The Lord Corrects the Egyptians’ “Mistake”

The former British foreign minister, Lord David Owen, angered Egyptians when he spoke to them while he was their guest recently, warning that the Egyptian Army received a crushing defeat in the October War of 1973! He reminded them that Israeli forces were only ten kilometers from Cairo after they succeeded in breaching the distance between the Second and Third Armies, west of Cairo. We should note that the comments by Owen, speaking at a seminar in Cairo, came amid heavy celebrations by Egyptians of the 36th anniversary of the “victory” of October. It appeared to be a condemnation of the celebration and mocking of the “ignorance” of those celebrating a victory which in his opinion was a defeat! Irrespective of the boundaries of protocol and manners, and respect for the opinions of others, the former British official appeared to begrudge the Arabs and particularly the Egyptians for “celebrating” an event from 6 years ago, and that it was his duty to correct their information and specify whether what happened in 1973 deserved celebration or embarrassment.

We could talk at length about the impact of what has been known since the war as the “breach” created by Israeli forces in Egyptian territory on the western bank, compared to the success of the Egyptian army in crossing the Suez Canal, demolishing the Bar-Lev line, returning kilometers of Sinai and seeing the Israeli army retreat to the passes, which have been confirmed by experts in military sciences throughout the world, and over the years. But we should note that Lord Owen’s lecture was not designated in the first place for talking about his memories of that war or his testimony about the conditions that preceded or followed the Egyptian army’s crossing of the canal or the peace negotiations that took place afterward between Egypt and Israel, or even the disengagement talks that followed the cease fire between the two sides. The man was talking about conditions in the world and the relations between west and east, and north and south, the balance of power, regional and international problems that affect the world’s future, and the Arab-Israeli conflict and the leading roles on the international political map, and the “new players” on the scene. He did discuss these matters, and gave his opinion about Egyptian domestic politics, including the term of the president, the impact of the Muslim Brotherhood, and the regime’s relations with opposition groups. However, he appeared to be surprised to be talking to “people” who celebrated, during in the same month he was a guest in Egypt, the “victory” that he did not see as such.

It is true that even Egyptians do not see themselves in a state of prosperity or luxury. In fact, the Arab world is divided and fragmented; the weight of the Arabs in the world is much less than their true capabilities and capacities, due to the conflict among them, or the loyalty of some to foreign powers in the world, or the clashing interests among some Arab states – this concerns the present and does not bode a prosperous future. However, these conditions do not deny Arabs, and particularly Egyptians, the right to celebrate what was achieved 36 years ago, and consider it a victory against Israel. Limiting this right is an insult to them. In addition, going into detail about what happened, before during and after the war, is something that concerns military experts and not politicians whose positions are based on their convictions and affiliations, and perhaps even their feelings.

The majority of Egyptians do not know David Owen and only a few of the political elite remembers him. When some Egyptians heard his comments at the lecture they mixed him up with the English football player Michael Owen, whose career they have followed passionately, along with his moves from Liverpool to Real Madrid and then Newcastle, followed by Manchester United. They excused him since players might be influenced by western and Israeli propaganda, especially since he is only expected to think, as fans say, with his feet. Some then learned that the speaker was a former British politician and official, with the title Lord and not a number on his back. They were well aware that in the west, some people want no good for the Arabs in the present or the future. However, they were surprised to find that some people want no good for the Arabs in the past, either.