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del.icio.us Digg It!  new Last update - 08:35 29/10/2007 War against Egypt in the winter By Zvi Bar'el tags: Israel, Egypt The profound frustration because war did not break out with Syria during the summer - although there are some who argue that the summer has not yet ended - is being vented by channeling the anger against another neighbor: Egypt. October is an appropriate month to set upon a state that meticulously adheres to the peace accord it signed with Israel about 30 years ago. In briefings with Israeli journalists, intelligence officials claim that Egypt wants to see "Israel bleeding." Perhaps it even aspires to revoke the peace accord or reach an agreement with Hamas to appease the Muslim Brotherhood, the experts suggest in an erudite explanation. In Israel, Egypt serves the role Syria fills in the United States. It is responsible for Hamas' increased military strength, for the smuggling of weapons via tunnels, for the continued firing of Qassams and for smuggling drugs and women across the border. Israel is furious that Egypt allowed about 80 Hamas explosive experts - allegedly trained in Iran - to enter the Gaza Strip. As if the Qassams had been waiting for them to arrive. In fact, Egypt represents an excellent culprit because it can also be punished - by freezing U.S. economic assistance, for instance. Advertisement The purveyors of these intelligence briefings would do well to calm down a bit. Israel itself did not succeed in preventing arms smuggling, even when it controlled every centimeter of Gaza. Tunnels were dug under Israel's nose and used for smuggling and perpetrating lethal attacks. Israel has yet to repair some sections of the fence along its border with Egypt because the money allocated for this, NIS 200 million, disappeared somewhere. For its part, Egypt is asking for Israel's approval to significantly increase the number of policemen patrolling the border. Another few thousand, Egypt believes, will help it block the smuggling route. Israel refuses such a move because it fears a sweeping breach of the Camp David Accords. At most, Israel has agreed to allow the Egyptians to patrol with all-terrain vehicles and two helicopters. It is angry that Egypt deployed another 750 soldiers on the border before removing the 750 soldiers who arrived there in the first round. Israel considers this as a violation of trust, never mind the benefit. Despite the Israeli claim, Egypt is conducting a vigorous struggle against terror. Its efforts are primarily directed against those suspected of smuggling weapons - the Bedouin along the El Arish-Rafah axis and extremist Islamic groups operating in the Sinai, whose ranks also include Bedouin. The problem is that Egypt sometimes operates like Israel. Lacking sound intelligence, it detains hundreds and even thousands of people in the area, demolishes homes and conducts interrogations using methods that are anything but gentle. This generates enormous anger among the Bedouin population and prompts a search for alternative sources of employment. Today, smuggling weapons, women and drugs has become a particularly profitable alternative. Egypt has no interest in seeing Hamas or other organizations in Gaza obtain weapons and explosives. After all, these also serve those organizations in the Sinai that carried out the major attacks in Sharm el-Sheikh, Taba and Dahab, which did enormous damage to Egyptian tourism. In addition, Egypt has no interest in appeasing the Muslim Brotherhood. A regime that conducts wholesale arrests of Muslim Brotherhood activists, restricts their political activity and harasses their newspapers is not likely to want to placate Hamas in order to appease that very same Muslim Brotherhood. Could Egypt do more to stop the smuggling? The answer is yes, apparently it could - that is, if it receives Israel's okay to deploy more forces. Egypt certainly could have handled matters differently, particularly in its approach to the Bedouin population. But to preach about this to Egypt is tantamount to telling Israel to behave nicely toward the Palestinians, its occupied population. Egypt is Israel's ally - not only in matters involving oil, gas and trade, but also in the fight against terrorism. It is Israel's only ally that maintains a dialogue with both Hamas and Fatah - and this is good. There is no benefit or logic in the attack launched against Egypt by intelligence officials in Israel, to the point of comparing it to a state that supports terror. But someone is apparently itching to get to the Aswan Dam. Bookmark to del.icio.us Sex slaves Studies show that 220 women were forced into prostitution by the German SS during WWII. Laughing through tears Hundreds gathered in Tel Aviv to pay their respects to beloved comic actor Yisrael Poliakov.   1.   Egypt was correct when it claimed IDF soldiers helping terrorists 10:49  |  Yossi Cronenberg 28/10/07   2.   ??? What are you talking about ?? Deadline to filll a page??? 11:03  |  PETER S.M. 28/10/07   3.   Y CRONNENBERG .The Pals have a lot more than M16`s 11:53  |  PETER S.M. 28/10/07   4.   what about the egyptians...? 12:23  |  ravi 28/10/07   5.   Egypt is hardly Israels ally 12:29  |  Natallie Durson 28/10/07   6.   Cynical, Sarcastic and below intelligent.. 12:51  |  Buzaglow 28/10/07   7.   Does Mr. Bar`el get paid by ?Egypt 13:59  |  guy 28/10/07   8.   Egypt will not go to war with Israel! 14:26  |  Sharif Hafez 28/10/07   9.   Sorry, THIS WRITER IS INSANE! 15:15  |  EVEN BAROSH 28/10/07   10.   Egypt suffers for US/Israel failed policy 15:24  |  Tosefta 28/10/07   11.   Egypt`s violations highly exaggerated 15:25  |  Tosefta 28/10/07   12.   Durson`s dellusions 15:51  |  Ehud 28/10/07   13.   It is no secret that 15:52  |  Peter XM 28/10/07   14.   Durson 5 wrong again 16:09  |  Sabra 28/10/07   15.   U dont want egyptians on your arse ! 16:37  |  sinalco 28/10/07   16.   Bar EL and the mirage in the Egyptian desert 16:48  |  Jonathan S 28/10/07   17.   #1 Yissi 17:02  |  ballistic 28/10/07   18.   Israel lives for war 17:07  |  margaret 28/10/07   19.   #14 Sabra 17:13  |  Chris Linthwaite 28/10/07   20.   justifications for war 17:38  |  kevin 28/10/07   21.   Natallie is correct 17:50  |  Fatallie Furson 28/10/07   22.   So much nonsense, where to begin? 18:05  |  Raymond from DC 28/10/07   23.   Bush`s wisdom on Slowman`s education 18:05  |  Zvi Bar`el 28/10/07   24.   I agree with #2: What are you talkiong about??! 18:13  |  george 28/10/07   25.   ZVI 18:18  |  JOJO 28/10/07   26.   Egypt was saved by Israel.. 19:25  |  Akram Zekaria 28/10/07   27.   In 1967 Egypt was about to vanquish Israel until .. 19:34  |  Cadavre 28/10/07   28.   Zvi, was this a JOKE? 19:40  |  FOX 28/10/07   29.   FOX 20:24  |  Danite 28/10/07   30.   BARÈL IS UNWELL:NOBODY WANTS WAR WITH EGYPT 20:31  |  P.Seiko 28/10/07   31.   people do not 21:02  |  cool 28/10/07   32.   #18 Ouch! Margaret. 21:06  |  ballistic 28/10/07   33.   Cadavre - that stuff isn`t good for your health 21:52  |  Mark Lincoln 28/10/07   34.   # 29 P. Seiko 22:11  |  tbora 28/10/07   35.   #1 Yossi Cronenberg 22:41  |  Empresaria 28/10/07   36.   Zvi Bar El insults our intelligence. 23:36  |  Fortuna Benmayor 28/10/07   37.   war against egypt in winter 23:39  |  bernard davitz 28/10/07   38.   Desperate Zvi lost financing of EU and is looking for a new Sugar 01:12  |  Absolute Sweden 29/10/07   39.   Whom is attacked 03:57  |  Mark Lincoln 29/10/07   40.   #21(doris cardigan aka dutch] 04:05  |  danny 29/10/07   41.   Israel lives for war...??? 04:11  |  Darren 29/10/07   42.   #18 Elisabeth from NYC 04:28  |  Darren 29/10/07   43.   #5, Natallie is correct... 05:37  |  Silvienne 29/10/07   44.   #18, margaret...good post! 05:38  |  Silvienne 29/10/07   45.   Shame Haaretz for publishing this Garbage 08:21  |  Rob 29/10/07   46.   #40 Gosh! Rob, that`s insightful!! 09:57  |  Johnboy 29/10/07   47.   Disturbed 10:05  |  Research 29/10/07   48.   Why Israel 11:36  |  Florian 29/10/07   49.   #46, Johnboy to Rob... 17:37  |  Silvienne 29/10/07   50.   #46, Johnboy to Rob... 17:37  |  Silvienne 29/10/07   51.   Israel needs to befriend egypt 08:51  |  John 30/10/07   52.   Off the rails 1 02:30  |  liamalpha 01/11/07   53.   Off the rails 2 02:30  |  liamalpha 01/11/07

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