The informal sphere in Egypt: protesting for Palestine

Abstract

The ‘Palestinian cause’ has long established itself as a core issue through which to mobilise popular opinion and the general public in Egypt. Additionally, the degree that an Arab state supports the struggle for Palestinian rights has been and continues to be a criterion of state legitimacy. Foreign and domestic affairs are thus inextricably linked, if not fused. Recent events in Gaza and to a lesser extent in the West Bank have provoked protests in the cities and towns of Egypt, as well regionally and globally. These protests echo past events that led to opposition parties, Socialists, Islamists and students creating broad-based organisations and mobilising mass demonstrations. Since the late 1970s, pro-Palestine activism among Egyptians has occurred in a milieu stamped by Sadat’s normalisation with Israel, neoliberal structural adjustment policies and authoritarian rule. Protesting for Palestine, however, has remained a mainstream issue for Egyptians to demand of their governments the fulfilment of pan-Arab obligations at home and abroad. This commentary will now proceed to selectively discuss specific examples before concluding with reflections on pro-Palestinian solidarity in Egypt in response to Israel’s war on Gaza at the present time.