An Egyptian company joining the land transport bridge between the “UAE and the Israeli occupation” angers the Egyptians

Cairo - At a time when popular demands rose to boycott companies that deal with the Israeli occupation, and the Egyptian opposition demanded the cancellation of the peace agreement signed with the occupation in 1979, known in the media as the Camp David Accords, and the cancellation of the QIZ Agreement, an Egyptian company joined the land bridge agreement between the Emirates. And the Israeli occupation.

Based on the agreement signed by the company called “WWCS”, owned by an Egyptian businessman named Hisham Helmy, there is a new route for the bridge, extending from the port of Jebel Ali, across Saudi territory to the ports of Haifa and Eilat in Israel, from which trucks pass through Egyptian territory. To the ports of Port Said and Ain Sokhna, after the other routes of the road extended only from the port of Jebel Ali in the Emirates to the ports of Haifa and Eilat.

The Egyptian company defines itself on its website as working in the field of commercial and shipping agencies in loading and unloading ships, providing navigational services for ships, and in the field of technological solutions and services that simplify the management of container transport risks during the tracking and digitization process.

According to the contract signed by the Egyptian company, with the “Tracant” company, in Israel, and the Purantis company in the Emirates, to transport goods from Dubai ports, through Saudi Arabia and Jordan, to the ports of Haifa and Eilat, and from there to the ports of Sokhna and Port Said in Egypt, the two parties share 20% of the revenues. Expected transportation of goods via the land bridge route in Egypt. It is an agreement of unlimited duration, but each party may terminate the contract by giving 60 days advance notice of termination.

The agreement allows the company the right to use the crossings between Egypt and the Israeli occupation to transport goods.

The signing of the agreement comes at a time when ships heading to Israel in the Red Sea are being attacked by the Houthis, who announced that they would target any ship heading to the occupied territory in response to the aggression against the Gaza Strip.

During the past years, the UAE sought to control Egyptian ports.

Yesterday, Wednesday, the Egyptian government signed the final contract for an agreement granting Abu Dhabi Ports Group the right to operate and maintain the “Safaga 2” multi-purpose terminal in Safaga Port on the Red Sea for 30 years.

Egyptian Minister of Transport Kamel Al-Wazir said that the new Safaga 2 terminal will accommodate one million containers annually and will receive seven million tons of goods.

He added that the ministry invested 3.6 billion pounds to develop Safaga Port, and that the project, which has an area of ​​810,000 square meters, will have a berth length of 1,100 meters and a depth of 17 meters.

Kamel Al-Wazir said that the signing comes within the framework of developing Egyptian ports to achieve the greater goal of making Egypt a global center for trade and logistics, optimally exploiting its strategic location on the Red Sea and the Mediterranean, and maximizing cooperation with the international and local private sector.

The Egyptian Minister of Transport confirmed that the contract also comes within the framework of activating the major cooperation plan between the Egyptian Ministry of Transport and Abu Dhabi Ports Group to establish a number of projects for the logistics services sector in Egypt.

The contract provides for the obligation to build and develop the superstructure, use, manage, operate, maintain and redeliver the multi-purpose terminal at the Safaga sea port.

The duration of the commitment granted to the project company was 30 years, starting from the date of receipt of the project land.

Since 2008, Dubai Ports has acquired Sokhna Port in Egypt, in a deal worth $670 million in exchange for a 25-year usufruct.

The announcement of the Egyptian company signing an agreement with the Israeli company and joining the land bridge between the UAE and the Israeli occupation sparked angry reactions, demanding the closure of the company’s headquarters located in the city of Alexandria - northern Egypt.

Akram Ismail, the representative of the founders of the Bread and Freedom Party under establishment, wrote on his official Facebook page: The issue of an Egyptian company joining the land route between the Emirates and Israel is very disturbing news.

He added: That there are symbols close to the ruling elites who work in sensitive economic activity linked to Israel is a recurring theme from businessman Hussein Salem to Hisham Helmy and many others.

He added: Egyptian businessmen profited from the Gaza tragedy, and in my estimation, they would do that unless they were part of a network of relationships that protected them with the ruling elites, and this is very disturbing.

He continued: We are unable to help our people in Gaza, we are unable to forcefully open the crossing, and we are unable to chant against Israel and its crimes in the streets, but Egyptian parties also participate in economic activity from which Israel benefits.

He added: Egypt refused to be in the coalition to protect navigation in the Red Sea despite the Suez Canal being affected by the issue. This is the national and humanitarian position. Official Egypt is offering initiatives to resolve the conflict and this is a humanitarian and serious position. Our participation in suspicious activities with Israel is something that cannot be accepted. Close this company. .

Abdullah Badr, through his Facebook account, described what the Egyptian businessman did as treason, and asked: How could an Egyptian company bypass Egyptian politics and participate in explicit betrayal?

He continued: What the Egyptian businessman did will give Israel Egyptian blessing to assassinate the Suez Canal.

Zambia steps up fight against cholera

Zambian authorities announced Thursday a strengthening of the health campaign to fight cholera, a disease that has been on the rise since October and which has already caused nearly a hundred people to die this year in the southern African country.

Health Minister Sylvia Masebo called for more drastic hygiene measures in homes, and her Water counterpart, Mike Mposha, said chlorine would be more widely distributed to disinfect contaminated water. in the regions most affected by cholera.

Five deaths and 111 new cases of contamination were recorded in 24 hours, due in particular to heavy rains which accelerate the transmission of the bacterial disease through water and infected food, said Sylvia Masebo. This is the highest daily total in 2023.

There have been 93 deaths this year from this acute diarrheal infection, most of them since October, according to the National Institute of Public Health.

“Our nation faces a significant health challenge,” Masebo said at a press conference. The mortality rate of the current epidemic, around 3%, is "very worrying", she added, knowing that internationally it is less than 1%.

Zambia's neighboring country also affected by cholera, Zimbabwe has declared a state of emergency. According to the World Health Organization (WHO), it has recorded more than 250 deaths since February.

The WHO has expressed concern about the increasing number of cholera cases around the world in recent years, with Africa most affected.

The number of reported cholera cases more than doubled, from 223,370 in 2021 to 472,697 in 2022.

In 2023, there were already more than 580,000 cases in September, according to the United Nations health agency.

Zambia is also facing its worst anthrax outbreak since 2011. Kenya, Malawi, Uganda and Zimbabwe have also recorded anthrax cases this year, with a total of these five countries at mid -December, 20 deaths and some 1,100 suspected cases.