The war fever being generated by Egyptian news media is believed here to be the result of new political ferment in Cairo involving moderates and hard-liners and growing public disquiet over the magnitude of the Soviet presence in Egypt. The latter stems from the recent revelation that the Russians have established a vast intelligence network in the country.
In addition, there is strong, mainly adverse, reaction to a signed article by Mohammed Hassanein Heikal, editor of Al Ahram, urging Egypt to seek a political rather than a military solution to its conflict with Israel at this time. The Heikal article appeared last Friday and other newspapers and broadcast commentators rushed to dissociate themselves from it. The confusing element is that Heikal, a close confidant of President Anwar Sadat, often reflects government views in his weekly column in Al Ahram.
Premier Aziz Sidky was quoted by Cairo radio last night as saying that Egypt was fully prepared for an immediate battle with Israel. Radio commentators insisted that there was no alternative to liberating Egypt’s lost territories by force and claimed that there was no chance now to revive the peace mission of United Nations special envoy Gunnar V. Jarring.
According to press reports from Beirut, Egyptian authorities are cracking down on political elements who have called for a peace dialogue with Israel. Ahmed Hamroush, editor of the weekly, Rose el Yousef, was reportedly fired for expressing such views and replaced by a hard-liner, Ahmed Sharkawi. Sadat meanwhile left today for Saudi Arabia and Kuwait. El Fatah leader Yassir Arafat arrived in Cairo from Damascus reportedly to coordinate guerrilla strategy in the aftermath of Israeli raids on terrorist bases in southern Lebanon.
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