Watan-A 1970 audio recording of a discussion between former Egyptian President Gamal Abdel Nasser and former Libyan leader Muammar Gaddafi has gone viral, accumulating millions of views on YouTube.
The recording covers various topics, notably the Palestinian issue, Israel’s occupation of Arab territories in 1967, and the cessation of the War of Attrition.
In the recording, Nasser stated that he did not want to risk his people’s lives and was open to a comprehensive peaceful solution to the Arab-Israeli conflict, which would ensure the return of all Arab territories occupied in 1967, as well as address the refugee issue.
Nasser’s Frustration with Arab Leaders Over Palestine and Support for Egypt Revealed in Audio Recording
Nasser expressed his frustration with Arab rulers, condemning their lack of support for Egypt and accusing them of conspiring to overthrow him.
He criticized those who were trying to outdo Egypt, saying: “If anyone wants to fight, let them fight; if anyone wants to struggle, let them struggle. Iraqis talk about liberating Palestine, yet the Iraqi army’s budget is only 70 million pounds.”
He continued, “They say it’s Palestine from the river to the sea, or nothing. This means the West Bank and Gaza will be Judaized in the coming years.”
The recording has sparked widespread reactions, with some attacking Nasser, claiming he sought personal glory and would have accepted peace like the late President Anwar Sadat, who signed the peace treaty known as “Camp David” in 1979. Others believe that Nasser’s remarks were in response to the pressure he faced from Arab rulers over accepting the Rogers Plan in 1970, which Nasser agreed to in order for the Egyptian army to build a surface-to-air missile defense system in light of Israel’s air superiority.
The recording was shared on a YouTube channel named “Nasser TV,” which has previously published around 880 recorded tapes, videos, and images of President Gamal Abdel Nasser from official occasions.
According to the channel’s description, it is part of the “Gamal Abdel Nasser Heritage Documentation Project” run by the Alexandria Library.
The Alexandria Library began this project in 2004 in collaboration with the Gamal Abdel Nasser Foundation, managed by his daughter Huda, to archive and preserve documents related to the late president that were held by his family.
At that time, the library announced it had received about 51,000 documents and photos as part of a digital archival project, which included reproductions of the most important documents related to Nasser.
In June 2018, the project was expanded in collaboration with the president’s family to include a YouTube channel called “Nasser TV.”
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