BY HASSAN TAHSIN The security situation in the Sinai Peninsula had begun to deteriorate two years before the 2011 January 25 Revolution that led to the overthrow of Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak. After the revolution, this situation worsened further. The security commands under the Egyptian Ministry of Interior failed to make peace with the Arab Bedouin tribes in Sinai. Instead of taking care of them and solving their problems, they treated them with high-handedness. The Mubarak government seemed to have forgotten that the Arab Bedouins in Sinai were also Egyptians, that their heroic position against the Jews was remarkable when Sinai was under Israeli occupation, and that they had shed their blood to protect Egyptian armed forces. After the failure of the policy of using force, what followed was a deterioration of the security situation after the January 25 revolution. This facilitated the infiltration of terrorist groups into Sinai with the ulterior motive of creating trouble inside Egypt and inflicting damage to its economy, especially its vital tourism sector. These groups engaged in various crimes like smuggling weapons, crossing the borders of neighboring countries, attacking tourist resorts, trafficking drugs and smuggling in African gangs. This situation prompted Israel to announce precautionary measures vis-a-vis Sinai. Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced that lawlessness prevailed in the Sinai Peninsula in the same way that it had in the American West in the past. He also added that terrorist outfits were roaming freely, smuggling weapons and attacking Israeli targets from Sinai. Some armed groups have entered Sinai and waged a series of attacks against targets inside south Israel during the past three years. These attacks included bomb blasts, missile attacks on Eilat and an armed attack on an Israeli bus. Israel has not mentioned the real causes for the security lapses. The main reason is the provision of the Camp David Peace Treaty, which is binding on Egypt. Despite the Israeli statements denouncing this situation, the insecurity in Sinai works in Israel's favor. With the passing of time, Israel can unleash colonial military operations on the pretext of protecting itself from terrorist attacks originating from Sinai. In this way, it take another step toward the realization of its ambition of a “Greater Israel” extending from the Nile to the Euphrates. A few days ago, in violation of the provisions of the Camp David Peace Treaty, Israel decided to take three major steps. First was its decision to speed up the construction of the 250-km security fence along the border with Egypt. Israel has thus far completed one-third of the five-meter-high fence. The fence project is estimated to cost $400 million. Cameras for 24-hour surveillance are being installed along the fence. The second step, as reported by the Israeli daily Yediot Aharonot, was that the Arabist unit from the specialist Israeli border guard forces will join Israeli troops who guard the border with Egypt in order to tackle the situation at border points that are not subjected to monitoring. There are Arabist units among those troops who were trained to fight terror and these units were given special training to integrate with Arab residents. The third step was taken following the demand of the rightist Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman that the Israeli government take a bold political decision to revive the southern military command that was disbanded following the signing of the Camp David Treaty with Egypt. According to a report in Israel's Maariv newspaper, this military command, made up of three to four units, has been deployed in south Israel. In its commitment to respect international law and bilateral regional agreements, such as the Camp David Treaty, Egypt has demanded that the Israeli government allow some battalions of its army to enter Sinai in order to restore the normal security situation there, but Israel has rejected the request. As a result of this, the situation has become hypersensitive in the region. Subsequently, the current Egyptian military leadership has taken the decision to deploy its forces in Sinai and start military maneuvers there. The army is now preoccupied with cleansing Sinai of foreign terrorist infiltrators. It has also been successful in entering into agreements that are satisfactory to the Bedouin chiefs to realize their just demands. In this way, Egypt has been able to prevent the Israeli government from cashing in on the insecure situation in Sinai. Confirming this unprecedented step, Egyptian Military Council Chief Field Marshal Mohamed Hussein Tantawi said: “Our borders, especially the northeast ones, are inflamed. We do not attack neighboring countries, but will defend our territory. We will break the legs of anyone trying to attack us or who comes near the borders,” he said, while adding that Egyptian forces would be on continuous alert to meet any situation and maintain security and stability. The Sinai situation may prompt the Egyptian government to review the Camp David Treaty signed in 1979. Egypt is now passing through a phase of reorganizing its domestic affairs. It was successful in conducting parliamentary elections. It is now faced with conducting a presidential election and adopting a new constitution. I envision that after finishing these phases in a peaceful manner, the responsibility of the new parliament and the new ministry will be to rectify the peace treaty with Israel, and this will enable Egypt to restore its sovereignty over Sinai as is the case in other parts of the country. — Hassan Tahsin is an Egyptian writer and political analyst. He can be reached at htahsin
