Israel Matzav

Egypt losing control of Sinai

Israelis are being urged to return home, as Egypt is on the verge of losing control of the Sinai to Bedouin tribes.

According to information that has arrived in Israel, Egyptian police authorities have abandoned dozens of police stations throughout the peninsula after they were attacked by Beduin armed with missiles and assault rifles.

...

The Egyptian military has for years encountered difficulty in controlling the Beduin population, which does not hold allegiance to the Egyptian government in Cairo.

“The Sinai is already known as a lawless land,” a senior defense official said over the weekend. “There is real concern that if the Egyptians don’t get the Sinai back under their control, it could develop into a major threat to Israel.”

Israel, which has urged all its citizens to leave the Sinai immediately, is particularly concerned about the possibility that Hamas will take hold of parts of the peninsula and use it to launch attacks into Israel via the 240-kilometer long Israeli- Egyptian border, with an emphasis on Eilat.

There is also concern that without a real Egyptian security presence in the Sinai, Hamas will be able to increase the amount and quality of weaponry and explosives it smuggles into the Gaza Strip via Egypt.

Aren't you glad we gave every last grain of sand in the Sinai to Egypt? What could go wrong?

Labels: Bedouin, Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, Gaza, Hamas, Sinai

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 4:20 AM