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No one story took center stage on the airwaves last night, withthe nation’s talking heads’ attention split between an under-construction logistics hub in Sinai that was rumored to be a refugee camp to house fleeing Palestinains and rising commodity prices as we approach Ramadan.
No refugee camp is being constructed in Rafah, State Information Service head Diaa Rashwan told Amr Adib following rumors on social media and reports in the international press over the weekend claiming otherwise (watch, runtime: 16:03). Rashwan emphasized that any reports that accuse Egypt of constructing an isolated area on the border with Gaza to allow Palestinian refugees into Sinai have no merit and that “Egypt is not preparing for a scenario that entails the displacement of Palestians from the enclave.”
It’s just a logistics hub — but Egypt is prepared for any scenario: “What Egypt is currently working on is constructing a logistics hub that will ease the movement of aid into Gaza, not a refugee camp that will take in displaced Palestinians,” Nasser Military Academy’s Hesham El Halaby told Lamees El Hadidy (watch, runtime: 11:28). However, Halaby added that should there be a situation where Palestinians are forced out of Rafah, Egypt is prepared to address it in a “humanitarian and peaceful way” until they can be allowed to return to Gaza.
There doesn’t seem to be a long-term plan for the economy, Lamees fears: Kelma Ahira’s Lamees El Hadidy criticized the apparent lack of a plan to address the ongoing economic crisis, saying that — with the exception of the negotiations with the IMF — the government is not taking any real steps towards getting Egypt out of the crisis, and is instead resorting to short-term solutions like currency devaluations (watch, runtime: 2:28).
“The crisis is not due to a USD shortage or the exchange rate. Rather, the problem is the absence of a real economy — the absence of a productive economy,” economics professor Alia El Mahdi told Mostafa Bakri (watch, runtime: 41:36). El Mahdi also pointed to the decline in the role of the private sector in the country's economy and the absence of a stimulating environment for investment, which in turn led to a decline in the country’s GDP growth rate.
Supply pressures persist as Ramadan approaches: “There’s simply no sugar in the market. Anyone who says there’s sugar isn’t living with us,” Lamees told her viewers (watch, runtime: 2:03). El Hadidy expressed concern over the shortage of essential goods as Ramadan approaches, presenting a report that showed severe crowding in Ahlan Ramadan exhibitions. Ala Mas’ouleety’s Ahmed Moussa shared her concern, calling on the government to take quick measures to resolve the crisis before the holy month (watch, runtime: 3:16).
