Former Egyptian General Sameh Seif Al-Yazal Says Egyptian Press and Government Responsible for Attack on Israeli Embassy: They Made Rioter Out to Be a Hero

Following are excerpts from an interview with former Egyptian general Sameh Seif Al-Yazal, which aired on Al-Hayat TV on September 10, 2011:

Sameh Seif Al-Yazal: I hold the Egyptian press and the government responsible for yesterday's [attack on the Israeli embassy].

Interviewer: Always the press?

Sameh Seif Al-Yazal: Absolutely. In a nutshell, Ahmad Shehata, who scaled [the embassy walls] to remove the flag the first time, was hailed as a hero by the Egyptian press. The prime minister received him in his office, and the state honored him, but what he did was illegal.

Interviewer: Well, this was the government's doing. I merely report the facts.

Sameh Seif Al-Yazal: No, there must be a limit to this. When the story is blown out of proportion, and this young man is turned into a hero, and the press takes pictures of his parents and tells stories of his childhood, it makes him out to be a national hero – a kind of Saladin. This is unacceptable.

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