Almost two weeks ago a Russian jet broke up in Sharm el-Sheikh’s skies. Alongside the investigations over the tragedy, clashes are taking place across the global media, which convey to us the different ways each country would like the story to be reported.
The week started after an extraordinarily awkward timing of Sisi’s first official visit in London. The Egyptian president arrived in the capital the day Cameron announced on a ban all flights to Egypt. After Cameron’s act, Russia also suspended her flights, not only to Sinai but across Egypt. Explaining his decision, Cameron said to The Telegraph: “The reason we acted… is because of intelligence and information we had that gave us the concern that it was more likely than not that it was a terrorist bomb”. Cameron had followed the claims of the US and UK’s spies, that an explosive device caused the plane crash and brought the death of the 224 Russian citizens. However, the Egyptian media have identified this move as a “Western conspiracy” , aimed at harming its tourism industry.
Sisi’s panic is understandable. Tourism is a key revenue earner for Egypt’s economy. However, as the UK’s media recently reported, perhaps the soft sand and the clear blue water can give us a peace of mind, but can not promise us security. Lyse Doucet, a chief international correspondent of the BBC, described that the UK-Egypt relationship “take a hit”, as Egypt claims that the UK is “jumping to conclusions” and undermining Egypt’s marketability as part of a bigger conspiracy.
The Guardian and The Independent, two recognized national news channels, are prime examples of the UK Media’s focus on the security situation at Sinai’s airport. Over the last two weeks, Britain has invested great effort in repatriating up to 20,000 stranded British tourists. Meanwhile, investigative teams from the UK report a lack of security measures taken by the airport. The Independent, for example, reported on bomb detectors being used by some of the security staff, which have been exposed as fake.
If you have visited Sinai resort, you would probably smile to yourself reading those words. A magic is hiding in this place by way of warm hospitality and a dimension of disconnection to the western world. Obviously, the resort has left behind in some aspects. The reasons for the unfairness and panic which are hiding behind the titles of Egypt’s media, can be summarized through the well written opinion piece of Galal Nassar, an Egyptian journalist. “If the West wants to fight terror, it should support Egypt, not defame it”, said Nassar to El-Ahram, the biggest national news channel in Egypt. In his article, he claims that London, as well as Washington, has declined to corporate with Egypt as part of the investigations. The fear in his words, is that if indeed a terror attack caused the plane crash, then all the Egyptian citizens are victims.
“The loss of life in Sinai is just an excuse to put Egypt in its place and punish it for ousting the Muslim Brotherhood”, said Nassar, and add the tied up relationship with Russia to this claim.
Following a tragedy as such, wary actions can be understood. However, if the common goal is fighting terror, then supporting Egypt will be a reasonable act in my point of view. Nevertheless, in days of terror and victims, the media definitely shouldn’t take the place of the main battlefield as it does.
Adi Cohen 