As Demonstrations spread thru the Middle East, Egyptian protests target Israel—and their own regime

An Egyptian revolutionary reports from the new outbreak of protests there, ending in Tahrir Square, as Israel’s attack on Gaza ignites masses around the region.

Pro-Palestine protests exploded in Egypt on Friday (10/20) as thousands of people showed their anger at the Israel regime and the Western imperialists who support it.

Very significantly, some of the protesters also targeted their own leader, president Abdel Fattah al-Sisi.   

An anonymous socialist revolutionary in Cairo reported “There were two protests, one that included people from the opposition to al-Sisi. The other was an official one supporting Sisi’s call for Palestinians not to be driven into the Sinai desert.”

“The opposition one ended in Tahrir Square, the historic center of the 2011 revolutionary uprising.” 

“The main difference between the two is the tone in the chants directed to the regime. One is answering to the regime and celebrating Sisi’s stand.”

“The other took more of a critical stand saying you should cut all ties with Israel, open the borders and that we are with Palestinians’ right to resist the occupation. There were even some pro-Hamas chants.”

“People chanted that this was a real protest and they were not giving Sisi a mandate for his policies.”

“The protests criticizing Sisi were definitely smaller in size than the state-backed ones. But also it was the first protest in Tahrir in ten years so very significant in terms of breaking the idea that this would never be allowed to happen.”

“As so often, Palestine has become a key arena for opposition to our rulers because it is so linked to the relation not only to Israel but also to imperialism generally.”

In a symbolic moment, banging was heard from inside a police truck full of conscripts. The men normally sent to put down protests signaled their support for a march near Cairo’s Al-Azhar University. Outside the truck, the protesters chanted, “Gaza, Gaza, symbol of glory.”

Protests also took place in Port Said and Alexandria and at the Rafah Crossing to Gaza that the Egyptian government has sealed.

The regime is under pressure because it has made so many deals with Israel. It has to pose as an ally of the Palestinians or the opposition to its own rule will grow.

It is grudgingly allowing some protests hoping this will act as a safety-valve. But that can come crashing down if anger overwhelms the state-sanctioned limitations, or if Sisi achieves no concessions from the imperialists.

The Revolutionary Socialists said in a statement “Sisi is trying to take over the Palestine solidarity movement in order to rebuild his popularity. This has collapsed as a result of his policies of oppression and impoverishment which are crushing Egyptians. He hopes to avoid suffering a share of popular anger over the crimes of the occupation,  although he has participated hand in hand in the siege of Gaza throughout previous years of his rule.”

Sisi’s crisis could grow. Israeli defense minister Yoav Gallant told the Knesset foreign and defense committee on Friday that Israel would no longer have “responsibility for life in the Gaza Strip” once its slaughter in the Gaza war was over. He added that he hoped the conflict would create “a new security reality.”

In any such scheme Egypt will become responsible for two million Palestinians—a prospect that will terrify Sisi.

Demonstrations Spread 

After the bombing of Al Ahli Arab Hospital in Gaza on Tuesday, Lebanese Hezbollah’s call for a “day of rage” followed angry protests in the Israeli-occupied West Bank, Lebanon, Jordan, Libya, Yemen, Tunisia, Turkey, Morocco and Iran. And the protests are still spreading. 

After Friday prayers in Yeman, huge numbers filled the streets for a government-backed pro-Palestine demonstration — reports range from one million to 1.5 million taking part.

Previously, Jordan had been relatively quiet, but protests have raged there all week,  sometimes against the regime as well as Israel. Jordanian riot police pushed back thousands of protesters on Wednesday near the Israeli embassy in the capital, Amman. “No Zionist embassy on Arab land,” they shouted. The King of Jordan, home to about two million Palestinian refugees, has spoken of his support for a sovereign Palestinian state on 1967 lines. “The popular position is stronger than the official one” tribal sheikh Mohammad al-Hadid told Middle East Eye, as Jordanian authorities “arrest those who smuggle weapons into Palestine.” Protesters demanded the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador and the end of the 1994 peace treaty with Israel, as well as stopping the agreement to buy natural gas from Israel, which Jordan signed in 2016.

Friday in Jordan protesters attempted for the second time to march to the Palestinian West Bank, calling to “open the border” and aid Palestinians facing repression there. It was Jordanian security forces who closed roads and kept them away from the border. 

Around the region, heads of state are responding to anger from below and denouncing Israeli actions, but also containing the actual struggle for solidarity with Palesinians and attempting to block attacks on Israel. 

In Beirut there were two protests on Wednesday. Hezbollah rallied thousands of its supporters in south Beirut where leaders spouted militant-sounding threats and the crowd chanted “Death to America! Death to Israel!” Others protested outside the highly fortified US embassy into the night, lighting fires and cutting through a wire fence. This protest united Palestinian refugees resident there with Lebanese, with a few Hezbollah flags and the red and black flags of leftist factions mixing with the many Palestinian flags. Protesters clashed with Lebanese security forces, who used tear gas and water cannons to protect the embassy. 

Saudi Arabia and Turkey have both made reproaches with Israel recently, pushed by the United States, but have now put those moves on hold and denounced the attack on Gaza. But in Turkey, hundreds of Turkish police, metal barriers, and water cannon still protected the Israeli consulate in Istanbul and embassy in Ankara from angry crowds. Protests are also stirring up fury in Saudi Arabia. This is a nightmare for Israel and the United States. 

President Biden spent the days after Israel started blockading and bombing Gaza backing them 100% and squelching any mention of restraint or cease fire. We then heard he was touring to stop the conflict from spreading. Biden was not countering Israeli escalation; what he feared was opening up other fronts in solidarity with Palestine. 

We want to see the Israeli attacks on Gaza stop now. But chants for a ceasefire which would leave the old system of oppression in place are not enough. The conflict with Israel needs to continue and spread. Any successful action by Palestinians inspires the working class around the region. And the struggles of the Arab workers against their own regimes demonstrate the power that can ultimately help win Palestinian liberation. 

Today, with over a million displaced inside a besieged Gaza, and thousands dead, pro-Palestine protests are occurring throughout the world. They are often facing opposition and repression but also clarifying attitudes of those in support. That includes the countless demonstrations here in the U.S. (although we have yet to build the kind of coalition that brought 100,000 out on the streets of London this Saturday.) Inside Israel’s main backer we can play our part demonstrating in solidarity with the Palestinian struggle, and against our own government.