Israel dismisses report of helping Mubarak''s tottering regime

Harinder Mishra

Jerusalem, Jan 31 (PTI) Israel today dismissed areport that it has sent two planes with riot-dispersal meansto help embattled Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak deal withthe massive uprising against his 30-year rule.

An Egyptian journalist working for Qatari news agencyal Jazeera reported that two Israeli planes had landed inCairo with the requested armament on board.

In a statement, the Israeli Foreign Ministry rejectedthe claim, saying, "the report is totally false".

Sources at the ministry told Ynetnews that al-Jazeeraand other networks intent on hurting the Egyptian governmentare fabricating reports that Israel is helping to quash theuprising.

Israel''s Nobel laureate President, Shimon Peres, inhis remarks on the uprising in Egypt said that "no matter whatthey say, we owe Mubarak true thanks for always being a rockand working for peace and stability in the Middle East", thenews portal reported.

Six foreign journalists of al-Jazeera channel weretoday arrested in Egypt after authorities shutdown the networkthat has provided round-the-clock coverage to the uprisingagainst the 30-year authoritarian rule of Mubarak.

The pan-Arab broadcaster Al-Jazeera said that six ofits journalists have been detained from a hotel in Cairo afterauthorities ordered the closure of the network''s local officeyesterday.

In Egypt, protesters gave a call for a million peopleto pour onto the streets of Cairo tomorrow to put up a massiveshow of strength to force the beleaguered President to leavethe country by Friday.

Upping the ante to topple Mubarak, a coalition ofopposition parties, including the outlawed Muslim Brotherhoodalso served an ultimatum telling the powerful army to choosebetween "Egypt or Mubarak", indicating that a decisive stagemay be near as the death toll in the last six days of violencecrossed 150.

Anti- Mubarak sentiments reached a feverish pitch, asthousands of protesters converged on Tahrir or LiberationSquare -- the hub of the protests in the heart of Cairo tomake the call for a "million man march" tomorrow.