Until a few weeks ago, the name Heba Hamdi Abu Sief meant nothing to most Israelis. But then dramatic events erupted in Cairo, culminating in the dismissal of Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi. Now the name of the veiled Egyptian academic has become familiar to us all. Together with her friend, seasoned researcher and tour guide Munir Mahmoud, Abu Sief has become one of the main Hebrew-speaking spokespersons of the anti-Morsi protest movement.

From the heart of the hottest square in the Arab world, Abu Sief told the Israelis in their language what impelled the masses to demand Morsi’s removal. She passionately explained that by assenting to the nation’s demands to oust Morsi, the army actually carried out a supremely democratic act. When she felt the need, Abu Sief did not hesitate in expressing her admonitions as well.

“Israeli commentators do not live in Egypt,” she said. “Their worldview is limited to their own interests, personal or national.”

Abu Sief made her debut in the Israeli media four months ago on the Israeli army's radio station. On the eve of Morsi’s dismissal, she was again interviewed on the same station. This was her short cut to regular appearances on other Israeli media outlets. Following Abu Sief and Munir Mahmoud, additional Hebrew-speaking Egyptians made their way to Israeli broadcast networks. These include translator Omar Zakaria, journalist Mohammed Magdi, television personality Fatma Helali and marketing representative Yasser Mohammed Marzouk, who became known under his Facebook alias, “the speedy typist from Cairo.”