CAIRO // Hundreds of protesters outside the Israeli embassy broke into a frenzy yesterday when a man bypassed a security perimeter, scaled a nearly 20-storey building and replaced an Israeli flag outside the embassy with an Egyptian one.
The feat by Ahmed El Shehata, a veteran of the uprising in Tahrir Square, quickly fired across the internet. The term flagman became one of Twitter's most popular topics in the region.
Mohamed Abdelfattah, an Egyptian video journalist, wrote on the site: "The impact of the #flagman is stronger than 10 ministries of foreign affairs put together".
Activist Gigi Ibrahim compared the moment to the day when Hosni Mubarak stepped down and when protesters spray painted the face of a police-brutality victim on the Ministry of Interior gate.
The act appeared to be cathartic for Egyptians who have had to contend with government policies towards Israel that were out of step with popular sentiment. Mr Mubarak allowed Israel to open an embassy in Egypt in 1980, becoming the first Arab leader to allow one on its land. He also signed a deal to supply Israel with 45 per cent of its gas and gave security assurances that allowed Israel to cut its defence spending.
Mr Shehata's gesture came amid escalating tensions between the two countries after Israeli military expressed its "deep regret" on Saturday about what it described as the accidental killing of five Egyptian officers on the border in Sinai. Israeli defence forces had been in pursuit of suspected militants who killed eight Israelis in terror attacks.
In an interview with Egyptian television, Mr Shehata, who has been called the "Egyptian Spiderman", said he managed to bypass Egyptian security as officers were changing shifts. His decision was rooted in his anti-semitic beliefs, he said.
"We want to expel people who are killing us," he said. "Those Jews and Zionists are part of the old regime, and we want to cut all our ties with the old regime".
Amr Bargisi, a member of the Egyptian Union for Liberal Youth who opposed the Mubarak uprising, said that "flagman" became popular because opposition to Israel is the one unifying factor across the country.
"The Islamists, the secularists, the socialists, the liberals all have one issue that they do not disagree about: Israel," he said. "I'm in deep consternation about my own country. What should really be the issue is that five Egyptians died and nobody seems to care about them. To me, the whole thing is a farce."
Mr Bargisi said that the Supreme Council of the Armed Forces - the military body that has been in charge since Mr Mubarak stepped down - was in a difficult position.
"They would rather keep the commitments that they had under the Mubarak regime, such as the peace treaty with Israel," he said. "Now they are in trouble with the Israelis and the Egyptian people because of what's happening in Sinai."
There was still uncertainty yesterday over whether Egypt's ambassador would be called back from Israel. The cabinet initially posted a statement online on Saturday saying that he was being told to return to Cairo "for consultation" but the statement was later taken down. The Israeli government said it had no official notification that the ambassador was being recalled and the Egyptian government did not respond to questions yesterday.
bhope@thenational.ae
The specs
- Engine: 3.9-litre twin-turbo V8
- Power: 640hp
- Torque: 760nm
- On sale: 2026
- Price: Not announced yet
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COMPANY%20PROFILE
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The specs
Engine: 2.0-litre 4cyl turbo
Power: 261hp at 5,500rpm
Torque: 405Nm at 1,750-3,500rpm
Transmission: 9-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 6.9L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh117,059
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
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Points about the fast fashion industry Celine Hajjar wants everyone to know
- Fast fashion is responsible for up to 10 per cent of global carbon emissions
- Fast fashion is responsible for 24 per cent of the world's insecticides
- Synthetic fibres that make up the average garment can take hundreds of years to biodegrade
- Fast fashion labour workers make 80 per cent less than the required salary to live
- 27 million fast fashion workers worldwide suffer from work-related illnesses and diseases
- Hundreds of thousands of fast fashion labourers work without rights or protection and 80 per cent of them are women
COMPANY PROFILE
Name: Xpanceo
Started: 2018
Founders: Roman Axelrod, Valentyn Volkov
Based: Dubai, UAE
Industry: Smart contact lenses, augmented/virtual reality
Funding: $40 million
Investor: Opportunity Venture (Asia)
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Killing of Qassem Suleimani
The biog:
From: Wimbledon, London, UK
Education: Medical doctor
Hobbies: Travelling, meeting new people and cultures
Favourite animals: All of them
KILLING OF QASSEM SULEIMANI
10 tips for entry-level job seekers
- Have an up-to-date, professional LinkedIn profile. If you don’t have a LinkedIn account, set one up today. Avoid poor-quality profile pictures with distracting backgrounds. Include a professional summary and begin to grow your network.
- Keep track of the job trends in your sector through the news. Apply for job alerts at your dream organisations and the types of jobs you want – LinkedIn uses AI to share similar relevant jobs based on your selections.
- Double check that you’ve highlighted relevant skills on your resume and LinkedIn profile.
- For most entry-level jobs, your resume will first be filtered by an applicant tracking system for keywords. Look closely at the description of the job you are applying for and mirror the language as much as possible (while being honest and accurate about your skills and experience).
- Keep your CV professional and in a simple format – make sure you tailor your cover letter and application to the company and role.
- Go online and look for details on job specifications for your target position. Make a list of skills required and set yourself some learning goals to tick off all the necessary skills one by one.
- Don’t be afraid to reach outside your immediate friends and family to other acquaintances and let them know you are looking for new opportunities.
- Make sure you’ve set your LinkedIn profile to signal that you are “open to opportunities”. Also be sure to use LinkedIn to search for people who are still actively hiring by searching for those that have the headline “I’m hiring” or “We’re hiring” in their profile.
- Prepare for online interviews using mock interview tools. Even before landing interviews, it can be useful to start practising.
- Be professional and patient. Always be professional with whoever you are interacting with throughout your search process, this will be remembered. You need to be patient, dedicated and not give up on your search. Candidates need to make sure they are following up appropriately for roles they have applied.
Arda Atalay, head of Mena private sector at LinkedIn Talent Solutions, Rudy Bier, managing partner of Kinetic Business Solutions and Ben Kinerman Daltrey, co-founder of KinFitz