Egyptians denounce 'normalization' at embassy in Cairo

Demonstrators praise bombing of gas pipeline in Sinai, demand Egyptian government end all cooperation with Israel, open Gaza crossing.

By JPOST.COM STAFF
Protesters in Tahrir Square Egypt Cairo 311 (R) (photo credit: Reuters)
Protesters in Tahrir Square Egypt Cairo 311 (R)
(photo credit: Reuters)
Protesters descended on the Israeli embassy in Cairo on Friday, calling for a complete halt in Egyptian cooperation with Israel.
One protester said the demonstration was a response to President Shimon Peres's call for Egyptian youth to normalize relations with Israel, AFP reported.
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Positioned on a bridge across from the embassy, demonstrators chanted, "The people demand the cancellation of normalization," according to the report.
Another call of the protesters was to end Egypt's supply of natural gas to Israel. They celebrated the recent bombing of a Sinai gas pipeline that delivers gas to both Israel and Jordan.
"If the government won't cut it off," one protester said of the gas supply, "the people will," AFP reported.
At another protest in Alexandria, one man told Daily News Egypt, "We don't [want] war with Israel, we only want to support the Palestinians and demand the Egyptian government stop all forms of cooperation with Israel."
Last month, Egyptian prosecutors extended the remand of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak was partially motivated by questions surrounding the natural gas deal between Cairo and Israel, The New York Times reported.
The announcement followed news that Egypt’s former oil minister was arrested over the natural gas deal, which is being alleged in Egyptian media as having provided below-market prices to the Jewish state.
The Egyptian prosecutor’s spokesman said Mubarak was being questioned about the low prices involved in the deal that amounted to “hurting the country’s interests,” the Times reported.
According to the spokesman, Egypt lost more than $714 million in revenue in the deal.
Reuters contributed to this report.