"Get rid of Israel" says leading opposition figure

CAIRO: A leading Egyptian opposition figure on Monday called on Arabs to take up the noble cause of eliminating Israel, while praising Hassan Nasrallah, head of the Lebanese Shiite group Hezbollah. The key result of [Nasrallah s] victory was to give back confidence to the Arab nation to establish its proper agenda … that is to end the existence of Israel, said Hamdeen Sabahy, who heads the leftist Karama Arab nationalist party. The editorial in the party s weekly mouthpiece, also called Karama, and written by Sabahy, was titled Getting rid of Israel. A 16-page supplement dedicated to Nasrallah was delivered with the paper, with the Shiite leader s full page picture on the front cover underlined by a bold red headline reading May God protect our victory. The supplement lashed out at Hollywood stars like Michael Douglas and Nicole Kidman who had criticized Hezbollah. A poem in the Shiite leader s honor was also published in the paper. How beautiful you are Nasrallah, as long as there are men like you in the [Arab] nation, with you Nasrallah, victory is guaranteed, it read. Last week, the paper launched a debate on whether targeting U.S. and Zionist interests was a legitimate act, as well as whether Egyptians had the right to blow up the Israeli embassy. Karama members hold two seats in Egypt s 454-seat parliament, which is largely dominated by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak s National Democratic Party. Sabahy is a well-known figure in Egypt. Karama party membership numbers were not available because the party has not been approved by authorities, but it is minor compared to Egypt s main opposition group the Muslim Brotherhood and the left wing Kefaya (Enough) movement. AFP