Egypt journalists union discusses entry of pro-Israel member

The Egyptian Journalists Syndicate on Sunday held an urgent meeting to discuss the issue of accepting a syndicate applicant known for supporting the normalising of ties with Israel, promoting propaganda against the Palestinian resistance, and sharing events related to the Israeli embassy in Cairo.

The meeting was attended by the head of the syndicate, Khaled El-Balshy, a number of council members, and veteran unionists, including former head of the syndicate, Yehia Qalash, Wahid Abdel Majeed, and others.

The crisis erupted after members of the syndicate’s registration committee, headed by Hesham Younis, who is affiliated with the independence movement, defended the applicant from Al-Masry Al-Youm newspaper and supported her acceptance, while the other two members affiliated with the government objected.

The journalist was accepted after she submitted to the registration committee evidence of her support for normalisation and promotion of propaganda against the Palestinian resistance, and her support for the crimes of the occupation, as well as her publication of events related to the Israeli embassy in Cairo and its news.

El-Balshy recently announced forming an advisory committee to discuss the registration committee’s decisions, a proposal that was rejected by former unionists on the grounds that it violated the old registration regulations.

The union’s registration regulations stipulate that a journalist is someone who has been appointed to a regularly published Egyptian newspaper, has met the conditions in terms of Egyptian nationality, has practised the profession exclusively and professionally and has no criminal record.

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