Egyptian Army Blocks Forced Relocation of Palestinians Into Egypt, Netanyahu Runs Crying To Trump

 [Egypt Needs A "Muslim NATO"]

Netanyahu Asked Trump to Halt Egyptian Military Buildup in Sinai, Source Says

The recent increase in troops deployed is meant to prevent 'forcibly displaced Palestinians' from relocating in Egypt, a source said, while Netanyahu hopes that if military presence Sinai decreases, Gaza's population could leave the Strip en masse, according to sources

Egyptian soldiers at the Rafah border crossing, last month. Credit: Amr Abdallah Dalsh/Reuters

 

Liza Rozovsky

and

Jack Khoury

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu requested U.S. President Donald Trump intervene and halt Egypt's military buildup in the Sinai Peninsula, according to an Egyptian source who spoke with Haaretz on Saturday.

 

Cairo does not deny that it is indeed building up its military presence in Sinai, including the construction of a military airport. However, the source clarified: "Egypt does not have any offensive intentions, and it views peace with Israel as a strategic asset. Its main concern is that forcibly displaced Palestinians will relocate into Egyptian territory," he said.

 

Egyptian and diplomatic sources familiar with the matter said that Cairo officials suspect Netanyahu, who is well aware that Egypt does not threaten Israel's security, is aiming to reduce its military presence in Sinai to allow Gaza's population to leave the enclave en masse.

 

One source made clear that Egypt's military reinforcement in Sinai is not a new development. The source noted that the peace agreement between Israel and Egypt allows the latter to station up to 450 soldiers armed with light weapons, within 32 kilometers (19.8 miles) of the Israeli border.

However, following Israel's disengagement from the Gaza Strip in 2005, both sides agreed to increase that number.

Since 2011, the number of Egyptian troops has grown significantly, in coordination with Israel, reaching around 40,000 soldiers, to allow Egypt to combat terrorism in the region. According to the source, Israel did not object to this buildup but rather viewed it as a vital measure for the security of both countries.

Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah al-Sissi, in March. Credit: Abdulla al-Neyadi/AFP

 

In 2015, a joint military coordination mechanism was established between Israel and Egypt, under which "agreed violations" were coordinated, allowing Egyptian forces to operate in the Sinai Peninsula. This mechanism even allowed Egypt to deploy its air force in those areas. According to reports in Arab media, which were denied by Egyptian officials, the Israeli Air Force even assisted in the campaign.

Earlier this month, Netanyahu said he is considering opening the Rafah border crossing on the Gaza side, which is under Israeli control, to allow Gaza Strip residents to cross into Egypt.

"Half the population of the Gaza Strip wants to leave. We aren't coming to expel, but to forcibly imprison them inside? All the knights of human rights, where are they? When it comes to something that serves Israel, there are no human rights, even when it is about the basic right to allow every Palestinian to leave," he said, in an interview to the popular Israeli Telegram channel "Abu Ali Express."Egypt's foreign ministry then clarified that such a move by Israel is "a red line and a blatant violation of international law that reaches the level of ethnic cleansing." Egypt, stressed the foreign ministry, "will never be a partner to such robbery, the intention of which is to eliminate the Palestinian problem, and will never become a conduit for emigration."

Earlier this year, reports began circulating on social media and multiple news outlets, claiming that the Egyptian army was conducting military drills with dozens of tanks and soldiers practicing entering and exiting tunnels.

Israel's defense establishment, responding to the reports, clarified that they were false. Senior IDF officials told Haaretz that the military was checking the source of the reports and was not ruling out the possibility that they originated in Qatar. According to the officials, Qatar could be attempting to undermine Egypt's standing as a mediator for the U.S. on issues regarding the Middle East in general, and Gaza in particular.

At the time, Israel's Ambassador to the U.S. Yechiel Leiter claimed that Egypt was violating the peace agreement between the two countries. Leiter said that the Egyptian military had been building bases in Sinai, "that can only be used in offensive operations," he said. "Egypt is in a very serious violation of our peace agreement in the Sinai," Leiter said, adding that it was "not a tolerable situation."