Muslim Brotherhood member President Mohamed Morsi has sacked the senior Egyptian military command, the primary secular counterweight to Islamist fundamentalist control of Egypt.
As reported by The Times of Israel:
Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi fired Defense Minister Mohammed Hussein Tantawi and Chief of Staff Sami Anan on Sunday afternoon, forcing them into retirement, and canceled the military-declared constitutional amendments that gave top generals wide powers, Egyptian state TV reported.
Morsi also ordered the retirement of the commanders of the navy, air defense and air force.
The move was seen as an unprecedented assertion of authority over the armed forces by the Muslim Brotherhood president — a “civilian coup” against the army, in the words of the leading Israeli Arab affairs analyst Ehud Yaari. The move underlined that the president and the army are not running Egypt together, but rather that the army is subject to the orders of the presidency, Yaari said.
The Guardian reports that the new commander was an advocate of the “virginity tests” performed on female Egyptian protesters:
Replacing Tantawi is the head of military intelligence, Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi – one of the generals who defended the use of “virginity tests” against female protesters in March 2011 – with El-Assar as his deputy.
The excuse for the sacking of these military commanders, and others last week, was an attack in Sinai that left 15 Egyptian military personnel dead. That was the opening to assert Islamist control over the military, a process which has taken years in Turkey but was accomplished in short order in Egypt.
The Times of Israel article further notes the increaed Egyptian military presence near the Israeli border with Israel’s consent:
In his assertion of authority Sunday, the president also deployed forces in the Sinai ahead of an expected major military crackdown on terror cells there. Israel last week gave Egypt permission to deploy forces in excess of limitations set out in the Israel-Egypt peace treaty in order to crack down on Sinai terror bases. Israel allowed Egypt to deploy troops close to the Israeli border, noted Yaari. “The question is, after the military operation, will Morsi take the troops back out again.”
DEBKAfile reports that Egypt has moved M-60 tanks to the Israeli border, a report confirmed by an Egyptian newspaper:
Despite the hundreds of troops and dozens of military vehicles, including APCs with machine guns as well as M-60 tanks, making their way into North Sinai, residents and Sinai-based journalists and activists say the operations are nothing more than a show.
That is, of course, right. It’s a show in which Morsi and the Muslim Brotherhood are using an attack by other Islamists on Egyptian troops both to further marginalize the leading secular influence in society, and to destroy the Peace Treaty with Israel in small steps by remilitarizing the Sinai.
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“…the new commander was an advocate of the “virginity tests” performed on female Egyptian protesters.”
WTF?
“That was the opening to assert Islamist control over the military, a process which has taken years in Turkey but was accomplished in short order in Egypt.”
Obama drools.
Arab Springtime for Hitler.
“One man, one vote, one time.”
The virginity tests are interesting, but they are not, as of yet, enough to convince Andrea Mitchell that Abdel-Fatah el-Sissi is not a pick for women.
Yes, but what did el-Sissi have to say about Mitt’s choosing Ryan?
He’s thrilled. He heard that Ryan pushes gays and unchaste women off of cliffs.
I heard that, too. Let’s see, where did I hear that? Oh, right, it was from Andrea Mitchell.
Yep. Another triumph for “Flaccid Diplomacy” and “Leading from your rear”.
The Arab Spring has fully sprung. Like a bear trap.
Too soon; they don’t have Syria yet. But when they do…well it’s been almost 40 years since an all-out war against Israel. I hope the Israelis are ready.
I hope by that time we have a President who understands what’s truly at stake.
A page out of Hugo’s playbook: firing people on TV. This is reminiscent of ______ (fill in the blank).
The Riechstag fire.
I got you linked up, William, and there’s video: ‘Egypt’s President Mohamed Morsi Ousts Top Military Chiefs’.
Suspecting without proof those “show” tanks moving into the Sinai will have virtually permanent red dots “pasted” on their hulls so little time is lost after the first false move occurs. “60, 59, 58, 57, 56 ……” boom! (repeat as necessary).
I doubt Morsi will have the last word.
coup/counter coup set in motion.
I doubt Morsi will have the last word.
I somewhat agree. The quotation marks in my previous comment are deliberate.
Not all the possibilities are benign. Morsi might be supplanted by someone worse.
Like the anti-christ.
Looks like the Arab Spring will be metastasising into the Fall Civil War.
Well, this proves 3 things:
1-William Ayers, Bernadette Dorn and Code Pink operatives being in Egypt during recent uprisings was no mere coincidence;
2-Obama is truly as nuts as many of us believe him to be; and
3-Hillary Clinton is truly as dumb as many of us believe her to be.
So it seems the Muslim Brotherhood will be putting the $1.5 billion gift from the American taxpayer to good use. Did Obama put any preconditions on that money, or would that be rude? Maybe threatening Israel was part of his deal?
Has Obama bowed to this new Egyptian president yet? Bowing and apologizing have worked so well for him. Maybe Obama needs to remind NASA about his orders for them to make Muslims feel better about themselves? Combine that with Obama flashing one of his winning smiles, and I’m sure everything will be fine.
/sarc
No worries.
Obama has a firm grip on the situation.
After all, he’s leading with his behind.
http://www.wayodd.com/noindex2/funny-pictures-head-up-your-ass-Afq.jpg
Israel allowed the elephant’s nose within the tent? How remarkably stupid!
as an old anti-tank infantry grunt, with an abiding interest in that sort of thing, the M-60, up against the latest Merkava variant, is nothing more than a deathtrap for it’s crew, even if they are more competent than your average Arab soldier.
now, if they move any of the M-1’s we were dumb enough to sell them, things might get a bit more interesting, but since they require a lot of user maintenance to stay serviceable and since my understanding is they have a downgraded armor package from what the US forces use, my $$ is still on the IDF.
I also figure the Egyptian M-1s are equipped with a special “Lo-Jack” feature for “finding” them…if you are a missile.
yeah, the “kill switch” they use for cars could even be upgraded a little for military vehicles sold to questionable “allies”. They attack Israel, and all at once all their tanks and planes explode. That would be a hoot. We could just shrug and blame Allah. 🙂
[…] HT: Legal Insurrection […]
This is a good thing right? I mean isn’t TMB our friend? Didn’t we just give them $1.5 billion? Brought to you by the Obama WH and the Clinton State Department.
Oh…and NO WORRIES about that MBH/State connection…
Why, that’s just crazy-talk…
Amazing how our President always seems to be right there at the wrong time. Here we have Obama dinning with Muslims to celebrate Ramadan and three of our solders are killed and never mentioned. We have him refusing to go to the Boy Scout Jamboree because of their view of gays but he bows to the leader of a country that is now building all female cities to keep the genders apart.Nor can I leave out Senator Mc Cain who told us what a wonderful place Egypt was going to be once the spring was over and summer arrived. Luckily we avoided a train wreck when the last person mentioned didn’t become Pres. Now we just have to make sure that when the current President goes over the cliff, he doesn’t take us all with him. I feel much better about our chances now that Ryan is on the team.
Yes.
For the first time I have read an American say this-
We ought to have let the Soviets wipe out the Afghanis ‘rebels’.
Now these same Charlie Wilson heroes are inviting Americans to lunch & then shooting them as a Ramadan celebration.
I am going o tuck this in here.
And not just any Americans -the Marine Special Force members.
Just what the f are you guys doing? How f stupid are your commanders?
I think things may be very much worse than this massively inept pathetic frightening episode suggests.
First of all, to preclude misunderstanding: this is happening late in Obama’s term. To the considerable extent that the US can influence the outcome, he bears primary responsibility.
Nevertheless, Bush’s Second Inaugural Address appalled me when given and continues to do so.
Re both Presidents: Wishful thinking is no substitute for grand strategy. Fuzzy good intentions are no substitute for a clear-eyed assessment of the national interest.
It’s only a matter of time before the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel crumbles.
The next major war will be in or erupt in the Middle East. Hopefully, it will play out quickly and NOT involve any nation building after the conclusion of hostilities. Let the UN pick up any pieces…
Coup d’etat anyone?
I hope it has occurred to the Obama State Dept to keep an eye on any burgeoning alliance between Egypt and Iran. Even the IDF would struggle with a two front war. On the other hand, Iran might not be happy that Egypt’s actions could accelerate an Israeli strike on the Iran nuclear facilities – Israel may decide it needs to set Iran back on its ass before Egypt has a chance to fully militarize the Sinai prepatory to moving on Israel, all to avoid a two-front scenario. The religious fervor of these radical Islamists, which can overrule tactical and strategic sensibility, makes reading their military intentions more difficult whenever they assume power. Of course, this assumes Obama wouldn’t want to see Israel under attack or great threat.
There was a time when I would immediately abandon my cynical thought that Obama may be encouraging a confrontation of Israel by Egypt and/or Iran in order to provide an October surprise in time for his reelection (“We’re at war! We HAVE to support our president!”). However, for the first time in my adult life while considering our CinC, I cannot rule out that Obama would do such a despicable thing. I see very little that is illegal, unethical, or immoral that he wouldn’t do, because he suffers that liberal pandemic belief that they are so correct, so right in all things, that their wondrous ends will always justify their means, however horrible. It is a truism – in what are they ever not justified?
There no accident or incompetence on Obama’s part in the Muslim Brotherhood taking over Egypt. It was intentional. Period.
Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, a drunk and incompetent buffoon, just went along for the ride.
[…] Muslim Brotherhood President sacks Egyptian military command (legalinsurrection.com) […]
“Muslim Brotherhood President sacks Egyptian military command”
…NOBODY can now say they don’t know one of the things OBOZO will do if (Allah forbid!) he steals the election.
our military has done years of manuevers with the Egyptian
Military and it was not a stiff-armed relation ship.
I say coup, coup, coup, and we slip some materielto them, it happens…