Syrian Newspaper Slams Egyptian Regime

A July 10 op-ed piece in the pro-government newspaper Al-Watan criticised Egypt’s internal and foreign policies.



The article’s author, Ibrahim Daraji, said that he felt “sorry” for the low level that politics and media have reached in Egypt.



The author criticised the economic situation in Egypt, saying that a few people held a monopoly over the economy, accusing them of using politics to issue laws and decrees that served their interests and helped them increase their fortunes.



He also implicitly criticised Egypt for its positions during the Israeli attacks on Gaza earlier this year and its decision to allow the opposition Syrian television channel, Zanoubia, to broadcast from Egyptian territory.



The author attacked the Egyptian media, which, he said, was biased and spread rumours and lies. In particular, the author criticised Egyptian coverage of protests in Iran.



He said that there was a lack of freedom in the Egyptian media and accused it of misleading the Egyptian people.