page_title: Hossam el-Hamalawy
section_title: Arab Spring revolutions
hierarchical_section_title: Hossam el-Hamalawy / Positions and views / Arab Spring revolutions
caption_attribution_description: Philip Rizk &amp; Hossam El-Hamalawy
context_page_description: Hossam el-Hamalawy is an Egyptian journalist, blogger, photographer and socialist activist. He is a member of the Revolutionary Socialists and the Center for Socialist Studies.
context_section_description: During the Libyan Civil War, el-Hamalawy viewed the role of NATO in providing a no-fly zone and other military assistance for the Libyan rebels against Muammar Gaddafi as unnecessary, stating "In all cases, the Libyans would have succeeded, even if it took more time." Commenting on ties between various members of the National Transitional Council (NTC)—which served as the representative of the anti-Gaddafi factions—and the Gaddafi government, el-Hamalawy maintained that as long as the NTC was supported by the Libyan people, he would consider  it to be legitimate. However, he opposed any future relations between the NTC and NATO.
  El-Hamalawy condemned the support of leftist and Arab nationalist factions in Lebanon for the government of Bashar al-Assad during the 2011 Syrian uprising. He argues that those particular groups often make the mistake of depending on tyrannical governments for supporting armed resistance against Israel. El-Hamalawy claims that, historically, Arab dictatorships have not positively contributed to the Palestinian cause and are in fact hypocritical, since they solely act on their own personal interests. Unlike other Arab leftists, he does not fear a weakening of relations between Syria and the militant opposition against Israel stating "the future of the resistance depends on the Syrian people, who are anti-Zionist in their majority." Referring to Hezbollah leader Hassan Nasrallah's support for the Syrian government, el-Hamalawy believes that Nasrallah damaged his credibility in that decision.
  Regarding the Bahraini uprising, el-Hamalawy considers it to be a non-sectarian people's movement, but not yet a revolution. He condemned the description by prominent Muslim cleric Sheikh Yusuf al-Qaradawi of the uprising as a Shia Muslim insurrection against Sunni Muslim rule.
caption: Philip Rizk & Hossam el-Hamalawy taking about the Arab Spring.
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