(Washington Institute for Near East Policy) Ehud Yaari - Over the past year, Israel and Egypt have used the "Agreed Activities Mechanism" of their 1979 peace treaty to bypass restrictions on the number and type of Egyptian forces permitted in much of the Sinai. Considerable Egyptian army forces are now deployed in central and eastern Sinai in a manner and scope never envisaged by those who negotiated the treaty. This new reality on the ground is unlikely to be reversed. Israel has agreed to allow the introduction of Egyptian troops into "prohibited" regions in central and eastern Sinai, and to a steady expansion in the size and quality of military equipment. Today, Cairo regularly employs Apache attack helicopters, armored personnel carriers, and commando battalions in these areas, as well as occasional F-16 overflights, one or two tank companies, and more. The Egyptian Second Army has based its headquarters in al-Arish, in northern Sinai, while units from the Third Army have deployed in southern Sinai. The Egyptian army's new configuration in Sinai has helped it gain the upper hand against terrorist militias that have found safe haven there. After isolating and largely clearing the populated northeastern Sinai - sometimes using scorched-earth tactics against the Bedouin living there - the army put many terrorist factions on the defensive, most notably Ansar Beit al-Maqdis. Around twenty top terrorist commanders have been killed thus far. A spring offensive is expected against the main terrorist stronghold in Jabal Halal, also known as "Sinai's Tora Bora," where a thousand armed militiamen are now sheltering. A secondary objective would be the Jabal Amer area close to the Israeli border. Israel has an obvious interest in the success of Egypt's campaign, since Sinai terrorists have attacked several Israeli targets across the border. The level of coordination and exchange of information is at an all-time high, and top commanders from both countries are now in almost daily communication. The writer, a Fellow with The Washington Institute, is a Middle East commentator for Israel's Channel Two television.
2014-01-20 00:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive