A private construction company on Saturday began constructing a three-meter high concrete wall on the Cairo University Bridge opposite the Israeli Embassy in Giza.
The contractor, Khaled Abdel Ghany, said the Supreme Council of Armed Forces (SCAF) asked him to build the wall, and that he received the engineering drawings and began to prepare the necessary equipment four days ago. He added the work would be done within four days.
The barrier consists of three concrete slabs; each is one meter high and three meters wide. The three slabs are placed on top of each other with a metal pole placed in between them.
The SCAF has carried out studies to detail the effects of building a concrete wall on the bridge. After confirming it would not cause any harm, it began arranging with architects for the wall’s construction, Giza Governor Ali Abdel Rahman told Al-Masry Al-Youm on Saturday.
Demonstrators could no longer be seen in front of the Israeli Embassy after the military police blocked a nearby side-street with roadblocks and barbed wire.
The embassy surrounding area had witnessed mass protests and sit-ins last month to demand the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador, following the killing of five military and security personnel by Israeli military forces at the Egypt-Israel border.
During the demonstrations, one of the protesters climbed the building and replaced the Israeli flag with an Egyptian.
Israeli Embassy staff re-raised the Israeli flag soon after.
Translated from the Arabic Edition
