant government concessions

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Egypt's Cabinet has approved new legislation on trade union freedoms, consenting to pass the law within days. The new law would eliminate many of the constraints imposed on workers' unions under Law No 35 (1976), which outlined the structural and electoral regulations of the Egyptian Trade Union Federation (ETUF) among other central organisations. The legislation will allow, for the first time since the 1950s, trade union pluralism and freedoms for workers and businessmen to form their own unions and syndicates respectively.

Activists and workers have been waiting impatiently for the final version of the law, hesitant to believe the new Cabinet’s sincerity in advocating union freedoms, particularly after Prime Minister Essam Sharaf’s government enacted legislation criminalising strikes and protests in March. "We are waiting for the new law to be promulgated or else the next trade union elections won't be serious and the steps undertaken against the state-controlled ETUF won't be very significant," says Ali Fatouh, president of the Independent Union for Public Transportation Workers.

"If there is no commitment to respect the new law, I'll resign immediately," said Ahmed Hassan El-Borai, minister of manpower, in a press conference to celebrate the establishment of the Syndicate for Importers of Medical Devices — the  first independent syndicate for businessmen.

Dissolution of the ETUF

The hand of Egyptian labour was crucial in the lead up to the 25 January uprising, via waves of strikes beginning in 2006, and in the eventual ouster of former president Hosni Mubarak on 11 February, after a concerted strike effort in the final days of his rule. At the core of workers’ demands has been the dissolution of the government-controlled ETUF, formed in 1957 under Gamal Abdel Nasser.

An important step forward came on Thursday 4 August when the administration of the ETUF was dissolved via a Cabinet decision to enforce the ruling of a 2006 legal case raised by federation unionists. The case called for the body's dissolution on grounds of illegitimate and fabricated results in its general election. The courts ruled in favour of the prosecution, but as was the case in Mubarak's Egypt, the ruling was ignored and never enforced.

A 25-member steering committee, appointed by the manpower minister, will run the federation until elections take place, as stipulated by Egyptian law. “According to the law, elections should take place within 60 days following the federation’s dissolution, but can be postponed if more time is needed," says Saber Barakat, a unionist lawyer and the committee's vice president. Due to parliamentary elections, the poll, as they were for local councils, will most likely be postponed until afterwards.

The steering committee’s first task will be the enforcement of other court rulings concerning the nullity of general unions (the umbrella union for each industry) as well as individual factory unions. This could potentially see 176 factory unions dissolved. Kamal Abou Eita, member of the Egyptian Independent Trade Union Federation (EITUF), among others, has insisted on this point, arguing that electoral and financial corruption is rife within the lower levels of the ETUF.

In the fight for union freedoms, many workers and union leaders, fed up with the state-controlled ETUF, began forming their own independent unions. The EITUF brought together the first independent unions during the 18-day uprising, announcing its official formation on 2 March. 

Reaching an agreement, however, in a committee formed from traditional opponents isn't the easiest mission. The steering committee has an odd medley of members from across the political spectrum, including: former ETUF board members, EITUF unionists, leftist activists and lawyers, members of the Muslim Brotherhood and counsellors from the manpower ministry. “There will be resistance to such a decision from the old members of the ETUF, but it's all about enforcing court rulings," says Khaled Ali, a lawyer and manager of the Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights.

The new committee looks to be trying to cut ties with the past. Last week the formation of a subcommittee was announced to negotiate demands with workers on strike. "We could protest with workers if needed," says Barakat.  

Members of the ETUF’s administration, Ali pointed out gibingly, never organised any kind of protest aiming to obtain any workers right. "The only protest they organised was the Battle of the Camel and the only sit-in was to defend their seats," he stated.

Frozen assets and the disgruntled old guard

Sharaf's decision to enforce the ruling saw the general union's assets frozen until a steering committee examines the entity's financial affairs. The committee is expected to review the reports by the Central Auditing Organisation that contains hundreds of infractions and financial remarks linked to the ETUF as well as other organisations under its umbrella. Unionists found to have illicit financial dealings will be turned over to the prosecutor-general's office.

The Sunday following the Cabinet's decision saw a small protest erupt at the ETUF's offices in downtown Cairo when a few hundred disgruntled members of the administration and other employees attempted to enter the building. The steering committee was in session, as Sunday and Monday were decreed official holidays in light of the sudden turn of events. Central Security Forces were deployed to cordon off the building's entrance, and soon the protesters dispersed. Some alleged that Sharaf and the minister of manpower, El-Borai, were pursuing foreign agendas, handing out leaflets showing the prime minister mingling with US officials.

Members of the deposed administration submitted a legal complaint to the administrative court. However, according to Ali, “Any legal action taken against the Cabinet's decision would most probably be defeated since the decision itself was an enforcement of a judicial ruling and not an administrative decree.”

The old guard, however, see things in a different light. Abdel-Rahman Kheir, vice president of the ETUF, argues: “The decision is not the enforcement of a final judicial ruling." In other words, according Kheir, there is room for appeal. He also threatens to complain to the International Labour Organisation and even the UN against the minister's decision.

The way forward  

Deputy Prime Minister Ali Silmi held a meeting in the parliament's offices last week, bringing members of the steering committee and various other workers' and peasants' representatives together to discuss their demands and the ETUF's future. El-Borai joined the proceedings, stating that Silmi had urged his attendance.

Now that the government-controlled trade union's authority has officially been shaken up, a debate over the future role of independent trade unions looms in the background. The government has, in the meantime, leant independent unionists a sizeable presence in the steering committee as a message of goodwill, with the hope of further inclusion and cooperation. Whether this cooperation entails co-opting independent unionists is yet to be seen, but a number of parties are wary of any government attempt to sideline the independent current. Silmi's invitation for non-governmental unions to work through the ETUF's office space could fuel these suspicions.

Certain workers' activists have, however, taken a more moderate approach, arguing that the decades old union body, which includes a university, a bank and other structures along with a coffer full of workers' fees and retirement funds, is too robust to be completely dissolved. Ali believes that the independent unions and federation as well as the government-controlled formal bodies should be allowed to thrive, leaving the choice up to the workers.

It is also worth noting that former proponents of a pluralistic union environment have adopted a unitary vision. Saud Omar, a member of the Suez Canal Authority's union, posed the question: “If the reasons for multiple unions are no longer present, why should we not all work through the formal body?” The reasons, Omar clarified, were the years of organised corruption, electoral fraud and the overall authoritarian grip on the unions' manoeuvrability.

Barakat weighed in: “If there is one formal union body, it would be easier to corrupt or defeat it.” The more manoeuvrability there is, and the more competition there is among unions vying for the right to represent workers, he added, the stronger the labour movement will be. “You can have more than one federation which could cooperate through coalitions or merely based on common objectives,” he stated.

Barakat also verbalised his stance against the ETUF's pyramidal structure, arguing that in many countries such a structure does not exist, but instead trade unions choose which federation to join and can pull out of if need be. 

Fatouh shares the same idea with Barakat: "Pluralism is a necessity for strong trade unionism; competition between u
 via ahram

Egypt to use youth teams for the remaining qualifiers

African champions Egypt seem to have given up hope of contesting the 2012 African Cup of Nations by choosing youth players for their remaining ties.

Olympic coach Hani Ramzy will take charge of the final Group G games in Sierra Leone and at home to Niger.
His squad has been taken from Egypt's Under-20 and Under-23 sides, with Ahmed Hassan the only veteran in the team.
South Africa lead Group G with eight points, six more than Egypt who have little hope of making January's finals.
Although they have a mathematical chance of defending their crown in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon, the Pharaohs have admitted there is little hope of qualifying.

EGYPT'S GROUP G CAMPAIGN

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• 0-0 v Sierra Leone (home)
• 0-1 v Niger (away)
• 0-1 v South Africa (away)
• 0-0 v South Africa (home)
• September: Sierra Leone (away)
• October: Niger (home)

As a result, the Olympic team will contest next month's qualifier in Freetown and October's home clash against Niger.
Ramzy is preparing Egypt's side for December's decisive quailfying round in Africa's bid to reach the Olympics.
He had not been earmarked to take charge of the team on a full-time basis.
The Egyptian FA's recent shortlist comprising former United States coach Bob Bradley, ex-Colombia boss Francisco Maturana and Zoran Filipovic, the former national coach of Montenegro.
Meanwhile, the BBC's Inas Mazhar in Cairo says Hassan has been retained in a bid to help the midfielder gain the record number of caps in world football.
The 36-year-old currently boasts 175 caps, three behind joint record holders Mohamed Al-Deayea of Saudi Arabia and Mexico's Claudio Suarez - both of whom have retired.

EGYPT'S AFRICAN CROWNS

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• 1957, 1959, 1986, 1998, 2006, 2008, 2010

Egypt won an unprecedented third Nations Cup title in a row at the last finals in Angola in 2010 and have an unprecedented seven titles overall, three more than Ghana and Cameroon.
However, the Pharaohs' 2012 qualifying campaign started with a surprise home draw against Sierra Leone, which was followed by a bigger shock as the side then led by Hassan Shehata lost in Niger.
South Africa, who top the group, beat them in Johannesburg in March and drew 0-0 in Cairo in June, after which the long-standing Shehata - who had won the last three Nations Cup titles - was fired.
Should they fail to qualify, Egypt will be absent from the Nations Cup for the first time since 1982.
The 2012 finals get underway in the Equatorial Guinean capital on 21 January, with the final to be played in the Gabonese capital Libreville on 12 February.

Hassan to remain Egypt’s captain in remaining ACN qualifiers

Coach Hany Ramzy, whose Egypt Olympic team will play the remaining two African Nations Cup qualifiers, said Ahmed Hassan would remain the skipper during the largely meaningless games.
“I want to add the experience of Ahmed Hassan to my Olympic squad,” former Egypt defender Ramzy, who was Hassan’s teammate in the late 1990s and early 2000s, told Ahram Online on Thursday.
Egypt’s hopes of reaching next year’s Nations Cup in Equatorial Guinea and Gabon are virtually over after they could only collect two points from their first three games. They are at the bottom of Group G, six points behind leaders South Africa.
The Pharaohs will face Sierra Leone and Niger in their remaining matches. The Olympic team players will represent them in those matches as they get ready for the group phase of the 2012 London Games qualifiers.
Ahmed Hassan, 37, is eager to become the world’s most capped player. He is just two matches short of equaling the record of 178 international appearances held by former Saudi Arabia keeper Mohamed Al-Deayea.
“Having Hassan in the team is an honor,” added Ramzy, who is burdened with the task of qualifying Egypt for the Olympic Games for the first time since 1992.
Hassan, who said he does not mull retirement despite reports suggesting otherwise, has recently joined Zamalek after his contract with Cairo rivals Ahly expired to reunite with former Egypt coach Hassan Shehata.
He won with Egypt four Nation Cups in 1998, 2006, 2008 and 2010. The evergreen midfielder was voted the tournament’s best player in 2006 and 2010.
Egypt are yet to name a new boss following Shehata’s departure. They have drawn up a three-man shortlist that includes Colombian Fancisco Maturana, Serbian Zoran Filipovic and former United States coach Bob Bradley - who are vying for the vacant managerial seat.
via ahram 

Ms. President in Egypt?

Even though her prospects are not promising, Bothaina Kamel has no intention of quitting.

The first female presidential candidate in Egypt’s history is a big-mouthed celebrity who comes from the media world. She intensively tours the large cities and towns, meeting with Muslims, Copts and Sinai’s Bedouins and doing everything to secure the sought-after job. While doing so she is active on Facebook and Twitter, calling herself “Basboussa” (a traditional Egyptian cake.) The campaign slogan, “I am Egypt,” is catchy and promises to bring “justice, freedom and social equality.”

Female Power

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When Kamel announced in April that she was running for president, thousands of eyebrows were raised. Many were amazed by her original initiative, while others attempted to repress her “cheeky” energies. “She must understand that a woman cannot do it,” said one of the candidates running against her, Munir Saad. “Egypt is a tough country with many problems. One need’s a man’s mind to come up with solutions.”
Kamel, who is the divorcee of Egypt’s new Culture Minister Imad Abu Ghazy and mother of the 20-year-old Miriam, always appears wearing pants and a t-shirt. She never covers her head and on her neck dons a long necklace with a large cross. “I’m Muslim, but it’s important for me to also represent Egypt’s Copts,” she said.
Women look up to her admiringly and bombard her with letters asking for her help in addressing their problems and complaints. “One can go through life complaining that we have no rights,” she reprimands them,” yet we can also seize these rights, even by force.”

Visited Tahrir Sqaure every evening after work (Photo: AFP)

Kamel, who made a career in the media, assumed several senior posts behind the microphone and in front of the cameras. She started as a reporter and editor of the radio show “The Egypt you don’t know,” where she interviewed taxi drivers, students and homemakers, learning about the issues that truly bother the common people.
Next she moved on to the role of newscaster on official Egyptian television, and five years ago signed a lucrative deal with Saudi TV channel Orbit, which broadcasts from Cairo. However, to this day she insists that “The Egypt you don’t know” inspired her to enter politics. “I spoke with thousands of miserable souls ignored by Mubarak’s regime and learned much,” she said. “When I realized I am the hope they are clinging to, in the absence of another address, I told myself: Why not run for the most influential job in Egypt?”

Lesson from Golda 

The cameras love Kamel, and her dynamic personality captured the attention of Western media. The New York Times, British Guardian and leading American blogs wrote articles about the female candidate who seeks to make history.
A media advisor who volunteered to work for Kamel advised her not to be scared by the threats on her life and build her campaign for the next elections too. “You are still young,” he told her. When she said reminded him that she is 49-years-old, he responded: “Take a look at Golda Meir, who managed to become Israel’s prime minister when she was 20 years older than you.
During the protests that prompted Mubarak’s dismissal, she headed to Tahrir Square every evening, immediately after finishing her shift at the Saudi channel’s studies. “Yet one night, when I insisted on talking about Mubarak’s fund smuggling and spoke of proof that tens of millions of dollars were smuggled overseas, the Saudis got scared and the show was canceled,” she said. “Twenty minute before the show was to start I found myself out of the studio because of the Saudi royal house’s anxiety; the money-smuggling route apparently passed through their backyard.”
As result of her dismissal, Kamel has plenty of free time for campaign tours. When facing large crowds she comes across as sharp, biting, and one who has no fear of the other candidates. Her rivals attempted to incriminate her over a land purchase deal and later accused her of “handing out envelopes filled with dollar bills.” Egypt’s Muslim Brotherhood movement also strongly objects to her candidacy.
Kamel also managed to quarrel with the supreme military council that took power in Egypt following the revolution. When I was informed that police officers are undertaking “virginity checks” among young female protestors, I spoke out harshly,” she said. After being summoned for a “talk,” she was released immediately with the promise that such checks shall draw to an end.

Kamel’s blogs and the reaction to her appearances teaches us about Egypt’s society in the wake of the revolution: Not only are we failing to see an improvement in women’s rights and prospects, their status is in fact deteriorating. “What does she think, that we need a woman who will make decisions for us?” one reader wrote. “She should sit at home and raise children.”
Kamel is familiar with the attacks against her and promises that “even if I fail, I already breached custom.” At this time, she is focusing on a campaign against corruption and the relationship between politicians and wealth, an issue that prompted the imprisonment of Mubarak’s close associates and sons.“ I want to bring the young people of the revolution into parliament and end the idol worshiping of Mideastern leaders,” she said. “The people have spoken, and nobody believed Mubarak would go away. Now, they should start believing that a woman is also capable of leading Egypt.

Egypt's ruling military council drops charges against activists Mahfouz and Nagati

Egypt's ruling military council decided yesterday to drop charges against April 6 Movement activist Asmaa Mahfouz and activist and blogger Loai Nagati. They will no longer be prosecuted in a military court, as the council had previously intended.
Last week, the army's military prosecutors interrogated both Nagati and Mahfouz for hours, after charging them with insulting the army and inciting violence.
The prosecutors based their charges against Nagati on his alleged role in the 28 June demonstrations in Tahrir Square; to defend the rights of the martyrs of the January 25 revolution against ousted president Mubarak.
In Mahfouz's case, prosecutors claimed that her criticism of the council's handling of political affairs in the country since it came to power last February amounted to stirring public negativity about the army.
Many Egyptians have come to Nagati's and Mahfouz's defence in recent days. Last week, hundreds of activists protested at their hearing in military courts, while thousands signed online petitions on Facebook demanding that the council drop its charges.
Meanwhile, international human rights organisations such as Amnesty and Human Rights Watch also pressured the council to respect the rights of both activists, especially their freedom of speech and expression.
After the army announced that it was dropping the investigation, Nagati told reporters that while he is glad that the council made this decision, he also wants the army to drop all charges against 40 of his comrades, arrested by the army on 28 June.
Nagati added that he believes the council should end its policy of trying civilians in military courts. He said that the 12,000 people prosecuted by the council since February for allegedly committing crimes should have the right to be tried in a civilian court.

Egypt uprising art brightens Cairo 0

A flowering of Egyptian art since the overthrow of Hosni Mubarak is adding color to the capital Cairo and an upswing in business at the city's galleries, as the pride, anger and optimism of a long-frustrated generation plays out on canvas.
Politically-inspired photography, graphic design and graffiti sprayed or stencilled on walls, fences, bridges and fly-overs have flourished since the 18-day uprising toppled the autocratic leader.
Across Cairo, faces of protesters killed during the uprising are immortalized on concrete, fists are shown breaking free from ropes and ancient mummies scream "I am free!."
Much of the street art reflects pride in the movement that united Egyptians across class and religion to put an end to decades of calcified politics and a gaping rich-poor divide.
In Nasr City, a beautiful woman is spray-painted on a fence surrounding a plot of disused land, her dress in the flowing colors of Egypt's red, white and black national flag. Further west in Mohandiseen, an imam and a priest are shown standing hand in hand on the side of one building.
Elsewhere it is darker, angrier. One image painted on a disused building shows a man writhing in chains wrapped tight around his body.
Other graffiti shows anger toward Mubarak and his family -- the former leader is depicted scowling arrogantly or with his head in a noose -- or anxiety at whether Egypt's military rulers really want to deliver the country to democratic civilian rule.
An army officer sketched on a wall in a busy street asks passers-by "man antum?" (who are you?), an allusion to Muammar Gaddafi's disdainful question aimed at Libyan rebels, implying that the military council holds Egyptians in similar contempt.
"ENORMOUS INTEREST"
Some art dealers say the movement is grabbing the attention of collectors at home and abroad.
"There's an enormous interest and push for the graffiti artists, for the illustrators, for the new comic books that are coming out," said William Wells, Director of Cairo's Townhouse Gallery. "At the moment, foreigners are coming through the city constantly looking for them."
Mona Said, owner of Safar Khan gallery, said she received strong interest in her first "To Egypt with Love" exhibition at the gallery in March. The exhibition displayed photography and graphic artwork inspired by the uprising.
"I sold four times what I expected to sell," said Said. "I shipped all over the world."
Hossam Hassan, who combines photography, digital design and painting, depicted protesters in Cairo's Tahrir Square at Safar Khan's gallery.
He said the beige background of his canvases reflects a decaying feeling on the eve of the uprising.
"Everything was cloudy, beige, colourless, tasteless before the revolution. These people came with their energy and injected this red, orange, yellow energy into Egypt," he said, pointing to the splashes of color on the paintings.
Hassan says his work on the uprising will be exhibited in European capitals including Vienna and London this year and will appear next year in a Paris exhibition commemorating the first day of the uprising, January 25.
FEARS OF CENSORSHIP
Other artists hope their depictions of the revolution will promote social causes they say were neglected under Mubarak, who is on trial accused of authorizing the use of live ammunition to shoot protesters, of corruption and abuse of power.
Hanan el-Nahrawy, a deaf-mute artist who has produced surrealistic oil and ink images of Mubarak, said -- through her son who interprets for her -- that she wants to spread awareness for deaf-mutes who received little care under the former leader.
"Mubarak did not like the disabled, whatever their disability," said Nahrawy. "In the days of (previous president) Anwar al-Sadat, there was more attention to the disabled."
One of Nahrawy's canvases depicts the Nile flowing through Mubarak's face, its delta branching off in vein-like lines on his forehead. A small fist carrying tear-shaped nooses is painted on one of his cheeks, while small images of people carrying Egypt's flag chip away at the other.
"These are the protesters trying to find out what's hidden, how much he owns," said Nahrawy. "The veins are like the reverberations of an earthquake. The revolution shook Mubarak."
Another of Nahrawy's works shows the Nile passing through an image that combines Mubarak's face with that of Hussein Salem, a close confidant of the former president charged with squandering public funds. Dollar signs fill the background.
Inspiration from the country's political upheaval is mixed with fears of political censorship by Egypt's army, which has ruled since Mubarak's overthrow on February 11. Rights groups worry over the army's use of military trials in cases where civilians criticized its actions.
Many artists are concerned that religious conservatives now vying for power may try to exert pressure that will curb freedom of expression.
"We've moved into a situation that's a little bit disturbing with the army now adopting similar tactics in terms of censorship that we had prior to February 11," said Wells.
Hassan said the diversity of religion and culture that has inspired artists in Egypt is under threat from strict Islamist groups such as the Salafists.
"This is not right for Egypt. We'll go back to where we were before the revolution and worse," said Hassan.
"The beauty of Egypt is its diversity. I get very upset when Islamists or Salafists say 'Egypt is Islamist, it has to be this' ... the depth and strength of Egypt is that it's Coptic (Christian), Pharoanic, Muslim, modern and old."

Israel: Gaza violence escalates as Egypt is drawn into conflict

As Israeli jets bombed Gaza, Egypt was also drawn into the conflict. Cairo lodged a protest against the deaths of at least three policemen and two other Egyptians caught in the crossfire as Israeli troops pursued the attackers in Thursday’s raid across the border between the two states.

The Egyptian chief of staff, Gen Sami Enan, headed to the Sinai to investigate personally.

At least eight Palestinians were killed in a bombing yesterday – six said to be leaders of the militant group Israel has held responsible for the attacks, the Popular Resistance Committees, but two said by local officials to be children aged three and 13. The first was son of the group’s leader.

The attacks on Thursday claimed the lives of six Israeli civilians, a soldier and a policeman, while six of the attackers were also killed and a seventh blew himself up as they fled back over the border with the Egyptian Sinai.

In Israel itself, ten people were injured, one critically, when a grad missile fired from Gaza in response to the bombing raids hit a temporary building being used as a synagogue outside a yeshiva or religious school in the Israeli port city of Ashdod.

Egypt withdraws ambassador from Israel

Egypt will withdraw its ambassador to Israel until it receives an apology and the results of an official investigation into the killing of five Egyptian policemen near the border, the cabinet said on Saturday.

An emergency committee said the ambassador would be recalled until “Israeli authorities apologise for the hasty and regrettable statements about Egypt.” It said Egypt also held Israel responsible for political and legal implications of the incident, which it called a violation of the Camp David Treaty.

Egypt will also take protective measures and strengthen security at the border with the necessary forces capable of deterring alleged infiltrators as well as respond to any activity by the Israeli military, it added.

On Friday, the government protested to Israel over the killing of five policemen on the border and demanded an “urgent investigation into the causes and circumstances of the incident.

The policemen were patrolling in the Egyptian region of Sinai when they came under fire from across the border, sources at the interior ministry said.

Hundreds of Egyptians protested outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo on Friday demanding the expulsion of the ambassador.

Ousted president Hosni Mubarak was viewed by many Egyptians as taking a lenient stance toward Israel.

Tensions have mounted along the borders with Israel and the Gaza Strip after deadly attacks in southern Israel on Thursday.