Calm has been restored on Tuesday after overnight clashes between supporters and opponents of deposed president Mohamed Morsi killed nine and injured eighty-six across Cairo, Giza, and Qalubiya governorate. 

GOVERNMENT & OPPOSITION

Essam al-Erian calls for besieging US embassy for ‘role in military coup’
Vice President of the Freedom and Justice Party Essam al-Erian on Monday called on Egyptians to besiege the US embassy and to push its staff to leave the country in a session of the dissolved Shura Council held at a hall near to the Raba’a al-Adaweya Mosque. “We hope the diplomats will not be exposed to any harm, but we want them out of the country. We do not want them on our land,” said Erian, adding that the American role in what he called “the military coup” in Egypt is clear. He reiterated the statement on his Facebook page, saying, “The people do not want you in a country where you conspired against the free will of its majority and sided with the minority that rejects freedom.” Meanwhile, former presidential adviser Pakinam Sharqawy warned against threats from the counter-revolution against the January 25 revolution. [Egypt Independent, Aswat Masriya, Shorouk (Arabic), 7/22/2013]

Dissolved Shura Council hold session in Raba’a
Members of Egypt’s disbanded upper house, the Shura Council, met on Monday for an extraordinary session at the pro-Mohamed Morsi Raba’a al-Adaweya sit-in. The council was dissolved by the armed forces on July 3 when they intervened to remove Morsi as president and suspend the constitution. The members of the council ratified a list of thirteen recommendations and decisions following their meeting. They announced their rejection of “the bloody military coup” and stressed that Morsi be reinstated as president. The council also rejected the suspension of the constitution and its own dissolution. The recently-disbanded 270 member Shura Council was elected in February 2012 and had 115 Muslim Brotherhood members.  Brotherhood allies garnered another twenty seats, and the ultraconservative Salafist Nour Party, not allied with the Brotherhood, occupied another forty-eight. Ousted president Morsi appointed another ninety figures, mostly Islamists, to complete the 270 seat council. [DNE, Egypt Independent, Mada Masr, Ahram Online, 7/22/2013]

Egypt interim president addresses nation for July 23 anniversary
Egypt’s interim President Adly Mansour heaped praise Monday on three former Egyptian presidents from the armed forces in a speech marking the sixty-first anniversary of the 1952 revolution. In a televised speech, Mansour, who took office on July 4 as part of an armed forces roadmap that also saw the ouster of elected president Mohamed Morsi, said that Mohamed Naguib, Anwar al-Sadat and Gamal Abdel-Nasser were instrumental in pulling off the 1952 revolution. Mansour also called for the ‘turning over of a new leaf.’ On Tuesday Abdel Fattah al-Sisi, Minister of Defense, sent Mansour a letter congratulating him on the sixty-first anniversary of the 1952 revolution, stressing the role of the armed forces that has “always been loyal to the people, protecting the people’s interests and demands.” [Aswat Masriya, Ahram Online, 7/23/2013]

Also of Interest:
Tamarod members leave campaign | DNE
ElBaradei urges investigation into Republican Guard and Mansoura violence | Aswat Masriya
Nour Party opposes drafting new constitution | DNE
Popular Current: Muslim Brotherhood is dragging country to violence | Egypt Independent
Dostour Party considers merging with other parties | DNE
Al-Muslimani: Egypt will not be another Syria | EGYNews (Arabic)

COURTS & CONSTITUTION

Supreme Judicial Council calls on Minister of Justice to launch investigation into Judges for Egypt
The Supreme Judicial Council, headed by Hamed Abdallah, has called upon the new minister of justice, to assign a judge to investigate members of the pro-Muslim Brotherhood ‘Judges for Egypt’ movement. Several judges submitted complaints against the members, accusing them a lack of impartiality and of interfering in political matters, due to the fact that they belong to a specific political current. The complaints also noted that members of Judges for Egypt have allegedly participated in the pro-Morsi protests calling for his reinstatement. In May, prior to Morsi’s ouster, the Judicial Inspection Department of the Ministry of Justice reportedly referred judges from the movement to a disciplinary board. [Ahram (Arabic), 7/23/2013]

Two suspects detained over Mansoura protest killings
Prosecutors in the Nile Delta city of Mansoura have ordered the detention of two suspects accused of participating in a deadly attack on a pro-Morsi rally in the city on Friday, which left three women dead and thirty-four people injured. Al-Ahram reported that the two suspects questioned so far denied the charges and said they were “protecting their area” along with other residents, and had not carried weapons during the clashes. [Ahram Online, 7/22/2013]

Also of Interest:
Court considers Sorour marriage in assets case | Egypt Independent
Detention extended for Syrian charged with killing anti-Morsi protesters | Egypt Independent
Constitutional amendment committee: We have begun to review the constitution alongside suggestions that have been made | Shorouk (Arabic), Ahram (Arabic)

ECONOMY

EU €5 billion aid to Egypt stands yet stymied by limited economic reform
The European Union’s (EU) pledged grants and loans to Egypt worth €5bn have been prolonged as a result of the Egyptian government’s lack of a clear economic vision, James Moran, EU ambassador to Egypt said. The aid package, which is to be given to Egypt by the European Investment Bank and the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development, “remains available but we have not been able to move as fast as we would like because of the lack of a framework for economic reform,” Moran said in a recent presser. Moran said the EU decided to make its aid to Egypt contingent upon the latter’s obtainment of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) loan, saying that if it were able to obtain the loan that this would help increase the confidence of foreign investors, regardless of the conditions placed on Egypt by the IMF. Moran said he considers slow economic growth and Egypt’s inability to attract new investment among one of the largest challenges facing the country’s new government. [DNE, 7/22/2013]

Also of Interest:
26.4 percent of Egypt’s young men wish to emigrate | Ahram Online, DNE
Stock market hits two-month high | Egypt Independent
In Egypt turmoil, start-up firms find ways to flourish | Reuters
UAE launches “Egypt in Our Heart” campaign | DNE
Egypt’s ministries go solar | Mada Masr
General Federation of Investors discusses investment obstacles with new ministers | DNE
Luxor still waiting for tourism aid | DNE
Food industry officials deny food security concerns | DNE

SOCIETY & MEDIA

Al Jazeera accuses Egypt authorities of intimidation campaign
Egyptian president Mohamed Morsi’s ouster has sparked a media war between the Arab world’s major news rivals Al Arabiya and Al Jazeera over the policy lines of their respective funders in Riyadh and Doha. Their differences were first highlighted during the 2011 Arab Spring uprisings when the television channels respectively gave the Saudi and Qatari perspectives in their coverage of fast-developing events, analysts say. “Al Jazeera and Al Arabiya covered the events in Egypt in two diametrically opposite ways,” said Mohamed al-Oifi, Arab media specialist at the Sorbonne University in Paris. The pan-Arab Al Jazeera television network accused Egyptian authorities on Tuesday of a sustained campaign of intimidation against its staff, rejecting charges of pro-Islamist bias in its reporting on the crisis in Egypt. Meanwhile, a professor of law at Ain Shams University and member of the reconciliation committee, Ahmed al-Ganzouri, defended the crackdown on religious Egyptian TV stations, claiming that the move is within the Egyptian legal framework. [DNE, Shorouk (Arabic), 7/23/2013]

HRW condemns sectarian attacks
Human Rights Watch (HRW) urged investigations into recent sectarian attacks and insisted on determining the role of security forces in the attacks in a statement on Tuesday. HRW criticized attacks targeting Christians since the ouster of former president Mohamed Morsi, occurring in several governorates including Luxor, Marsa Matrouh, Minya, North Sinai, Port Said, and Qena. The statement added that churches were attacked and urged investigations into security intervention in these incidents. One of the deadliest incidents was on July 5 when residents in Naga Hassan, a village near Luxor, brutally beat four Christians to death. In a State Department Press Briefing, spokesperson Jen Psaki expressed concern over “targeted violence” in Egypt. [DNE, HRW, Shorouk (Arabic), 7/23/2013]

Also of Interest:
School year may be delayed in Egypt–education minister | Aswat Masriya
Sheikh al-Azhar looks towards reconciliation efforts with the June 30 Front backing | Shorouk (Arabic)
Press release: Baseera poll shows 44 percent do not know the president’s name | DNE, EGYNews (Arabic)

SECURITY

Cairo calm after overnight clashes leave nine dead, eighty-six injured
Calm has been restored on Tuesday after overnight clashes between supporters and opponents of deposed president Mohamed Morsi killed nine and injured eighty-six across Cairo, Giza, and Qalubiya governorate.

In Cairo‘s Tahrir Square, where Morsi opponents stage demonstrations, popular committees (unofficial groups of concerned citizens) have increased their presence at the square’s entrances in an effort to tighten security. Clashes broke out on Monday when Morsi supporters en route to the US embassy attacked anti-Morsi protesters in nearby Tahrir Square. Rocks were exchanged as well as gunshots, with eyewitnesses reporting that both sides fired birdshot and threw rocks and Molotov cocktails. One person died and at least twenty-three were injured during the violence. The Muslim Brotherhood condemned the violence and blamed what it described as “thugs” and the police forces for the deaths.

In Giza, six people died on Monday and thirty-three were injured when Morsi supporters clashed with local residents and unknown assailants. The Brotherhood described it as an attack on peaceful protesters. Police sources said hundreds of Morsi supporters clashed with local residents, street vendors and others near the sit-in. They said gunshots were fired and stones were thrown. The Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice portal reported that one of the deceased is a thirteen year-old girl and that some of the shooting came from within Cairo University. The following morning a Brotherhood march took place in Giza, as protesters blocked a main road leading to Cairo University and attacked a traffic police station, the state-run Al-Ahram newspaper reported.

In Nasr City twenty-two people were injured in confrontations that erupted near a police station during the early hours of Tuesday, said the field hospital of the Raba’a al-Adaweya protest. The Brotherhood released a statement denying reports that the Raba’a al-Adaweya protesters had detained a number of police officers. Meanwhile, a forensic report released on Sunday stated that a body found in the area of Raba’a al-Adaweya, where supporters of the ousted former president Mohamed Morsi have been rallying, showed signs of torture.

In Qalubiya two eighteen year-olds were killed by gunshots and forty-four injured in clashes between Morsi supporters and opponents, according to the health ministry. Security was able to reopen the Cairo-Alexandria agricultural road, which they said was closed for six hours by Morsi supporters, reported Al-Ahram Arabic news website. Local media reported that unknown assailants attacked the headquarters of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Freedom and Justice Party on Monday, throwing Molotov cocktails at the building.

In the Nile Delta city of Mansoura, tens of people were injured when unknown assailants attacked a pro-Morsi march as it headed to the Daqahliya governorate headquarters, leaving at least fifteen injured.

In Damietta, clashes broke out between pro and anti Morsi protesters at al-Sa’a Square, leaving seventeen injured.

Sixty-six suspects have been detained for their involvement in clashes in Cairo, Giza, Qalubiya and Fayoum. The Nour Party issued a statement holding the ministry of interior responsible for the violence, while the National Salvation Front and the April 6 Movement hold the Muslim Brotherhood responsible for ongoing clashes. [Ahram Online, Egypt Independent, Mada Masr, Reuters, EGYNews (Arabic), 7/23/2013]

Two killed, two injured overnight in Sinai
An Egyptian citizen was killed Monday night after getting caught in the crossfire between security forces and unknown assailants in Sinai. Gunmen in a car attacked al-Kharouba checkpoint on the road between the cities of Arish and Rafah in Sinai. Additionally a police sergeant was killed in Arish in the early hours of Tuesday when unknown gunmen opened fire on him near his residence. Security sources said that unknown assailants opened fire on Sergeant Mohamed Mohamed Qotb Gad, age forty, in front of his place of residence on Tuesday, leaving him with bullet wounds in his stomach and head. According to the reported numbers, this brings the death toll to twenty-three since Morsi’s ouster. Two people were transferred to a hospital after they were injured in a shooting at the North Sinai Broadcast building in Arish on Tuesday. Gunmen attacked thirteen other targets, including an army location in Arish. Israel has boosted its rocket defenses near its southern border with Egypt to counter possible attacks from Islamist militants fighting security forces in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula, Israeli officials said on Tuesday. [Aswat Masriya, Egypt Independent, 7/23/2013]

Also of Interest:
Seven people detained for forming terrorist group | Egypt Independent
Third Field Army warns Palestinians and Syrians against interfering in Egypt’s internal affairs | Egypt Independent

REGIONAL & INTERNATIONAL

European Union, Washington reiterate call for Morsi’s release
The European Union’s foreign ministers called on Monday for the release of detained former government figures including Mohamed Morsi. This was one of the key priorities put forward by the council, which also called for inclusiveness and “full respect for human rights and fundamental freedoms for all Egyptians,” placing particular emphasis on the rights of women and religious minorities. In a press briefing on Monday, Washington reiterated calls for Morsi’s release. Catherine Ashton, High Representative for Foreign Affairs and Security, emphasized that anyone who commits acts of violence or other acts punishable by law, must be referred to civil courts for trial and punishment, no matter what position or office they hold. [DNE, Egypt Independent, Ahram (Arabic), 7/23/2013]

Jordan’s Brotherhood rejects royal visit to Egypt
The Muslim Brotherhood in Jordan rejected King Abdullah II’s Saturday visit to Egypt, claiming the royal envoy lends legitimacy to the military coup. “We reject this visit which gives legitimacy to the principle of military coups and hinders the movement of peoples toward achieving freedom, dignity, and real independence,” the Islamist group said in a statement Monday. The Brotherhood statement added that re-introducing people power and constitutional reforms would solve the crisis, not a dependence on regional or international developments. [Egypt Independent, 7/23/2013]

Also of Interest:
Egyptian diplomats continue charm tour in Africa | DNE, SIS
Hamas denies interference in Egypt | Egypt Independent
Egyptian aircraft over Gaza for third time in month: source | Egypt Independent
Two pro-Morsi sheikhs released in Saudi Arabia | Egypt Independent
Foreign minister calls Sudanese and Ethiopian counterparts | DNE

Image: Inspecting a burnt-out car in Cairo following protests. (photo: AFP)