Hamas refuses to hand attackers to Egypt
Hamas has
refused to hand over to Egypt ten Gazan terrorists who - Egypt alleges - participated in a recent attack on an Egyptian police station in El Arish.
Citing a "well-placed Egyptian source," the report said that Egyptian authorities have provided evidence to Hamas implicating the men who Egypt says escaped back into Gaza via tunnels.
With each request, Hamas officials gave different excuses for not handing over the wanted men, al-Masry al-Youm quoted the sources as saying.
On Monday, Egypt presented another official request for Hamas to arrest the Palestinians. Of the 15 terrorists who attacked and attempted to take over the el-Arish police station, 10 were identified by Egyptian authorities as Palestinians, Egyptian daily Al-Ahram reported.
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According to the al-Masry al-Youm report, during a meeting between Hamas officials and Egyptian security authorities to discuss Palestinian reconciliation earlier this year, the Egyptians brought up the issue of dealing with criminals and infiltrators from Gaza making their way into the Sinai.
From Israel's perspective, anything that clouds relations between Hamas and Egypt is good news. If the Egyptians believe that there is a chance that weapons smuggled into Gaza by Hamas will be turned against Egypt, there is a much better chance that Egypt will try to prevent those weapons from being smuggled into Gaza than would be the case without such an Egyptian belief.
So keep fighting boys.
Labels: Egypt, El Arish, Gaza, Hamas, Palestinian terrorists, smuggling tunnels
Egypt carrying out massive military operation in Sinai with Israel's approval
With Israel's approval, the Egyptian army has launched a massive military operation in the Sinai Peninsula, which is aimed at cleaning out
al-Qaeda terrorists and Bedouin gangs.
Egypt launched a massive military operation on Sunday to stop al-Qaida and Bedouin terrorists and to restore order to the Sinai Peninsula which fell into anarchy following the revolution in the country earlier this year.
Israeli defense officials said they were aware of the operation, known as Operation Eagle, and that head of the Defense Ministry’s Diplomatic-Security Bureau Amos Gilad had visited Cairo earlier this month to discuss a wide-range of issues with the interim Egyptian government including the operation in the Sinai.
In February, Israel gave the Egyptian government approval to deploy military forces in the Sinai Peninsula to crack down on Bedouin violence and to protect a gas pipeline that supplies natural gas to Israel. The deployment was made under the condition that the troops would withdraw the moment they are asked to by Israel.
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The operation launched on Sunday includes about 1,000 soldiers and a few hundred armored personnel carriers which flooded into the Sinai over the weekend and took up positions near el-Arish and Rafah. Israeli officials said they welcomed the operation which they expressed hope would also lead to a crackdown on weapons smuggling into Gaza which has significantly climbed since Hosni Mubarak’s regime fell in February.
Does anyone believe that the Egyptians are going to automatically withdraw their troops as soon as Israel asks them to do so? And what if Israel doesn't ask until after the Egyptian elections, and by then the Muslim Brotherhood is in charge? What could go wrong?
Labels: Egyptian Revolution, Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, El Arish, Muslim Brotherhood, Philadelphi corridor, Sinai
Great news: Bedouin smugglers control Egyptian towns closest to Gaza
Time Magazine reports that Bedouin smugglers opposed to the Mubarak regime now control the
two Egyptian towns that are closest to the Gaza Strip. The towns are not named, but we have heard reports relating to both El Arish and Rafah over the past few days.
And a prominent Bedouin smuggler in the Sinai peninsula told TIME that Bedouin are now in control of the two towns closest to the Gaza Strip, and that they planned to press on to attack the Suez Canal if Mubarak does not step down. He also said that police stations in the south Sinai would be attacked if Bedouin prisoners were not released.
And in Israel, the IDF may not have a Chief of Staff in two weeks, because Defense Minister Barak's candidate for the position has been
accused of perjury.
What could go wrong?
Labels: Ehud Barak, El Arish, Gaza-Egypt border, IDF Chief of Staff, Philadelphi corridor, Politics, Rafah, World Politics, Yoav Galant
Egypt bars Iranian aid from Gaza
On Sunday, I reported that Egypt has barred a number of
Iranian 'activists' (the article I'm going to link below will give a higher number) from the Asia 1 'aid ship' from entering Gaza. But if
this Iranian report is to be believed, the Egyptians have done even better.
According to the report, Egypt won't let any Iranian donations off the ship, is insisting on doing the delivery itself (presumably so that it can check for contraband), has kept the ship tied up in port for much longer than expected and is demanding demurrage fees that the ship's organizers claim they can't pay. An informed source told IRNA here Monday night resorting to baseless excuses, Egypt is refusing from issuing a permit to unload the cargo of a ship containing contributions of Asian nations to Gaza residents.
The source who spoke on condition of anonymity added in his exclusive interview with IRNA, 'Cairo has in addition to refusing from issuing an unloading permit, asks for paying a high demurrage fine for the period that the ship is banked at its Al-Arish Port, paying which is impossible.
The source who was at the time in direct contact with the ship crew reiterated, 'The ship has been banked at the Egyptian port for 60 hours so far and since it was originally scheduled to be there only for 25 hours, the reserve of their food and water, too, may be diminishing soon.'
Members of the Asia One caravan were after arriving at the Egyptian port directed by the Egyptian officials to head for Gaza to express sympathy with the Gaza residents who have been under the Zionists' inhumane siege for six years now.
Ten Iranian MPs accompanying the caravan were denied permits to leave the ship though.
The cargo of Asia One Ship, carrying the flag of Sierra Leon, was to be unloaded on Monday and forwarded to Gaza along with the entire caravan members.
The Asian Nations' contributions include one thousand tons of medical, food, and relief contributions, as well as toys provided by 135 charity funds from 15 countries, including Iran, India, Pakistan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Turkey and some other Asian countries.
December 27th, the anniversary of the Zionist regime's 22 Day imposed war against the besieged Gaza residents in the year 2007 is called the International Day for Sympathy with Gaza.
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Accordin to latest reports, Egypt permitted the Asia One convoy carrying activists to Gaza to dock at the al-Arish port but barred the entry of Iranian lawmakers.
Activists from more than 15 countries including Iran, Japan, Indonesia, India, Pakistan, Malaysia, Kuwait and New Zealand joined the convoy that set out from New Delhi last month and traveled through Pakistan, Iran, Turkey, Lebanon and Syria.
Palestinian lawmaker Khaled Abdel Mejid was informed by Egyptian authorities in Damascus that Cairo would permit 120 Asia One activists to enter Egypt but said it will bar the entry of 46 Iranian lawmakers and Jordanian activists, the Egyptian daily al-Ahram said Monday.
The convoy was stuck at the Syrian port of Latikia for almost a week until it received permission to dock at the Egyptian port, from there the goods will be unloaded and transferred overland to the Gaza Strip, the Egyptian daily said.
Eight activists stayed with the ship and more than 100 others flew to Egypt from Syria, the report said.
The Egyptian newspaper said authorities barred the entry of 10 generators into Gaza donated by Iran.
The ship's movements were monitored by Israeli Navy and an Israeli Air Force helicopter until it reached the Egyptian port, Arutz Sheva said Monday.
Fars news agency, too, reported on Sunday that the Israeli commandos boarded the ship in international waters as it headed for Egypt, but the news has not been confirmed by Iranian officials yet.
Hasn't been confirmed because it didn't happen, but the Egyptians have done a yeoman's job of discouraging the next group of nutcases from undertaking an 'aid ship.'
Heh.
Labels: Asia2Gaza convoy, El Arish, Gaza plenty
Hamas has refused to hand over to Egypt ten Gazan terrorists who - Egypt alleges - participated in a recent attack on an Egyptian police station in El Arish. 
