World - Egyptians Doubt Spy Who Loved Me

Egyptians Doubt Spy Who Loved Me
David E. Miller

June 15, 2011 - Cairo, Egypt (TML)

The Cairo daily Al-Ahram and most of the Egyptian media are providing big coverage and breathless accounts of the alleged Israeli spy Ilan Grapel, but among many Egyptians the case has provoked skepticism and has even emerged as the butt of jokes.

As the country struggles to redefine itself in the post-Mubarak era, the espionage case brings together elements of the old Egypt, where alleged Israeli conspiracies against the country were the staple of media and politics, with the new Egypt, where freedom of expression is more widely allowed and the media are freer to cater to popular tastes.

"The capturing of Israeli spies by the General Intelligence is considered a painful blow to the Mossad, highlighting its failure to recruit collaborators sent into Egypt before and after the January revolution," Egyptian daily Al-Ahram wrote on Wednesday. "Ilan won't be the last Israeli spy. The following days may reveal other such cases, but Ilan is considered the most dangerous espionage case in years."

But many Egyptians have reacted sarcastically to the espionage allegations, noting that Grapel appeared to be breaking a fundamental rule of espionage by documenting his entire sojourn in Egypt in photos and comments posted on his Facebook page. He happily noted there that he had served in the Israeli army and was wounded in the 2008-09 Cast Lead operation.

"Like other sensible Egyptians, I'm very skeptical about this story," Joseph Fahim, a journalist with the English language Daily News Egypt, told The Media Line. "Everyone in Egypt is calling him 'the stupidest spy in the world.' The whole thing sounds like it was taken from an Austin Powers movie."

The coverage has not only documented Grapel's whereabouts during his wandering in Egypt but comes replete with photographs, including one showing him warmly embracing a tour guide in front of a pyramid. It quickly became a favorite among skeptics, inspiring comments such as: "In time when tourism is down, he encourages tourists - he goes to the pyramids and tourist sites. We love you, Mr. Spy, and we will never forget your kindness."

Grapel, a 27-year-old American-Israeli law student at Emory University in Atlanta, was in Egypt as a volunteer with a U.S. refugee agency when he was arrested in Cairo over the weekend. Accused of espionage and inciting sectarian strife, Egypt's prosecutor-general extended his arrest by 15 days. His parents, as well as Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, publicly denied the Egyptian accusation.

The arrest quickly inspired a plethora of ironic Facebook pages as reports on Grapel multiplied through Egypt's mainstream media.

On the wall of a Facebook page called "The people demand to execute the fool," Bassem S. Mohamed wrote: "Tomorrow people will discover that the entire story was fabricated and open a group called 'We apologize, fool.'"

"God save us from the Egyptian media and the national Egyptian newspapers. Stop underestimating the intelligence of the Egyptian people," he added.

Television journalist Ibrahim Issa reminded his viewers on the RNN station on Tuesday of accusations made by former intelligence chief Omar Suleiman of "foreign intervention" in Egyptian affairs in his attempt to de-legitimize the popular uprising that eventually deposed President Husni Mubarak last February.

"All these silly hallucinations … which were constantly repeated in a crazy manner by the media and political officials until recently, are coming back with the announcement of this spy," he said.

But Hani Henry, a psychology professor at the American University in Cairo, said media coverage of the spy case was different than in the Mubarak era. Instead of kowtowing to the government, newspapers and television stations are choosing to run the story because its sensationalistic value will lure readers and viewers.

"Conspiracy theories are a big part of Egyptian culture," Henry told The Media Line. "There's a long tradition of misleading the people both by the government and the media. The majority of Egyptians believe that he is a spy."

Sophisticated Egyptian elites express their opinions on Facebook or Twitter, but most people believe the news reported in the mainstream media, Henry added.

Israel hasn't been the only country implicated in espionage in Egypt recently. On May 29, the country announced it intended to expel an Iranian diplomat on charges of spying for the Islamic Republic, a longtime nemesis of Egypt. Nevertheless, many in Israel view the espionage case as another sign of deteriorating relations with Egypt.

Fahim, the journalist, said Grapel's arrest is probably nothing more than a case of bad intelligence, or an attempt by the government to deter real spies from entering the country at a time of increased instability.

But Adel Al-Ainosy was more critical of the government in his comment on the wall of the Facebook page "We're sorry, Mr. Spy," a takeoff on the page "We're Sorry, Mr. President" created by supporters of deposed Mubarak.

"Those scoundrels want to occupy the people with the spy so that they don't talk about Mubarak and the gas [exports to Israel] … Come on, it's the same old regime, nothing has changed."

Fahim is curious about who tipped off the government about the spy. An original answer to this pertinent question was given by the administrator of the "We're sorry, Mr. Spy" page:

"Breaking News: The Israelis are the ones who notified [the Egyptians] about the spy after they discovered he was spending Mossad money on parties and excursions."