For years, commentators and experts lamented Egypt's fading relevance in the region, blaming the policies of autocratic ruler Hosni Mubarak and the political turmoil and economic woes that followed his ousting in 2011.
Change did not come overnight, but Egypt's successful mediation, credited with ending this month's violence between Israel and Hamas, the militant Palestinian group, was a milestone in Cairo's journey back to its former place as a key regional player.
“There’s certainly a comeback by Egypt on the regional stage but it’s different from how things used to be in the past,” said Gehad Auda, a political science professor from Cairo’s Helwan University.
"There are no ideological motives behind Egypt’s regional policies now, like Arab nationalism or Arabism, but rather a manifestation of slow and consistent accumulation of experiences and actions.”
Accolades from world leaders, including US President Joe Biden, quickly poured in after an Egyptian-brokered ceasefire took hold on May 21, ending 11 days of rocket barrages fired at Israel by militants in Gaza and devastating Israeli air strikes on the coastal enclave.
Pro-government TV talk show hosts and social media users celebrated Cairo’s newly acquired standing and the leadership of President Abdel Fattah El Sisi.
For Egypt, the return to regional relevance has been a long process involving rebuilding an army that now ranks among the world’s top 10 and introducing economic reforms once thought to be politically impossible.
Egypt also succeeded in restoring security after years of turmoil, containing an insurgency by ISIS-linked extremists in the Sinai Peninsula and eliminating the danger posed by similarly minded groups lurking in Libya near Egypt’s border.
Following this diplomatic victory, Egypt is feeling emboldened enough to move from de-escalation between Israel and Hamas to the broader Israeli-Palestinian conflict, setting an agenda of ambitious and challenging goals.
It is an undertaking likely to test Cairo's diplomatic leverage to the limit, taking on one of the world's most intractable conflicts.
"What is urgently required now is to build on, support and reinforce Egypt's standing," wrote Imad Hussein, editor of Cairo's independent daily Al Shorouk.
“This development could open the door for co-ordination by Egypt at the highest level to discuss a final and just resolution of the Palestinian issue.”
Egyptian delegations, for example, are in the Gaza Strip and Tel Aviv trying to cement the May 21 ceasefire.
Beyond that, according to Egyptian security sources, the delegations are trying to get the two sides to agree to a one-year truce.
If agreed, Cairo hopes to use the time to try to resolve some of the most daunting dilemmas it has faced when dealing with the Palestinian-Israeli conflict.
The Egyptians, the sources said, were counting on the vast experience and knowledge gained over many years of in-depth contacts with the Palestinians and Israel, with whom it signed a peace treaty 42 years ago.
Also on Cairo’s to-do list is to try to reconcile Hamas and its rival Fatah, the dominant faction in the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority.
The two have been sharply at odds since they fought a brief civil war in 2007 that ended with Hamas expelling Fatah from the Gaza Strip, where it has since ruled alone.
“We want them to bury their differences, hold elections and be ready to resume negotiations with Israel,” said one of the Egyptian security sources.
There is also an economic side to what Egypt aspires to do. Foremost on that front is securing agreement from relevant parties to allow the Palestinian Authority and Hamas to jointly invite energy companies to drill for natural gas off the enclave's coast on the East Mediterranean, where huge reserves have been discovered.
If that proves fruitful, there will be a financial windfall that would reduce the Palestinians' dependence on foreign aid.
Egypt's attempt to build on last week's ceasefire, said the sources, is backed by several of Cairo's closest European allies, including France and Germany.
But US support for renewed Palestinian-Israeli negotiations is far from guaranteed, a major drawback given Washington’s traditional role as the chief sponsor of the Middle East peace process.
“The Americans have other priorities that they would not easily abandon,” said Mohamed Anis Salem, a former ambassador and member of the Egyptian Council for Foreign Affairs.
“Besides, there isn’t really a Palestinian or an Israeli government in office that can deliver. My assessment is that the Americans will pursue stabilisation, not a comprehensive solution.”
Egypt, according to the sources, intends to involve Jordan in the process and is hoping to bolster its weakened guardianship over Islamic religious sites in Jerusalem to serve as a deterrent to Israel's transgressions in the city.
Part of Egypt’s plan is also to secure guarantees from Israel to exercise restraint when it comes to Jerusalem’s Al Aqsa Mosque, Islam’s third holiest site, and suspend the possible eviction of Palestinians from the city’s Arab district of Sheikh Jarrah.
Attempting to pressure Israel into making concessions, Egypt is citing the growing sophistication and range of Hamas’s arsenal of rockets, according to the sources.
It has also warned the Israelis that a repeat of the storming of the Al Aqsa Mosque during Ramadan could dangerously undermine its pursuit of normalised relations with more Arab states.
2025 Fifa Club World Cup groups
Group A: Palmeiras, Porto, Al Ahly, Inter Miami.
Group B: Paris Saint-Germain, Atletico Madrid, Botafogo, Seattle.
Group C: Bayern Munich, Auckland City, Boca Juniors, Benfica.
Group D: Flamengo, ES Tunis, Chelsea, Leon.
Group E: River Plate, Urawa, Monterrey, Inter Milan.
Group F: Fluminense, Borussia Dortmund, Ulsan, Mamelodi Sundowns.
Group G: Manchester City, Wydad, Al Ain, Juventus.
Group H: Real Madrid, Al Hilal, Pachuca, Salzburg.
LILO & STITCH
Starring: Sydney Elizebeth Agudong, Maia Kealoha, Chris Sanders
Director: Dean Fleischer Camp
Rating: 4.5/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
Directed by: Craig Gillespie
Starring: Emma Stone, Emma Thompson, Joel Fry
4/5
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8
Power: 503hp at 6,000rpm
Torque: 685Nm at 2,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed auto
Price: from Dh850,000
On sale: now
FROM%20THE%20ASHES
%3Cp%3EDirector%3A%20Khalid%20Fahad%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3EStarring%3A%20Shaima%20Al%20Tayeb%2C%20Wafa%20Muhamad%2C%20Hamss%20Bandar%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cp%3ERating%3A%203%2F5%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
Dr Amal Khalid Alias revealed a recent case of a woman with daughters, who specifically wanted a boy.
A semen analysis of the father showed abnormal sperm so the couple required IVF.
Out of 21 eggs collected, six were unused leaving 15 suitable for IVF.
A specific procedure was used, called intracytoplasmic sperm injection where a single sperm cell is inserted into the egg.
On day three of the process, 14 embryos were biopsied for gender selection.
The next day, a pre-implantation genetic report revealed four normal male embryos, three female and seven abnormal samples.
Day five of the treatment saw two male embryos transferred to the patient.
The woman recorded a positive pregnancy test two weeks later.
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
Army of the Dead
Director: Zack Snyder
Stars: Dave Bautista, Ella Purnell, Omari Hardwick, Ana de la Reguera
Three stars
The five pillars of Islam
1. Fasting
2. Prayer
3. Hajj
4. Shahada
5. Zakat
More from Neighbourhood Watch:
THURSDAY'S ORDER OF PLAY
Centre Court
Starting at 10am:
Lucrezia Stefanini v Elena Rybakina (6)
Aryna Sabalenka (4) v Polona Hercog
Sofia Kenin (1) v Zhaoxuan Yan
Kristina Mladenovic v Garbine Muguruza (5)
Sorana Cirstea v Karolina Pliskova (3)
Jessica Pegula v Elina Svitolina (2)
Court 1
Starting at 10am:
Sara Sorribes Tormo v Nadia Podoroska
Marketa Vondrousova v Su-Wei Hsieh
Elise Mertens (7) v Alize Cornet
Tamara Zidansek v Jennifer Brady (11)
Heather Watson v Jodie Burrage
Vera Zvonareva v Amandine Hesse
Court 2
Starting at 10am:
Arantxa Rus v Xiyu Wang
Maria Kostyuk v Lucie Hradecka
Karolina Muchova v Danka Kovinic
Cori Gauff v Ulrikke Eikeri
Mona Barthel v Anastasia Gasanova
Court 3
Starting at 10am:
Kateryna Bondarenko v Yafan Wang
Aliaksandra Sasnovich v Anna Bondar
Bianca Turati v Yaroslava Shvedova
ABU DHABI ORDER OF PLAY
Starting at 10am:
Daria Kasatkina v Qiang Wang
Veronika Kudermetova v Annet Kontaveit (10)
Maria Sakkari (9) v Anastasia Potapova
Anastasia Pavlyuchenkova v Ons Jabeur (15)
Donna Vekic (16) v Bernarda Pera
Ekaterina Alexandrova v Zarina Diyas
Abu Dhabi Grand Slam Jiu-Jitsu World Tour Calendar 2018/19
July 29: OTA Gymnasium in Tokyo, Japan
Sep 22-23: LA Convention Centre in Los Angeles, US
Nov 16-18: Carioca Arena Centre in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil
Feb 7-9: Mubadala Arena in Abu Dhabi, UAE
Mar 9-10: Copper Box Arena in London, UK
More from Mohammed Alardhi
Profile of Foodics
Founders: Ahmad AlZaini and Mosab AlOthmani
Based: Riyadh
Sector: Software
Employees: 150
Amount raised: $8m through seed and Series A - Series B raise ongoing
Funders: Raed Advanced Investment Co, Al-Riyadh Al Walid Investment Co, 500 Falcons, SWM Investment, AlShoaibah SPV, Faith Capital, Technology Investments Co, Savour Holding, Future Resources, Derayah Custody Co.
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
MISSION: IMPOSSIBLE – FINAL RECKONING
Director: Christopher McQuarrie
Starring: Tom Cruise, Hayley Atwell, Simon Pegg
Rating: 4/5
UAE currency: the story behind the money in your pockets
The 12 breakaway clubs
England
Arsenal, Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester City, Manchester United, Tottenham Hotspur
Italy
AC Milan, Inter Milan, Juventus
Spain
Atletico Madrid, Barcelona, Real Madrid
Teachers' pay - what you need to know
Pay varies significantly depending on the school, its rating and the curriculum. Here's a rough guide as of January 2021:
- top end schools tend to pay Dh16,000-17,000 a month - plus a monthly housing allowance of up to Dh6,000. These tend to be British curriculum schools rated 'outstanding' or 'very good', followed by American schools
- average salary across curriculums and skill levels is about Dh10,000, recruiters say
- it is becoming more common for schools to provide accommodation, sometimes in an apartment block with other teachers, rather than hand teachers a cash housing allowance
- some strong performing schools have cut back on salaries since the pandemic began, sometimes offering Dh16,000 including the housing allowance, which reflects the slump in rental costs, and sheer demand for jobs
- maths and science teachers are most in demand and some schools will pay up to Dh3,000 more than other teachers in recognition of their technical skills
- at the other end of the market, teachers in some Indian schools, where fees are lower and competition among applicants is intense, can be paid as low as Dh3,000 per month
- in Indian schools, it has also become common for teachers to share residential accommodation, living in a block with colleagues
What is a Ponzi scheme?
A fraudulent investment operation where the scammer provides fake reports and generates returns for old investors through money paid by new investors, rather than through ligitimate business activities.
