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1. Egyptian Parliamentarians Want Eilat
by Gavriel Queenann
In the wake of recent reports of a joint Israeli-Jordanian plan to link the Red Sea on the Israeli side and the Dead Sea on the Jordanian Side, parliamentarians in Egypt are agitating for the nation's caretaker junta to demand Israel surrender the port-city of Eilat.
Egypt has insisted it has a claim to the city of Eilat since it lost the city to the nascent state of Israel in the wake of the Egyptian army's defeat in Israel's 1948 War of Independence, but after the 1979 Camp David Accords the claim was officially dropped. Or so it seemed.
The reassertion of the claim comes as members of parliament (MPs) in Egypt decry the "Israeli plot to choke the Suez Canal to death."
The control of trade routes has been a principle source of conflict in human history. The 1967 Six-Day War broke out after Egypt closed the straits of Tiran and strangled the trade from Israel's southern port city of Eliat.
In exploring the 'claim,' which has been hotly debated in Egypt's parliament this week, Abed el-Aziz Sayef a-Nasser, an aide to the Egyptian foreign minister, was called as an expert witness. A-Nasser is the director of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry's legal department.
"Eilat, or by its former name Umm Rashrash, belongs to the Palestinians," he said on behalf of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
His predecessor, Dr. Nabil el-Arabi, was the head of the Foreign Ministry's legal department and headed the delegation for negotiations at Taba. He also emphatically maintained: "Eilat belongs to the Palestinians."
A-Nasser's response was presumably meant to calm tempers in the rowdy debate in the Egyptian parliament, after dozens of opposition representatives demanded holding negotiations to have Eilat returned to Egyptian sovereignty. They contend that the Egyptian negotiating team to Taba conceded Eilat to Israel 20 years ago "in the framework of the wish to build confidence and to display Egyptian good will in the spirit of the peace agreement."
Two days ago opposition MP Mohammed el-Aadali produced a document from 1906 which states, in the name of the Ottoman sultan: Umm Rashrash belongs to Egypt. In this spot - said the Egyptian experts on topography and geography - Egyptian pilgrims would stop and rest on their way to the holy cities in Saudi Arabia.
El-Aadali did made no attempt to explain away the fact that, when Egypt formally drew borders with Israel in 1979, it did cede Eilat to Israel thereby terminating its claim to the city. Israel had give up the Sinai, destroying the city of Yamit. Nor did he explain how a 1906 document from an Ottoman Sultan bears any contemporary relevance in light of the Camp David Accords.
Of note is that amidst the debate between Egyptian MP and Foreign Ministry officials, no mention is made of possible legitimate Israeli sovereignty of Eilat. The debate in Cairo has two camps: the Foreign Ministry which claims that Eilat belongs to the Palestinians, and the opposition MPs who claim that Eilat belongs to Egypt.
The opposition Egyptian MPs threatened on Thursday to relay their demand for an Israeli withdrawal from Eilat to the Arab League to handle. Despite Israel's 1979 peace treaty with Egypt, the Arab League's 1948 declaration of war to liquidate the state of Israel remains in force.
Egypt's 2011 revolution has brought a wave of radical anti-Israel sentiment to the country. Egypt has already sought to re-militarize the Sinai, ostensibly to to control the Bedouin, with Israeli approval and the masses are demanding Israel's ambassador in Cairo be ejected from the country - a qualitative first step to the cessation of peaceful relations.
The once touted Camp David Accords seem to have been cast into Cairo's dustbin.
In terms of relations between Jerusalem and Cairo, it is increasingly looking like a return to the strategic reality of October 5, 1973.
Comment on this story
by Gavriel Queenann
In the wake of recent reports of a joint Israeli-Jordanian plan to link the Red Sea on the Israeli side and the Dead Sea on the Jordanian Side, parliamentarians in Egypt are agitating for the nation's caretaker junta to demand Israel surrender the port-city of Eilat.
Egypt has insisted it has a claim to the city of Eilat since it lost the city to the nascent state of Israel in the wake of the Egyptian army's defeat in Israel's 1948 War of Independence, but after the 1979 Camp David Accords the claim was officially dropped. Or so it seemed.
The reassertion of the claim comes as members of parliament (MPs) in Egypt decry the "Israeli plot to choke the Suez Canal to death."
The control of trade routes has been a principle source of conflict in human history. The 1967 Six-Day War broke out after Egypt closed the straits of Tiran and strangled the trade from Israel's southern port city of Eliat.
In exploring the 'claim,' which has been hotly debated in Egypt's parliament this week, Abed el-Aziz Sayef a-Nasser, an aide to the Egyptian foreign minister, was called as an expert witness. A-Nasser is the director of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry's legal department.
"Eilat, or by its former name Umm Rashrash, belongs to the Palestinians," he said on behalf of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry.
His predecessor, Dr. Nabil el-Arabi, was the head of the Foreign Ministry's legal department and headed the delegation for negotiations at Taba. He also emphatically maintained: "Eilat belongs to the Palestinians."
A-Nasser's response was presumably meant to calm tempers in the rowdy debate in the Egyptian parliament, after dozens of opposition representatives demanded holding negotiations to have Eilat returned to Egyptian sovereignty. They contend that the Egyptian negotiating team to Taba conceded Eilat to Israel 20 years ago "in the framework of the wish to build confidence and to display Egyptian good will in the spirit of the peace agreement."
Two days ago opposition MP Mohammed el-Aadali produced a document from 1906 which states, in the name of the Ottoman sultan: Umm Rashrash belongs to Egypt. In this spot - said the Egyptian experts on topography and geography - Egyptian pilgrims would stop and rest on their way to the holy cities in Saudi Arabia.
El-Aadali did made no attempt to explain away the fact that, when Egypt formally drew borders with Israel in 1979, it did cede Eilat to Israel thereby terminating its claim to the city. Israel had give up the Sinai, destroying the city of Yamit. Nor did he explain how a 1906 document from an Ottoman Sultan bears any contemporary relevance in light of the Camp David Accords.
Of note is that amidst the debate between Egyptian MP and Foreign Ministry officials, no mention is made of possible legitimate Israeli sovereignty of Eilat. The debate in Cairo has two camps: the Foreign Ministry which claims that Eilat belongs to the Palestinians, and the opposition MPs who claim that Eilat belongs to Egypt.
The opposition Egyptian MPs threatened on Thursday to relay their demand for an Israeli withdrawal from Eilat to the Arab League to handle. Despite Israel's 1979 peace treaty with Egypt, the Arab League's 1948 declaration of war to liquidate the state of Israel remains in force.
Egypt's 2011 revolution has brought a wave of radical anti-Israel sentiment to the country. Egypt has already sought to re-militarize the Sinai, ostensibly to to control the Bedouin, with Israeli approval and the masses are demanding Israel's ambassador in Cairo be ejected from the country - a qualitative first step to the cessation of peaceful relations.
The once touted Camp David Accords seem to have been cast into Cairo's dustbin.
In terms of relations between Jerusalem and Cairo, it is increasingly looking like a return to the strategic reality of October 5, 1973.
Comment on this story
2. At Least 17 Rockets, Mortars Fired From Gaza
by Gavriel Queenann
Rocket fire from Gaza resumed as expected Thursday evening in an onslaught that started with last weekג€™s deadly bus-attack that left 8 Israelis dead.
At least seventeen Qassam rockets and mortar shells were fired from Gaza on Thursday evening exploding in open fields in Eshkol, the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council, and south of Ashkelon. The "Color Red" warning siren was sounded in the areas under attack.
Shortly after 7pm another rocket was fired that struck near the Erez crossing. The IAF reported that warplanes struck a separate terror cell preparing a launch just before the Erez attack and scored a "precise hit."
Gaza sources Thursday confirmed that a terror cell launching mortar shells and Kassam rockets from the northern Gaza town of Beit Lehiya was hit by IAF fire. The sources say an air force missile hit a motorcycle carrying Salim Arabid and Ala Abu-Hiraf of the Islamic Jihad terror group's Al-Quds companies.
Shortly after 10pm on Thursday, Terrorists in northern Gaza fired a rocket at the western Negev city of Sderot. The rocket hit an agricultural facility east of the city.
The Iron Dome missile defense system uses a sophisticated decision-making software to make a split second determination on whether or not to intercept incoming rockets based on whether it will land in populated or built-up areas. It is unknown if it attempted to intercept the rocket at the agricultural facility or not.
No physical injuries or property damage have been reported in southern Israel thus far.
Earlier Thursday, a projectile exploded in open territory in the Sdot Negev Regional Council. No physical injuries were reported, but damage was caused to a high voltage line.
The attacks come as Israelis braced for more attacks after at least 20 rockets fired into Israel Wednesday night. These were in addition to a shooting attack that wounded two and the par for the course rock-throwings.
A 9-month-old baby sustained light to moderate wounds from one of the rockets Wednesday.
A security official who spoke to Arutz Sheva on condition of anonymity said Israel's security community fully expects - in addition to the general escalation - more "qualitative attacks" from Gaza-based terrorists in the future.
The official intimated Gaza's terror groups, in cooperation with Sinai-based terrorists, are seeking to undermine Israel's relationship with Egypt and "turn back the clock" on the regional status quo.
The Netanyahu government has said a dramatic intervention in Gaza is not on the agenda at present.
Editor: The Prime MInister is not elaborating at this point on how he intends to ensure the safety of Israel's citizens, but a land operation, although possibly the only solution, has a high price in terms of soldiers' lives and this is not an easy decision to make.The presence of Hizbullah across the northern border and Iran's threats of violence are other factors that make for careful weighing of the dilemma facing the country, this in addition to world opinion, which Israelis might feel should be ignored when their lives are at stake.
Comment on this story
by Gavriel Queenann
Rocket fire from Gaza resumed as expected Thursday evening in an onslaught that started with last weekג€™s deadly bus-attack that left 8 Israelis dead.
At least seventeen Qassam rockets and mortar shells were fired from Gaza on Thursday evening exploding in open fields in Eshkol, the Sha'ar HaNegev Regional Council, and south of Ashkelon. The "Color Red" warning siren was sounded in the areas under attack.
Shortly after 7pm another rocket was fired that struck near the Erez crossing. The IAF reported that warplanes struck a separate terror cell preparing a launch just before the Erez attack and scored a "precise hit."
Gaza sources Thursday confirmed that a terror cell launching mortar shells and Kassam rockets from the northern Gaza town of Beit Lehiya was hit by IAF fire. The sources say an air force missile hit a motorcycle carrying Salim Arabid and Ala Abu-Hiraf of the Islamic Jihad terror group's Al-Quds companies.
Shortly after 10pm on Thursday, Terrorists in northern Gaza fired a rocket at the western Negev city of Sderot. The rocket hit an agricultural facility east of the city.
The Iron Dome missile defense system uses a sophisticated decision-making software to make a split second determination on whether or not to intercept incoming rockets based on whether it will land in populated or built-up areas. It is unknown if it attempted to intercept the rocket at the agricultural facility or not.
No physical injuries or property damage have been reported in southern Israel thus far.
Earlier Thursday, a projectile exploded in open territory in the Sdot Negev Regional Council. No physical injuries were reported, but damage was caused to a high voltage line.
The attacks come as Israelis braced for more attacks after at least 20 rockets fired into Israel Wednesday night. These were in addition to a shooting attack that wounded two and the par for the course rock-throwings.
A 9-month-old baby sustained light to moderate wounds from one of the rockets Wednesday.
A security official who spoke to Arutz Sheva on condition of anonymity said Israel's security community fully expects - in addition to the general escalation - more "qualitative attacks" from Gaza-based terrorists in the future.
The official intimated Gaza's terror groups, in cooperation with Sinai-based terrorists, are seeking to undermine Israel's relationship with Egypt and "turn back the clock" on the regional status quo.
The Netanyahu government has said a dramatic intervention in Gaza is not on the agenda at present.
Editor: The Prime MInister is not elaborating at this point on how he intends to ensure the safety of Israel's citizens, but a land operation, although possibly the only solution, has a high price in terms of soldiers' lives and this is not an easy decision to make.The presence of Hizbullah across the northern border and Iran's threats of violence are other factors that make for careful weighing of the dilemma facing the country, this in addition to world opinion, which Israelis might feel should be ignored when their lives are at stake.
Comment on this story
3. Egypt Concerned Over Terror Threats to Suez Canal
by Elad Benari
The latest tensions in the Sinai Peninsula and the concerns over the growing presence of terrorist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda are having an effect on Egyptian operations in the Suez Canal, it was reported Thursday.
According to reports coming in from Egypt, officials fear that terrorists are planning an attack in the canal and have taken measures to protect the area, such as increasing security presence and deploying units throughout the canal.
The heavy presence of Egyptian soldiers is reportedly being felt in the city of El Qantara and on the Peace Bridge near the city of Ismailia. As well, checkpoints have been set up on the main roads leading to the Suez Canal and a sophisticated network of cameras has been deployed along the waterway for the purpose of monitoring incoming ships.
Reportedly, the Egyptiansג€™ main concern is that Al-Qaeda terrorists will try to attack a Western ship as it is crossing the Suez Canal.
Earlier this week, security sources in Cairo said that security in the Suez Canal was upped to prevent the escape of wanted terrorists from the Sinai Peninsula to the west bank of the canal.
Terrorism in Egypt, and especially in the Sinai Peninsula, has been a headache for Egyptג€™s ruling military. Since the uprising which ended the Mubarak regime, the Sinai Peninsula has been in a state of anarchy with terrorists, some of them affiliated with Al-Qaeda, having infiltrated the region.
The Egyptian army has been cracking down on the terrorists and has launched a major operation in the area. This didnג€™t stop the Gaza terrorists who committed last weekג€™s multiple terror attacks near Eilat from crossing into Israeli territory through the chaotic Sinai Peninsula. Eight Israelis were killed in those attacks.
Comment on this story
by Elad Benari
The latest tensions in the Sinai Peninsula and the concerns over the growing presence of terrorist groups affiliated with Al-Qaeda are having an effect on Egyptian operations in the Suez Canal, it was reported Thursday.
According to reports coming in from Egypt, officials fear that terrorists are planning an attack in the canal and have taken measures to protect the area, such as increasing security presence and deploying units throughout the canal.
The heavy presence of Egyptian soldiers is reportedly being felt in the city of El Qantara and on the Peace Bridge near the city of Ismailia. As well, checkpoints have been set up on the main roads leading to the Suez Canal and a sophisticated network of cameras has been deployed along the waterway for the purpose of monitoring incoming ships.
Reportedly, the Egyptiansג€™ main concern is that Al-Qaeda terrorists will try to attack a Western ship as it is crossing the Suez Canal.
Earlier this week, security sources in Cairo said that security in the Suez Canal was upped to prevent the escape of wanted terrorists from the Sinai Peninsula to the west bank of the canal.
Terrorism in Egypt, and especially in the Sinai Peninsula, has been a headache for Egyptג€™s ruling military. Since the uprising which ended the Mubarak regime, the Sinai Peninsula has been in a state of anarchy with terrorists, some of them affiliated with Al-Qaeda, having infiltrated the region.
The Egyptian army has been cracking down on the terrorists and has launched a major operation in the area. This didnג€™t stop the Gaza terrorists who committed last weekג€™s multiple terror attacks near Eilat from crossing into Israeli territory through the chaotic Sinai Peninsula. Eight Israelis were killed in those attacks.
Comment on this story
4. A-Jad: PA State First Step to Israel's Demise
by Gavriel Queenann
As Palestinian Authority officials prepare to make their statehood bid at the United Nations in September, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinijad said Friday the creation of a 'Palestinian state' ws only the first state to the destruction of Israel.
Ahmadinejad, restating the position he outlined after taking office in 2005, said Israel was a "tumor" to be wiped off the map and urged Arabs in PA administered areas not to settle for a two-state solution, but to strive for a complete return of what they consider their land.
"Recognizing the Palestinian state is not the last goal. It is only one step forward towards liberating the whole of Palestine," Ahmadinejad told worshippers at Friday prayers on international Qods Day -- an annual show of support for the PA cause.
"The Zionist regime is a center of microbes, a cancer cell and if it exists in one iota of Palestine it will mobilize again and hurt everyone."
"It is not enough for them to have a weak, powerless state in a very small piece of Palestine. They should unite to establish a state but the ultimate goal is the liberation of the whole of Palestine," he said.
"I urge the Palestinians never to forget this ideal. Forgetting this ideal is equal to committing suicide. It would be giving an opportunity to an enemy which is on the verge of collapse and disappearance."
Ahmadinijad's comments echo those of the long-Iranian underwritten Hamas terror organization in Gaza that has said any peace agreement with Israel would only serve as a prelude to war.
Iran reportedly significantly reduced - or even cut - its aid to Hamas in recent weeks due to the terror organization's refusal to endorse the crackdown of Iranian ally President Bashar Assad in Syria. Nevertheless, Iran continues to be a driving force behind Hamas and Hizbullah in its proxy war against Israel.
Comment on this story
by Gavriel Queenann
As Palestinian Authority officials prepare to make their statehood bid at the United Nations in September, Iranian President Mahmoud Ahmadinijad said Friday the creation of a 'Palestinian state' ws only the first state to the destruction of Israel.
Ahmadinejad, restating the position he outlined after taking office in 2005, said Israel was a "tumor" to be wiped off the map and urged Arabs in PA administered areas not to settle for a two-state solution, but to strive for a complete return of what they consider their land.
"Recognizing the Palestinian state is not the last goal. It is only one step forward towards liberating the whole of Palestine," Ahmadinejad told worshippers at Friday prayers on international Qods Day -- an annual show of support for the PA cause.
"The Zionist regime is a center of microbes, a cancer cell and if it exists in one iota of Palestine it will mobilize again and hurt everyone."
"It is not enough for them to have a weak, powerless state in a very small piece of Palestine. They should unite to establish a state but the ultimate goal is the liberation of the whole of Palestine," he said.
"I urge the Palestinians never to forget this ideal. Forgetting this ideal is equal to committing suicide. It would be giving an opportunity to an enemy which is on the verge of collapse and disappearance."
Ahmadinijad's comments echo those of the long-Iranian underwritten Hamas terror organization in Gaza that has said any peace agreement with Israel would only serve as a prelude to war.
Iran reportedly significantly reduced - or even cut - its aid to Hamas in recent weeks due to the terror organization's refusal to endorse the crackdown of Iranian ally President Bashar Assad in Syria. Nevertheless, Iran continues to be a driving force behind Hamas and Hizbullah in its proxy war against Israel.
Comment on this story
5. Israeli Ambassador to US Hosts Ramadan Meal
by Maayana Miskin
Israeli ambassador to the United States Michael Oren hosted a dinner Thursday honoring the Muslim holiday of Ramadan. The event took place as Islamist terrorists in Gaza launched at least 17 rockets and mortar shells at civilians in Israel's south.
Oren's guests included officials from the White House, Congress and the State Department as well as imams and rabbis.
The dinner included time for traditional Muslim prayers to be recited. The food was prepared with supervision by a Muslim chef to ensure it would meet Muslim dietary requirements.
ג€œThere's a lot of misinformation about Israel and we want to show we're open to dialogue and reconciliation,ג€ Oren told CNN. ג€œWe can begin to build bridges on an interpersonal level.ג€
On Wednesday, President Shimon Peres visited a mosque in Akko in honor of Ramadan, three days after hosting an iftar post-fast meal in Jerusalem. ג€œReligious faiths have a negative attitude towards terror,ג€ Peres claimed during his visit.
Comment on this story
by Maayana Miskin
Israeli ambassador to the United States Michael Oren hosted a dinner Thursday honoring the Muslim holiday of Ramadan. The event took place as Islamist terrorists in Gaza launched at least 17 rockets and mortar shells at civilians in Israel's south.
Oren's guests included officials from the White House, Congress and the State Department as well as imams and rabbis.
The dinner included time for traditional Muslim prayers to be recited. The food was prepared with supervision by a Muslim chef to ensure it would meet Muslim dietary requirements.
ג€œThere's a lot of misinformation about Israel and we want to show we're open to dialogue and reconciliation,ג€ Oren told CNN. ג€œWe can begin to build bridges on an interpersonal level.ג€
On Wednesday, President Shimon Peres visited a mosque in Akko in honor of Ramadan, three days after hosting an iftar post-fast meal in Jerusalem. ג€œReligious faiths have a negative attitude towards terror,ג€ Peres claimed during his visit.
Comment on this story
6. Muslim Brotherhood Party Won't Protest Against Israel
by Gavriel Queenann
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) had decided not to participate in demonstrations calling for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador to Egypt, the party announced today.
A mass demonstration has been called for Friday outside the Israeli Embassy in Cairo. Dozens of political forces and groups are calling to pressure on the Egyptian government to expel Israel's ambassador. They are also calling for Egypt to recall the Egyptian ambassador to Tel-Aviv.
The call comes after Israeli soldiers inadvertantly killed five Egyptian soldiers on the Egypt-Israel border last Thursday while pursuing the terrorists who perpetrated the deadly terror attack near Eilat that left eight Israeli's dead..
The Brotherhood itself has declined to state whether it will participate in or boycott the demonstration. The group has left the decision to the Brotherhood's administrative offices in Egypt s various governorates. According to Dr. Mahmoud Hussein, Secretary General of the Brotherhood, the group will not participate officially but may participate in other similar events with other political parties.
The reaction of both the Brotherhood and the FJP come as a surprise to many after their initial response the border-fire incident with Israel. The groups initially released lengthy statements calling for decisive action against the Jewish state.
It is also surprising in light of the Brotherhood's historical status as the womb that birthed the Hamas terror organization in Gaza who harbored - and according to some reports sponsored - the terrorists who launched the Eilat attacks before allowing a sharp escalation in rocket fire from the Strip.
Israeli security experts told Arutz Sheva earlier this week they expect more "qualative attacks" like the bus-attack last week saying such attacks are intended to destabalize already tense relations between Israel and Egypt.
But Egypt's caretaker junta has opted for bellicose public declarations while shying away from dramatic diplomatic changes and the Brotherhood, who backed the generals when the first took power before returning to the opposition, may wish to avoid openly confronting the regime before elections begin to protect its newfound 'legality.'
Under Sadat and Mubarak the Brotherhood was an outlawed group, but their newfound 'legitimacy' is tenuous until it is cemented in the polls and they win sufficient political clout to protect it.
Comment on this story
by Gavriel Queenann
Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood-affiliated Freedom and Justice Party (FJP) had decided not to participate in demonstrations calling for the expulsion of the Israeli ambassador to Egypt, the party announced today.
A mass demonstration has been called for Friday outside the Israeli Embassy in Cairo. Dozens of political forces and groups are calling to pressure on the Egyptian government to expel Israel's ambassador. They are also calling for Egypt to recall the Egyptian ambassador to Tel-Aviv.
The call comes after Israeli soldiers inadvertantly killed five Egyptian soldiers on the Egypt-Israel border last Thursday while pursuing the terrorists who perpetrated the deadly terror attack near Eilat that left eight Israeli's dead..
The Brotherhood itself has declined to state whether it will participate in or boycott the demonstration. The group has left the decision to the Brotherhood's administrative offices in Egypt s various governorates. According to Dr. Mahmoud Hussein, Secretary General of the Brotherhood, the group will not participate officially but may participate in other similar events with other political parties.
The reaction of both the Brotherhood and the FJP come as a surprise to many after their initial response the border-fire incident with Israel. The groups initially released lengthy statements calling for decisive action against the Jewish state.
It is also surprising in light of the Brotherhood's historical status as the womb that birthed the Hamas terror organization in Gaza who harbored - and according to some reports sponsored - the terrorists who launched the Eilat attacks before allowing a sharp escalation in rocket fire from the Strip.
Israeli security experts told Arutz Sheva earlier this week they expect more "qualative attacks" like the bus-attack last week saying such attacks are intended to destabalize already tense relations between Israel and Egypt.
But Egypt's caretaker junta has opted for bellicose public declarations while shying away from dramatic diplomatic changes and the Brotherhood, who backed the generals when the first took power before returning to the opposition, may wish to avoid openly confronting the regime before elections begin to protect its newfound 'legality.'
Under Sadat and Mubarak the Brotherhood was an outlawed group, but their newfound 'legitimacy' is tenuous until it is cemented in the polls and they win sufficient political clout to protect it.
Comment on this story
7. Moshe Arens on Peace, Tyrants, and Dealing with Gaza
by Maayana Miskin
Professor Moshe Arens, former Defense Minister and former Ambassador to the U.S., spoke to Arutz Sheva about the issues facing the nation, including anarchy in Sinai, hostility in Egypt, and whether or not to go to war in Gaza.
You voted against the peace treaty with Egypt. Today we see growing calls in Egypt to cancel it. Is this what you were afraid of when you voted against it?
I objected because there was no reason, after they attacked us four times and were defeated, to give them back what they lost. There is no precedent for that in the history of international relations. So I thought we needed to insist on much better terms.
What do you have to say about the bringing down of the Israeli flag at the Cairo embassy, the threats on the ambassador's life and the calls to cancel the peace treaty?
In case it wasn't already clear, we are now learning that it is much easier to reach a deal with a dictator and tyrant than with a country in a state of anarchy, like Egypt today. Sadat and Mubarak were tyrants, and the assumption was that we could trust their word because they would make sure it was implemented.
Now we need to thank the Creator and rejoice over the fact that those who wanted to reach a deal exchanging the Golan for peace, failed. If they had not, we would now see in the Golan what we see in Sinai.
What do you think we can expect in Sinai after losing all our bartering chips there?
It's anarchy. We're dependent on what happens in Egypt. We still don't see something stabilizing there. With anarchy, anything can happen... Nobody rules in Sinai. The Bedouins who work with Hamas terrorists are in charge there, and we are paying the price.
What should we do in this reality, where there's a threat, but on the other hand they are warning us to do what we can to maintain ties with Egypt in light of the sensitivity?
It doesn't depend on us, but on what happens in Egypt. We must remember that the source of the trouble is Gaza, whether things come from Gaza directly, or indirectly via Sinai. The source is in Gaza and that is what we need to deal with.
Also in Gaza, they tell us the situation is complex. The world is watching... How should we react there, do you think?
The problem in Gaza is different. The problem is that we didn't finish the work in Cast Lead. The minute we didn't finish the work, and left Hamas with thousands of missiles and the ability to replenish its supplies, we knew that the day would come when we would have to deal with it again.
The problem is that for various reasons, including international considerations, we don't have an operation like that twice a week. When we were in there, we needed to finish, and I believe we'll need to find an opportunity to do so.
As long as Hamas rules there and has the ability to threaten Israeli citizens in the south and beyond, and as long as they have the groups they claim not to have control over like Islamic Jihad, as long as that's the situation, what happened is what will happen, and we will have no choice but to go in to Gaza.
With all due respect to 'Iron Dome,' an important technological achievement, it cannot defend our citizens against thousands of missiles.
Comment on this story
by Maayana Miskin
Professor Moshe Arens, former Defense Minister and former Ambassador to the U.S., spoke to Arutz Sheva about the issues facing the nation, including anarchy in Sinai, hostility in Egypt, and whether or not to go to war in Gaza.
You voted against the peace treaty with Egypt. Today we see growing calls in Egypt to cancel it. Is this what you were afraid of when you voted against it?
I objected because there was no reason, after they attacked us four times and were defeated, to give them back what they lost. There is no precedent for that in the history of international relations. So I thought we needed to insist on much better terms.
What do you have to say about the bringing down of the Israeli flag at the Cairo embassy, the threats on the ambassador's life and the calls to cancel the peace treaty?
In case it wasn't already clear, we are now learning that it is much easier to reach a deal with a dictator and tyrant than with a country in a state of anarchy, like Egypt today. Sadat and Mubarak were tyrants, and the assumption was that we could trust their word because they would make sure it was implemented.
Now we need to thank the Creator and rejoice over the fact that those who wanted to reach a deal exchanging the Golan for peace, failed. If they had not, we would now see in the Golan what we see in Sinai.
What do you think we can expect in Sinai after losing all our bartering chips there?
It's anarchy. We're dependent on what happens in Egypt. We still don't see something stabilizing there. With anarchy, anything can happen... Nobody rules in Sinai. The Bedouins who work with Hamas terrorists are in charge there, and we are paying the price.
What should we do in this reality, where there's a threat, but on the other hand they are warning us to do what we can to maintain ties with Egypt in light of the sensitivity?
It doesn't depend on us, but on what happens in Egypt. We must remember that the source of the trouble is Gaza, whether things come from Gaza directly, or indirectly via Sinai. The source is in Gaza and that is what we need to deal with.
Also in Gaza, they tell us the situation is complex. The world is watching... How should we react there, do you think?
The problem in Gaza is different. The problem is that we didn't finish the work in Cast Lead. The minute we didn't finish the work, and left Hamas with thousands of missiles and the ability to replenish its supplies, we knew that the day would come when we would have to deal with it again.
The problem is that for various reasons, including international considerations, we don't have an operation like that twice a week. When we were in there, we needed to finish, and I believe we'll need to find an opportunity to do so.
As long as Hamas rules there and has the ability to threaten Israeli citizens in the south and beyond, and as long as they have the groups they claim not to have control over like Islamic Jihad, as long as that's the situation, what happened is what will happen, and we will have no choice but to go in to Gaza.
With all due respect to 'Iron Dome,' an important technological achievement, it cannot defend our citizens against thousands of missiles.
Comment on this story
8. Barak Overrides Camp David: Tactics Over Strategy
by Maayana Miskin
Egypt is deploying thousands of troops in the Sinai Peninsula, despite the Camp David peace deal, which insists that the area remain largely demilitarized. Defense Minister Ehud Barak has authorized the move, with backing from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
ג€œSometimes you have to subordinate strategic considerations to tactical needs,ג€ the Economist quoted Barak as saying.
Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin warned Friday that Barak and Netanyahu may not be authorized to make the decision. ג€œIt could very well be that the permission given to bring Egyptian troops into Sinai, which was declared an demilitarized zone in the peace accords, requires Knesset approval,ג€ he said.
ג€œIf that is the case, I will ask to bring it before the Knesset. An agreement between the Defense Minister and the Prime Minister, or even cabinet approval, is not enough,ג€ Rivlin stated.
He noted that the government was required to get the Knesset's permission before changing security arrangements along the Philadelphi Corridor near Gaza.
The increased Egyptian presence in Sinai comes as Egyptians have shown increasing hostility to Israel. Demonstrators rioted outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo this week after Egyptian soldiers were killed in the crossfire between Israel and Gaza terrorists.
The Muslim Brotherhood is planning a ג€œmillion man marchג€ against Israel for Friday. Two days ago, a senior Muslim Brotherhood cleric declared that ordinary Egyptians are obligated to kill ג€œZionistsג€ if they encounter them.
The Islamist group is poised to gain a major share in government in Egypt's next elections.
Barak argues that without the Egyptian presence in Sinai, Israel will be under threat from Gaza terrorists who have transferred their base to the area. Last week terrorists with Gaza's PRC and Islamic Jihad launched a series of attacks from Sinai, murdering six civilians and two soldiers.
The new troops in Sinai ג€œare unlikely ever to be withdrawn by any Egyptian government,ג€ the Economist notes.
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by Maayana Miskin
Egypt is deploying thousands of troops in the Sinai Peninsula, despite the Camp David peace deal, which insists that the area remain largely demilitarized. Defense Minister Ehud Barak has authorized the move, with backing from Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu.
ג€œSometimes you have to subordinate strategic considerations to tactical needs,ג€ the Economist quoted Barak as saying.
Knesset speaker Reuven Rivlin warned Friday that Barak and Netanyahu may not be authorized to make the decision. ג€œIt could very well be that the permission given to bring Egyptian troops into Sinai, which was declared an demilitarized zone in the peace accords, requires Knesset approval,ג€ he said.
ג€œIf that is the case, I will ask to bring it before the Knesset. An agreement between the Defense Minister and the Prime Minister, or even cabinet approval, is not enough,ג€ Rivlin stated.
He noted that the government was required to get the Knesset's permission before changing security arrangements along the Philadelphi Corridor near Gaza.
The increased Egyptian presence in Sinai comes as Egyptians have shown increasing hostility to Israel. Demonstrators rioted outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo this week after Egyptian soldiers were killed in the crossfire between Israel and Gaza terrorists.
The Muslim Brotherhood is planning a ג€œmillion man marchג€ against Israel for Friday. Two days ago, a senior Muslim Brotherhood cleric declared that ordinary Egyptians are obligated to kill ג€œZionistsג€ if they encounter them.
The Islamist group is poised to gain a major share in government in Egypt's next elections.
Barak argues that without the Egyptian presence in Sinai, Israel will be under threat from Gaza terrorists who have transferred their base to the area. Last week terrorists with Gaza's PRC and Islamic Jihad launched a series of attacks from Sinai, murdering six civilians and two soldiers.
The new troops in Sinai ג€œare unlikely ever to be withdrawn by any Egyptian government,ג€ the Economist notes.
Comment on this story
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