Below is my op-ed on the current developments in Egypt, published on +972 online magazine on January 29:
Concerns about Israel mean getting on the right side of history
By Lara Friedman
Today Egypt is undergoing historic, organic change led by the people of Egypt. The Egyptian people - not led by any single party or individual - are demonstrating through their actions that the longstanding political status quo in Egypt cannot continue. It is still unknown how these protests will end and what Egypt's government will look like in both the short-term and longer-term. What is clear, however, is that the will of the Egyptian people will not be denied, either by the Mubarak government or the international community.
For those who view the Middle East primarily through the prism of Israel and the Israeli-Arab conflict, the developments in Egypt provoke understandably complicated feelings.
Concerns about Israel mean getting on the right side of history
By Lara Friedman
Today Egypt is undergoing historic, organic change led by the people of Egypt. The Egyptian people - not led by any single party or individual - are demonstrating through their actions that the longstanding political status quo in Egypt cannot continue. It is still unknown how these protests will end and what Egypt's government will look like in both the short-term and longer-term. What is clear, however, is that the will of the Egyptian people will not be denied, either by the Mubarak government or the international community.
For those who view the Middle East primarily through the prism of Israel and the Israeli-Arab conflict, the developments in Egypt provoke understandably complicated feelings.