One day... Demonstrations of millions of people in Egypt and the Arab world forced Abdel Nasser to renounce his decision to resign.
Reviewed by: Wafaa El-houseiny
Translated by: Nouran Salah Eddin
One day... Demonstrations of millions of people in Egypt and the Arab world forced Abdel Nasser to renounce his decision to resign.
By/ Said Elshahat
Heikal transmitted the popular and official reactions locally, in Arabic, and globally …He mentioned that Zakaria called him, with great astonishment, wondering “This what we did to him? Is this reasonable?”, he added that he knew that the street demonstrations were chanting against him and demanding him not to accept what he was tasked with, otherwise, he is a traitor before people… Zakaria asked to broadcast an apology statement, but Heikal advised him to wait until the morning. He then got furious and said, “By this way, there will not be morning”. He then talked about what was going on in the streets. Moreover, Heikal added “Reports started to come from all over Egypt that countless masses have stopped railway trains and seized more than 120 trains and all cars they found. All that was heading to Cairo.
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On both Arab and global levels, Heikal mentioned, “There was a telegraph from the United Press” that transmitted the feelings of shock affected the delegations of Asian and African countries in the United Nations upon receiving the news. It also conveyed how some Arab and African delegates publicly started crying in the United Nations upon receiving the news. In addition, there was a flow of telegraphs from news agencies narrating the scenes of crying crowds in all cities and villages of the Arab World. Among them, there was a telegraph describing the condition of the Lebanese president, Charles Helou, when he received the news and began crying amid the presidential palace library in Baabdat. Ismael al-Azhari, the president of Sudan, and his prime minister, Muhammed Ahmed Mahgoub, then called expressing that Khartoum city would burn.
Moreover, French President Charles de Gaulle sent a message stating, “Victory and defeat in battles are fleeting moments in the history of a nation, what truly matters is the willpower. As you may recall, at a certain point in time, half of France was under direct domination of the Nazi occupation while the other half was under a practical government. However, France did not succumb to despair; it retained its will and continued to trust its leadership as an expression of its will. Indeed, true courage lies in facing hardships, on the other hand, happy times do not need this courage. The safety of the Arab world requires concerted efforts, and I am in complete agreement with you that the current situation in your country does not provide a solid foundation for peace.
Abdel Nasser was astonished by the scene and according to Heikel, he called him asking about what is going on. When Heikel told him, he kept repeating in astonishment, “Why?”… Heikel added that amid these developments Abdel Nasser stated that he will go to the Nation Council to discuss this matter with both Heikel and the people of his country. Moreover, he urged the people to wait till morning.
When it was almost 10 in the morning on June 10th “like this day 1967” all roads to the Nation Council were closed and out of control, making it clear that Abdel Nasser could not go there. He then sent a message to the Council, read by his president Anwar El-Sadat to the representatives who had been using the council as a shield for them since the decision to resign. The Message stated, “I wished that the nation would have helped me to implement the decision I had taken, which is to resign. Allah knows well that I only issued this decision because of my sense of responsibility, in response to my conscious, and fulfilling what I believe to be my duty. I swear I will give this homeland all that I have till the last breath with satisfaction and pride. No one can imagine or comprehend my feelings in these circumstances toward this astonishing stance taken by our people and the great Arab nations with their insistence to reject my decision of resignation since I had announced it and till now. I do not know how to express my gratitude for it.
Words are slipping my mind amid all these feelings which affected me profoundly. I am telling you, honestly, and beseech you to tell the dignified Nation Council that I agree with the reasons upon which my decision depended. At the same time, the voice of our people is not a thing to ignore. So, I made up my mind to stay in my position, where my people want me to be till the period in which we are all able to end the effects of aggression. This is because we should conduct a general referendum for our people after this period. Moreover, I feel that this setback should add to our experience a new depth, pushing us toward a comprehensive, close, and honest examination of our work. The first thing we should confirm with understanding and pride, which is now clear to us, is that people alone are the leaders, teachers, and the eternal ones.”
