The Arab world rejects Zionist occupation, in every way

"No room for Israel in Egyptian hearts or maps"

On Agence France-Press (AFP), at:
http://afp.google.com/article/ALeqM5hCjFTqgMd8HFU8bXDAH7xMuYJa4Q

June 2, 2008

"An Egyptian student points to a map of the Middle East on which Israel is labelled "Palestine' "

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Egyptians speak out against Zionism:

* " 'No, there are no maps with the name Israel. We follow the rest of the Arab world in this, peace treaty or not,' snapped Ibrahim Mahmud, who works in a bookshop in downtown Fagalla Street.

"A widespread boycott of 'normalisation' with Israel means there are no Israeli books in libraries and no Israeli films shown on Egyptian screens for fear of lodging Israel into people's consciousness, some observers say.

* "Egyptians view the events of 1948 as the 'Naqba' or catastrophe in Arabic -- the exodus of some 700,000 Palestinians during the first of several wars between Israel and neigbouring Arab states.

* "In a reflection of predominant opinion, widely read journalist Salam Ahmed Salama described Israel as a 'dangerous cancer' in a column headlined '60 terrible years' in the state-owned daily Al-Ahram.

"Textbooks, approved and stamped by the ministry of education, do not skip over the birth of Israel but rather they present an Arab version of that country's controversial history.

" 'The facts are clear -- the Palestinians were kicked out of their land, and Israel has never applied the peace treaty,' said Magdi Qassem, head of the National Textbooks Committee.

" '...But never will the Egyptian people accept the peace treaty as long as Israel continues to massacre Palestinians,' Qassem said."

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