|
Trending Topics
|
Israel Should Understand Who Is Commanding Egypt's Forces in Sinai
(Ha'aretz) Avi Issacharoff - Security coordination between Egypt and Israel will continue. However, there are some causes for concern. President Morsi is a senior member of the Muslim Brotherhood, which still refuses to use the word "Israel." In addition, there is a general atmosphere of enmity toward Israel that prevails among the Egyptian public. The new generals understand that in the era of the Arab Spring, the public is a full partner to decision-making and they feel the public's hate of Israel. The Egyptian army's operation in Sinai is shaping up as its most extensive activity since the 1973 Yom Kippur War. Egyptian forces have killed or arrested a number of wanted individuals identified with global jihad and also extremists among the local Bedouin population. Egyptian authorities have also reached agreements with tribal leaders about the need to take action against extremists. However, the Egyptians have focused on northeastern Sinai and have not yet launched a campaign to uproot the armed militants in central Sinai and to act against the tunnels from Sinai into Gaza.