Press Review: Knesset member says Egypt’s next revolution could be bloodier

CAIRO – 8 March 2017: In an article published by

Israeli newspaper Maariv

, a Knesset member said the scenario of the 2011 revolution in Egypt could repeat itself and be even bloodier should the Egyptian pound continue its decline.

The article was written by Ksenia Svetlova, an Israeli politician and journalist who lived the events of the January 25 Revolution in Cairo. The Knesset is Israel’s single-bodied Parliament.

Recalling the “dramatic events, attacks, assassinations and revolutions” that Egypt has seen since 2011, Svetlova said “Egypt is still shaking and will remain so in the near future,” despite President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi’s attempts to improve the situation by “talking about reforms, combating terrorism, expanding the Suez Canal, trying to attract foreign investments and calling for negotiations with Palestine.”

“The gaps between the rich and the poor are continuing to grow and ISIS in Sinai is controlling vast areas, targeting Egyptian security officers and citizens, expelling Copts and threatening the country’s safety,” Svetlova said. “The revolution that was born out of chaos is apparently meant to fail.”

In the article, titled “The final cord: Mubarak’s acquittal is the end of the Arab Spring,” Svetlova said Mubarak’s verdict in the case of killing protestors in 2011 did not shock or affect Egyptians who rebelled against him six year ago, which she sees as understandable.

“A lot has changed since then,” Svetlova said. “The Egyptian people – approaching 100 million – are continuing to live and survive. The events of the Arab Spring and Mubarak’s case are far from the reality they are living,” she explained.

The article also tackled the situation of the Muslim Brotherhood, calling them “a difficult reality that Egyptians woke up to after the days of the Arab Spring.”

The Muslim Brotherhood candidate “was brought by the first transparent elections in the history of Egypt,” Svetlova said. He was later removed by another uprising in 2013, which she also witnessed, bringing to power President Sisi who “dreamt of a different Egypt.”

“Egypt is the most important country in the Arab World. Its success and well-being are important to Israel,” the article concluded. “Without [Egypt], it is impossible to achieve stability in the region.”