Israel says no to more Egyptian troops in Sinai
By YAAKOV KATZ The Jerusalem Post02/07/2011 01:50
http://www.jpost.com/Defense/Article.aspx?id=207115
Senior army official: We don’t want it to seem as if the peace treaty is
meaningless, particularly when there could be a regime change in Cairo.
Fearing a complete breakdown of the peace treaty with Cairo, the government
last week refused a second Egyptian request to allow it to deploy more
military forces in Sinai, The Jerusalem Post has learned.
As first reported last week by the Post, Israel allowed the Egyptian
military to deploy units in Sinai for the first time since the signing of
the peace treaty in 1979, in response to growing anarchy in the country. Two
battalions – amounting to about 800 soldiers – were deployed in the Sharm
e-Sheikh region and around Rafah, which is split between the Sinai and the
Gaza Strip.
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Under the peace treaty, Israel returned Sinai to Egypt. In return, Egypt
agreed to leave the peninsula demilitarized.
Senior IDF sources said Sunday the Egyptians had asked Israel to authorize
the deployment of additional forces but that the request was rejected by the
Defense Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office.
“We do not want it to seem as if the peace treaty is meaningless,
particularly at a time when there could be a regime change in Egypt, which
could renounce the treaty altogether,” a senior military source said on
Sunday.
Israel is concerned that the Muslim Brotherhood will take over the Egyptian
government and make good on its threat to rip up the peace treaty.
According to the source, Israel could not allow a complete breach of the
treaty at a time when it is urging the international community to ensure
that the treaty is maintained, even in the event of regime change in Egypt.
Click here for full Jpost coverage of unrest in Egypt
The Egyptian military asked to deploy the forces in Sinai, defense officials
said, due to the growing Beduin threat.
On Saturday, terrorists bombed a gas terminal in Sinai, leading to a
suspension in gas supplies to Israel from Egypt. There were also reports
about armed men who had set a Coptic church in Rafah ablaze.
On Sunday, the Arab media reported that Egyptian forces had gone on high
alert along the Suez Canal out of fear that Hizbullah and Hamas terrorist
cells planned to take advantage of the chaos in the country to attack the
strategic waterway.
“The regime is extremely concerned about the situation in Sinai with the
Beduin,” another IDF source said.
Defense Minister Ehud Barak told the cabinet on Sunday that the Egyptian
military was playing a positive role in stabilizing the situation in the
country.
He said the government decided to permit the deployment of the military
forces in Sinai on a temporary basis and that the forces would withdraw once
stability was restored on the peninsula.
“Egypt is an important neighbor and peace with it is a strategic asset,”
Barak said. “We have reason to believe that Egypt feels the same way.”
Barak will head to Washington later this week for talks with the Obama
administration over the developing situation in Egypt.
AP contributed to this report.
| “Nothing and nobody can be an understudy for a Bedouin tracker” 06 February 2011 , 16:43 IDF Rotem Eliav http://dover.idf.il/IDF/English/News/today/2011/02/0602.htm In spite of pressures from Islamic movements and constant shifts in allegiances, many Israeli Bedouins continue to voluntarily enlist to the IDF and even extend their services. Many serving as trackers, the Bedouins have become a vital part of the military force. “I consider my work with the trackers and the Bedouin population in general a true vocation,” said Commander of the IDF Southern Tracking Unit, Col. Yossi Hadad, “I have no doubt that even with all the recent technological advancements, there is no replacement for the Bedouin trackers and their devoted work. This is why,” he stresses, “our main focus is the wellbeing of the soldiers, making sure they return home safe and sound.” The Bedouins are mostly concentrated in the northern and southern regions of Israel where they lead semi- nomadic, Muslim lifestyles. Entrenched in their culture are the value of peace of mind, enhanced senses, and an unparalleled familiarity with the land, making them one of the only societies able to master the position of tracker. To be a Tracker A tracker's job is to obstruct illegal breaches into Israeli territory including that of terrorists, illegal immigrants and smugglers (smuggling drugs, for example). Master Sergeant Hassan Heib adds, “the tracker must guarantee that no illegal break-ins took place during his shift. We deal with these incidents at most fronts and with their constant increase we have immense responsibility.” The skills required for tracking have been passed down generations of Bedouins, as they are essential for their everyday lives. “Since we live in the desert and work as shepherds, we come to know the land,” explains Master Sergeant Muhammad El Walidi, “when one of our sheep goes astray, we track it down by following its footprints.” Trackers spend one strenuous, sleepless week on duty and are given one week to recuperate. Since the trackers have no understudies, their training exercises take place during their week long vacations. To be Prepared, to be Professional These exercises take place every six months with which the unit, “maintains its operational preparedness and enforces professionalism,” explains Commander of the Southern Tracker Unit, Col. Yossi Hadad. “Since the exercises are divided up, soldiers are can exchange knowledge, learn from each other and strengthen their abilities as trackers.” During exercises, the commanders yell commands practicing both in groups and individually. The commander instructs each soldier, running with him through the drill. The most recent exercise included target practice, a nighttime chase and training with explosives. They also practiced with an MAG machine gun. At their latest exercise, the Administrative Officer of the Southern Command came to speak to the trackers. “I acknowledge and appreciate the trackers unit, and was very impressed when meeting with the commanders. I hope that my meeting you in person will encourage you to turn to us with any problems, which we will work on solving immediately.” “Some of the problems we face when addressing the Bedouin population in the IDF is their different culture and background,” explains the unit’s non-commissioned welfare officer, Irena Reznikov. “The army works to accommodate their requests for utilities and equipment they’re lacking at home, respecting their strong family values by allowing extended mourning time in case of a death, even in the extended family. Since many of them marry at a young age, the IDF offers special benefits for them as well.” "This country is our home and if we won’t protect it nobody will" “The IDF accommodates our needs, it doesn’t just use our skill sets,” explains Master Sergeant Muhammad El Walidi, who followed in his brothers’ footsteps and volunteered to the army. “The IDF allows us to improve skills other than tracking. We are given the opportunity to complete 12 years of basic education, extra help for those who need it, and some even get two years of industrial engineering courses at the university. Israel also helps our villages with organized rides to schools and medical services. Since the IDF and Israel take care of us, it motivates us to serve.” Master Sergeant El Walidi adds, “The IDF is like one big family, once each soldier puts on that uniform we are all brothers and our purpose is clear- to protect the State of Israel. I joined the trackers unit because it’s the best way I can give to the nation,” he explains. “At the end of the day, this country is our home, and if we won’t protect it nobody will.” Bedouins have been serving in the IDF for a very long time and Master Sergeant Muhammad El Walidi urges the trend to continue. “Being in the army teaches responsibility, discipline and perspective. While in the army you meet new people and come to understand their mentality. And of course your Hebrew improves.” Other reasons Bedouins join the trackers’ unit is the glory associated with the profession. Ahmed Hgagra, still in his regular service wanted to enlist ever since he was little. “Trackers are esteemed and respected in every post and sector of the IDF. Throughout my service, I’ve been relocated several times based on needs at a specific post but also to help improve my skills as a tracker. Wherever I ended up, I was praised and hailed for my efforts.” Infiltrators, tunnels and the Gaza Strip's C-shaped route Recently, the tracker unit has been dealing with exceptionally large amounts of infiltrators, the use of tunnels and an infamous C-shaped route where terrorists leave from the Gaza Strip and enter Israel via an unsecured border with Egypt. Additionally, the Southern Command is currently building a new separation fence, the Hourglass that may affect the unit’s activities both positively and negatively. “The tracker is essential for the security of the state of Israel,” says Col. Yossi Hadad. “He is the only one truly able to thwart an illegal entry.”  Some Optimism in Herzliya Panel on IranAdar 3, 5771, 07 February 11 10:39 by Gil Ronen(Israelnationalnews.com) Iran's ballistic missiles can reach New Delhi, Moscow and Athens, and in 2-3 years will be able to hit Brussels, Paris and Berlin, Former Deputy Defense Minister Efraim Sneh warned Monday in a debate on Iran at the Herzliya Conference. He quoted the head of the US agency in charge of ballistic missile defense, who estimated that by 2015, Iranian missiles could hit the territory of the United States. Allowing Iran to have such global leverage with nuclear arms is unacceptable, Sneh stated, and added that when people use the word 'containment' with regard to a nuclear-armed Iran, he hears the word 'acquiescence.' Other speakers sounded somewhat resigned to the prospect that Iran would achieve nuclear capability, but Brian Katulis, Senior Fellow at the Center for American Progress, was optimistic. "In this difficult region of the world, America and Israel are the strong horses," he said. "They are the ones that set the agenda and can shape events, and in the instance of Iran over last two years what we have seen is a very assertive approach." Katulis referred to the "stories of the computer wars and the sabotage" allegedly carried out against the nuclear program in Iran, through the Stuxnet virus. "We have seen, I think, a sophisticated policy of pressure and assertive engagement which has forced Iran into a corner," he said. "Today Iran is much more isolated than it has been in decades... A noose has been created for Iran and it is hanging itself with it, with its own actions." "This did not exist before. We have moved beyond passive appeasement. The Obama administration has taken some very aggressive steps to renew the US-Israel partnership." Noting that the "strongest" war fought in the last two decades was the First Gulf War, in which a wide coalition was deployed, Katulis said that "Israel needs to work with America to think through - 'how do we build the coalition?'" The CEO of the Center for American Progress is John Podesta, who served as chief of staff to Bill Clinton when Clinton was president of the U.S. |
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