Sisi Pledges to Improve Religious Rhetoric

Sisi gestures during an interview with Reuters in Cairo, Egypt in this May 14, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
Sisi gestures during an interview with Reuters in Cairo, Egypt in this May 14, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
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Sisi Pledges to Improve Religious Rhetoric

Sisi gestures during an interview with Reuters in Cairo, Egypt in this May 14, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh
Sisi gestures during an interview with Reuters in Cairo, Egypt in this May 14, 2014 file photo. REUTERS/Amr Abdallah Dalsh

Egyptian President Abdel Fattah el-Sisi has stressed that Egypt remains committed to its mission to improve religious rhetoric.

"This is a collaborative responsibility that requires concerted efforts so that we build together a bright and wise intellectual path … to face challenges and build the future state," Sisi said Sunday.

In a speech marking the Prophet’s birthday, the president urged religious authorities to double their efforts to spread tolerance and correct religious misconceptions.

Sisi noted that the message of Islam values knowledge and science, and that the first word in Quran is “read.”

He further underlined that awareness is a key factor for a nation’s stability and progress.

The president stressed the importance of confronting individuals who take the holy words out of context and those who seek to stray people away from performing "the divine commands of reconstruction and reform of the world in what is good for humanity as a whole."

For his part, Al-Azhar Grand Imam Ahmed El-Tayyeb shed light on the importance of saving Muslim communities from the inhumane conditions that have been imposed by "some people who claim they abide by the instructions of the Prophet, and his religion and jurisprudence, while they kill innocents."

Tayyeb slammed those individuals who "turn Allah's mosques to arenas for war where lives are lost, blood is shed, bodies shattered, and sanctities violated.”



Hamas Source to Asharq Al-Awsat: Gaza Ceasefire Agreement Imminent

A Palestinian woman amid the rubble of her home in the Nusseirat camp in central Gaza after an Israeli airstrike. (EPA)
A Palestinian woman amid the rubble of her home in the Nusseirat camp in central Gaza after an Israeli airstrike. (EPA)
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Hamas Source to Asharq Al-Awsat: Gaza Ceasefire Agreement Imminent

A Palestinian woman amid the rubble of her home in the Nusseirat camp in central Gaza after an Israeli airstrike. (EPA)
A Palestinian woman amid the rubble of her home in the Nusseirat camp in central Gaza after an Israeli airstrike. (EPA)

A source within Hamas told Asharq Al-Awsat that a ceasefire agreement in Gaza is expected by the end of this week, unless new complications arise.

The source said “most issues have been settled, and the agreement is close.” Only a few details remain under discussion.

Speaking under the conditions of anonymity, the source said the agreement calls for a ceasefire in the first phase and the withdrawal of Israeli forces from city centers, but not Gaza. Troops will remain partially in the Netzarim and Philadelphi areas. Women and children will be allowed to return to northern Gaza, with men returning later in stages through an agreed process.

The source added that “efforts are being made to include men in the first phase, and talks are ongoing.”

In the first phase, lasting 45 to 60 days, Hamas will release about 30 Israeli prisoners, including both living detainees and bodies, in exchange for a yet-to-be-determined number of Palestinian prisoners, including many serving life sentences.

The agreement also includes handing control of the Rafah crossing to the Palestinian Authority, but not immediately, with Egypt overseeing the process.

Hamas sees its concessions as significant, especially in giving up the demand for a full Israeli withdrawal from Gaza in the first phase. However, the source stressed that Hamas has guarantees for this in later stages of the agreement.

The release of the remaining prisoners and the end of hostilities will be discussed during the first phase.

Both Israel and Hamas confirmed major progress on Tuesday.

Israeli Defense Minister Israel Katz said the deal is “closer than ever” after past obstacles were removed.

Hamas issued a statement saying that, with serious and positive talks ongoing in Doha, a ceasefire and prisoner swap are possible if Israel stops adding new conditions.

Hamas is facing a complicated situation after losing much of its leadership, with regional shifts including the weakening of Hezbollah, the fall of Syria’s Bashar al-Assad, and changes in US policy.

Other sources close to Hamas say the group is under intense pressure to make concessions, with the cost of delaying too high.

Like Israel, Hamas wants to reach an agreement before US President Donald Trump takes office next month. An Arab diplomat told The Times of Israel that Hamas is in its weakest position and warned, “The longer they wait, the worse the terms will be.”