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Hände weg von Israel und Islam!
In One Week, Egypt-Israel Security Ties Change As Border Turns "Hot"
2005-09-27
Geostrategy-Direct
www.geostrategy-direct.com
For more than 25 years, Egyptian-Israeli defense relations have been characterized by one word: stability.
Diplomatic relations were icy, tourism was sporadic, but Israel could count on Egypt to honor the military terms of its peace treaty with the Jewish state. Egyptian military forces remained out of demilitarized zones in the Sinai Peninsula and the Multinational Force in the region verified this.
Over the past week, however, everything has changed. Israel's military left the E ypt-Gaza border in the hands of Egyptian commandos and the Palestinian Authority. The result has been massive weapons infiltration from the Sinai to the Gaza Strip, a breakdown in security and Israeli alarm over Egypt's intentions. Israeli military commanders said the Egyptian-Israeli border has turned "hot." Palestinian terrorists have been entering Sinai from the Gaza Strip in an attempt to infiltrate Israel and attack cities in the south. This time, the terrorists could be armed with Katyusha rockets, surface-to-air missiles and anti-tank rockets.
Only two weeks ago, Israeli leaders were touting the agreement to deploy 750 Egyptian police commandos along the 14-kilometer Egypt-Gaza border as heralding new security relations with Israel. They envisioned strategic cooperation in the Middle East between Egypt and Israel as well as tactical cooperation that would ensure security along their border.
Instead, Israel, after its pullout, has been virtually ignored by Egypt. Israel has no influence over the Egypt-Gaza border. The command and control center that was to have included Egyptian and Israeli officers remains a fiction.
For Israeli and U.S. consumption, Egypt last week reported the discovery of an arms-smuggling tunnel under the Gaza border. They said the tunnel was located south of the Rafah terminal and contained 38 rifles and pistols as well as three rocket-propelled grenades.
The Egyptian assertion brought a cynical smile to the faces of Israeli military intelligence officers. As the officers put it, who needs tunnels, when huge amounts of weapons could be smuggled in openly?
Over the past week the PA has obtained weapons that could change the balance of power with Israel, the intelligence officers said. They include extended-range Ka yusha rockets, SA-7 surface-to-air missiles and RPG-7 anti-tank rockets.
These weapons could threaten such major Israeli cities as Ashkelon as well as Israeli civilian and military aircraft in much of southern Israel.
Source: IMRA – Independent Media Review and Analysis
