Egypt Central Bank Denies Resignation of its Governor

The Central Bank of Egypt in Cairo. (Reuters file photo)
The Central Bank of Egypt in Cairo. (Reuters file photo)
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Egypt Central Bank Denies Resignation of its Governor

The Central Bank of Egypt in Cairo. (Reuters file photo)
The Central Bank of Egypt in Cairo. (Reuters file photo)

The Central Bank of Egypt denied on Saturday reports of the resignation of its governor, Tarek Amer, following rumors that he would be part of a government reshuffle.

Gamal Negm, the first deputy governor of the Central Bank, dismissed the reports about the resignation, stressing that Amer’s term ends in November 2023.

Rumors were rife that Amer would resign just hours before President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi announced the reshuffle on Saturday.

According to the constitution, the president appoints the heads of several bodies and regulatory agencies, including the Central Bank governor, with the approval of the majority of parliament for a once-renewable four-year term.

Negm said the appointment of the governor and his continuation in his post is decided by the president alone.

Amer was appointed to his post in November 2015. In 2019, Sisi renewed his tenure for four years.

Negm told the official Egyptian Middle East News Agency (MENA) that rumors of the resignation negatively impact the central bank and other banks.

Such rumors are driven by the interests of those who promote them, he added.

He hailed Amer’s role over the past 19 years in driving reform in the banking sector, which is now playing a significant and major role in the development process in Egypt.



Palestinian Health Ministry Says One Dead in Israel West Bank Raid

Demonstrators clash with Palestinian security forces in Nablus in the West Bank (File photo/Reuters)
Demonstrators clash with Palestinian security forces in Nablus in the West Bank (File photo/Reuters)
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Palestinian Health Ministry Says One Dead in Israel West Bank Raid

Demonstrators clash with Palestinian security forces in Nablus in the West Bank (File photo/Reuters)
Demonstrators clash with Palestinian security forces in Nablus in the West Bank (File photo/Reuters)

The health ministry in the occupied West Bank said one person was killed and nine injured in an Israeli raid on a refugee camp, with the Israeli military saying Saturday it had opened fire at "terrorists".

An 18-year-old man, Muhammad Medhat Amin Amer, "was killed by bullets from the (Israeli) occupation in the Balata camp" in the territory's north, the Palestinian health ministry said in a late-night statement, adding that nine people were injured, "four of whom are in critical condition".

According to the Palestinian Red Crescent, the raid began on Friday night and triggered violent clashes, AFP reported.

The official Palestinian news agency Wafa reported that Israeli troops entered the camp from the Awarta checkpoint and "deployed snipers on the rooftops of surrounding buildings".

In a statement on Saturday, the Israeli military said that during the "counterterrorism" operation, "terrorists placed explosives in the area in order to harm (military) soldiers, hurled explosives, molotov cocktails, and rocks and shot fireworks at the forces".

"The forces fired toward the terrorists in order to remove the threat. Hits were identified," the statement said.

Violence in the West Bank has intensified since war broke out in the Gaza Strip after Hamas's October 7, 2023 attack on Israel.

Since then, at least 815 Palestinians have been killed in the territory by Israeli troops or settlers, according to the Palestinian health ministry in Ramallah.

In the same period, Palestinian attacks in the West Bank have killed at least 25 Israelis, according to official Israeli figures.

Israel has occupied the West Bank since conquering it in the 1967 Arab-Israeli war.