Thursday, February 17, 2011
The Egyptian military has dispatched hundreds of additional soldiers to the northern Sinai Peninsula to guard a pipeline that carries natural gas to Israel, security officials said Thursday.
An Israeli defense official said the Jewish state has agreed to the deployment, which follows a Feb. 5 explosion at a gas terminal in the area that disrupted the flow of gas to Israel and Jordan. Security officials said a bomb caused the blast at the el-Arish terminal, while Egypt's natural gas company said it was caused by a gas leak.
The troop deployment is in addition to the roughly 800 troops Israel agreed to let Egypt move to north Sinai in late January for the first time since the countries made peace three decades ago. Under the 1979 peace treaty, Israel returned the captured Sinai to Egypt. In return, Egypt agreed to leave the area demilitarized.
The Egyptian security officials said the soldiers have been taking up positions along the line since Tuesday.
Gas pipelines running through north Sinai, which is home to Bedouin tribes who resist government control, have come under attack in the past. Bedouin tribesmen attempted to blow up the pipeline last July as tensions intensified between them and the Egyptian government, which they accuse of discrimination and of ignoring their plight.
Officials say tribesmen have joined forces with Islamic militants, some of whom escaped from prisons during the uprising that led to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's ouster last week.
The groups have attacked police stations in the Sinai.
All of the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss troop movements.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/feb/17/ml-egypt-sinai/
Egyptian troops protect Sinai gas line to Israel
The Egyptian military has dispatched hundreds of additional soldiers to the northern Sinai Peninsula to guard a pipeline that carries natural gas to Israel, security officials said Thursday.
An Israeli defense official said the Jewish state has agreed to the deployment, which follows a Feb. 5 explosion at a gas terminal in the area that disrupted the flow of gas to Israel and Jordan. Security officials said a bomb caused the blast at the el-Arish terminal, while Egypt's natural gas company said it was caused by a gas leak.
The troop deployment is in addition to the roughly 800 troops Israel agreed to let Egypt move to north Sinai in late January for the first time since the countries made peace three decades ago. Under the 1979 peace treaty, Israel returned the captured Sinai to Egypt. In return, Egypt agreed to leave the area demilitarized.
The Egyptian security officials said the soldiers have been taking up positions along the line since Tuesday.
Gas pipelines running through north Sinai, which is home to Bedouin tribes who resist government control, have come under attack in the past. Bedouin tribesmen attempted to blow up the pipeline last July as tensions intensified between them and the Egyptian government, which they accuse of discrimination and of ignoring their plight.
Officials say tribesmen have joined forces with Islamic militants, some of whom escaped from prisons during the uprising that led to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's ouster last week.
The groups have attacked police stations in the Sinai.
All of the officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss troop movements.
http://www.lasvegassun.com/news/2011/feb/17/ml-egypt-sinai/
The Sinai Peninsula or Sinai; Arabic: سيناء sīnā' ; Hebrew סיני) is a triangular peninsula in Egypt which is about 60,000 km2 (23,000 sq mi). It lies between the Mediterranean Sea to the north, and the Red Sea to the south, and is the only part of Egyptian territory located in Asia as opposed to Africa. In addition to its formal name, Egyptians also refer to it affectionately as the "Land of Fayrouz", based on the Ancient Egyptian "Dumafkat", which has the same meaning. The peninsula is divided into two Egyptian governorates, and has a population of approximately 1.3 million people.
The region has historically been the center of conflict between various political factions, based largely on its location. In addition to periods of direct rule by Egyptian governments (including the Ayyubids, the Mamluks, the Muhammad Ali Dynasty, and the modern Egyptian republic), it was like the rest of Egypt also occupied and controlled by the Ottoman Empire, and the United Kingdom which occupied Egypt from 1882 onwards. Israel occupied Sinai in the Suez Crisis of 1956, and secondly during the Six Day War of 1967. In the October War of 1973, it was the site of fierce fighting between Egyptian and Israeli forces. In 1982, after the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty of 1979, Israel withdrew from the entirety of Sinai. Today, Sinai has become a tourist destination due to its natural setting, rich coral reefs, and biblical history. Mount Sinai is one of the most religiously significant regions in Abrahamic faiths.
