Israel Okays Two Egypt Battalions for Sinai
إقرأ هذا الخبر بالعربية
Israel's defense minister on Tuesday confirmed giving Egypt the go-ahead to deploy two battalions in Sinai to tackle militants in a region where deployments are restricted by treaty.
Speaking to army radio, Moshe Yaalon said he had approved a request from the Egyptian army to station one battalion at El-Arish in the north of the peninsula and one at Sharm al-Sheikh in the south.
"Egypt presented us over the last few days with requests to allow additional forces to enter to combat terrorism," Yaalon said.
"When these forces are involved in the fight against terrorism, as long as we're consulted and it does not violate the treaty between the two countries, we accept their requests so they can remove the terror threat from Sinai," he said.
Israel already gave its backing earlier this month to Egypt's deployment of a first batch of troop reinforcements to the Sinai, where deployments are restricted under the terms of the 1979 peace treaty between the two neighbors.
"The Egyptian military activity in the Sinai is coordinated with Israeli security elements and authorized at the most senior levels in Israel, in order to contend with security threats in the Sinai that pose a threat to both Israel and Egypt," an army statement said at the time.
The Egyptian army is preparing to go on the offensive against Islamist militants in the Sinai who have escalated attacks since president Mohammed Morsi's overthrow on July 3.
Over the past two weeks, militants have launched almost daily attacks on troops and police in the peninsula, killing several members of the security forces and two Egyptian Christians.
At dawn on Monday, militants killed three workers from a cement factory in an attack on the bus in which they were travelling in El-Arish.
A senior Egyptian military official confirmed to Agence France Presse on Monday that the army "will carry out an operation" in the Sinai, without giving further details.
The army knew the militant leaders by name and their location, he said, adding that most of the militants "live with their family, in villages".
16 July 2013, 11:12
10
feeling ashamed that Egypt needs Israel's permission to deploy troops on their own soil, and even more ashamed that they're deploying troops there to go play Israel's guard pet.
16 July 2013, 12:01
10
nice, i like your racist comment and disdainful tone, because it shows you israelis respect nothing and nobody.
also indicating you're not very smart, you missed my point, which was that those agreements were shameful, and imposed on Egypt through corruption (another thing you guys are good with). time to call them off if you ask me.
17 July 2013, 10:36
00
It was racist sarcasm to be precise, I heard even israelis can be of good faith some times, try it.
Regarding the agreement, when Egypt signed it they were winning the war, yet deals were made that ensured the egyptian army command would be showered with cash, through the US and through the gas supply deal with israel. (the agreement where egypt supplies israel with gas at a "special rate" was estimated to be a 4Bn$ yearly loss for egypt)
This means the egyptian people got robbed of both their victory and their natural resources wealth. And now they police the sinai for israel, yes, shame.
You can't understand that because you think as an israeli, and as an israeli all that matters to you is your selfish interest, but my initial comment was not directed to you people anyway.
