Between the Emirates of Sleep and the Emirates of the Nation: Stretch Your Legs to Fit Your Bed

-        30-11-2018

-        I do not want to be ill-intentioned or to interpret things negatively; what I heard is that Egypt and the United Arab Emirates have signed an agreement between Dubai Ports World and the Suez Canal Authority... for investment and development in the Ain Sokhna area and in Sinai, and the formation of a company with 51% for the Egyptians and 49% for the Emiratis... And it was said about this agreement that it will be developmental for areas to be created—industrial, commercial and residential in Ain Sokhna and Sinai—and that it will employ laborers and create job opportunities for more than 400,000 workers and employees... where there is also the advantage of low-wage labor, and factories for pharmaceuticals, telecommunications and others will be established in the area... And the truth is that it is a huge investment and an economic leap that will benefit both countries and neighboring places... and it is possible to develop part of Sinai from an industrial perspective... Choosing Egypt is considered a qualitative choice, given Egypt’s strategic, political, demographic, Arab, Islamic and global standing... and its commercial and cultural [standing]..!!.. between three continents, among the most important continents in the world... and the daily passage of global ships from all parts of the world to all parts of the continents for trade, transport and shipping, in addition to giving Egypt a preference along with all the other advantages.. by way of a signal as a message... that the Emirates stand with those who are aligned with it in good times and bad... and Egypt proved its alignment early even without the presence of Dubai Ports World... Egypt’s current economic philosophy.. privatization.of public sector assets!!.. As for politics, Egypt classifies the Gulf Arab states as being within its national-security square!!.. Egypt has no objection to returning islands that belong to it to Saudi Arabia.. which provoked a great controversy about them!!.. Thus.. Egyptians, or the current Egyptian political regime, view relations in the region this way...

-        Dubai Ports World ...DP, which was established in 1999, is a company present in more than thirty-five countries across all continents of the world... it secures its investments throughout the world and opens routes for easy access to global markets and the population of these sprawling countries in which this Emirati company operates exceeds two billion people! And this Dubai Ports company is a subsidiary of Dubai World, the investment arm of the Government of Dubai..

-        This authority is currently working on developing ports and maritime corridors for more than eight African countries...including Egypt, Algeria, Mali, Senegal, Ghana, and Somaliland..but the Somaliland withdrew from it, as a result of the Somalis’ refusal to lease and invest the strategic Somali port “Berbera”..this followed the Somalis’ refusal to complete signing the investment agreement with Dubai Ports World, which stipulated that the UAE (Dubai Ports World) would hold 51% of the investment company’s shares while Somaliland would have 30%..and Ethiopia, which was brought in as a strategic partner with a 19% share, and Ethiopia’s entry was intended to develop the Berbera corridor as a commercial gateway for Ethiopia, the country with no maritime outlet—a landlocked state—but which is developing and growing commercially and has a large population..in addition to enjoying a unique but dangerous advantage for some countries into which the Nile flows, namely Sudan and Egypt..because of the Grand Ethiopian Renaissance Dam that Ethiopia built on the Nile’s sources in its territory..with financing said to have been Emirati-Saudi..and the Somalis considered that behind this investment agreement there are dangerous hidden objectives to such Emirati expansion..and that the Emirates does not want to present the agreement to the Somali parliament, and that the Somalis’ share is relatively low..and the Somalis considered that this investment has colonial expansionist objectives and that behind this investment wave..a coming military invasion and control over the country’s resources through trade!!.

-        Global trade and investment around the world carried out by Dubai Ports World..which facilitate rapid access to global markets..and connect some of them in a way that grows trade and shortens time..is an investment vision with economic feasibility..that exceeds expectations.!!..And the recent agreement with Egypt is nothing but a successful deal from an economic standpoint...As for the political side, the Emirates, despite its small geographic size and low population..undertakes investments that exceed that demographic and geographic scale...in their quality, locations and far-reaching extent..!! And the Emirates has world-class ports of the first rank, such as Jebel Ali Port, considered among the most efficient ports in the world for global trade...However, in recent years the United Arab Emirates’ interest in Africa has been noticeable..clearly, as it applies its investment authorities’ projects to the continent’s ports and its openings on all African coasts, including Aden and Bab al-Mandeb..and the scattered islands in the Red Sea..!!.It seems that it will control maritime and population access routes to Africa, and navigation will be either under its grip or under the grip of other countries’ fleets!!..waiting to champion human rights in Africa!!!..just as Israel seeks as it continues to penetrate Africa with secret and public visits..but Israel cannot achieve the freedom of access it wishes in the African arena because the entire continent is made up of Arab, Islamic and African countries that consider the Palestinian cause a central issue..and therefore..and God and His Messenger know best.!!.the Emirates could cooperate and invest bilaterally with Israel in this regard..as it has appeared to clarify publicly...!! and considering it a spearhead acceptable to Africans..as it is an Arab Muslim wealthy state... The recent agreement signed with Egypt by the Emirates was said to establish industrial projects in the Suez Canal area –Sokhna and the Sinai Peninsula..and this also indicates objectives that may be political!! regarding the Egyptians in Sinai and the Palestinians in Gaza..!!

-        We Arabs and Palestinians..I mean the Arab peoples..are like birds....for these birds by their nature..from God..remain cautious!!..and they are not tamed and brought into cages easily..no matter how plentiful the feed and seeds (the flattering) of grains may be!!..At the slightest movement..in the vicinity...you find flocks of birds flying in response to their nature..which keeps them in constant caution..even with birds like themselves..like eagles...We Arab and Islamic peoples..we exercise caution in our interpretations and readings of events in our regions..or even in the world and this caution we learned from those in authority because they deceived us so often...and God is truly witness to you and the peoples!!

-        Doubt in politics...is necessary...and gullibility and taking matters at face value from what is written in the lines...is harmful!!..One must read between what the political hands write...We have also become accustomed to agreements having secret annexes attached to them...that people do not see nor do legislative councils ratify them...our politicians usually take a word as if it were a covenant and our individuality stems from our tribalism..so if the tribal leader points with his hand..to honor the guest.!!.we slaughter even our beasts which are our means of making a living..out of honor for that guest..and when the guest is a politician..we even grant him our islands...and our outlets..at the request of the leader of our Arab tribe..and our necks remain unshackled..so that we remain slaves..we need only obey the authorities...!! And we draw the news from the Emiratis’ apparent intentions before us without evasion.!!..in Yemen and Qatar and with the Palestinians and Libya and Tunisia..and Turkey and Switzerland....etc!! And with what the Emirates are doing in Ethiopia..where Israel entered before it..into the Ethiopian arena and could not progress further..but the UAE’s entry into Ethiopia created a potential danger..of drawing the poor and developing Ethiopia, seeking to feed its population, to stand against two African Arab countries as enemies and to control the Nile’s sources..and therefore the Israelis can subdue these two countries..and seize them by the throat...and thereby dictate to them what they want because drinking water is a matter of life or death!! I am frankly uneasy....!! (not reassured).....for the Emirates no longer extends its reach only as far as its coverlet allows....the temperature has risen..and it threw the coverlet..and became without a roof or covering...preventing it and its friends..!! from breathing over the peaks of Africa’s rich..wealthy..inner lands and coasts and its peoples.....a market worthy of lifting the cover!!

-        I feel apprehension....!! despite our proverb that says "Egypt's good benefits the countries"!!