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Egyptian Leader Sissi Faces Protests
(Ha'aretz) Zvi Bar'el - Rare demonstrations against the regime of Egyptian President Abdel-Fatah al-Sissi have raised speculation about his ability to remain in power. But there's an important difference between Sissi and former President Hosni Mubarak. Mubarak had a tense relationship with his defense minister and army chief of staff, Mohamed Tantawi, which reached its peak when the army sided with the demonstrators during the uprising in 2011. Sissi, in contrast, has maintained a close relationship with the army and with his defense minister, Gen. Mohamed Zaki. The army has become the main contractor for government projects and continues to back the president. Sissi also has no fears on the political front, since most members of parliament either belong to the ruling party or have joined its governing coalition. As a rule, the parliament passes all legislation proposed by the president. Sissi's enemies last week circulated two purportedly authentic documents on social media that listed Sissi's mother as a Moroccan Jew named Malika Titani, and that this is the reason for his close ties with Israel. The Moroccan government officially disavowed the claim and denied the authenticity of the documents. But it no longer matters; the rumors have become facts.