Egypt deploys 1000s of troops in Sinai

[ktlight]

FYI:

Egypt has deployed thousands of troops in the Sinai to tighten security as tensions escalate with Israel following Tel Aviv's killing of several Egyptian border guards.


The deployment of the troops in Sinai would have violated the 1979 peace treaty between Tel Aviv and Cairo, which stated that Egypt's Sinai Peninsula would be a demilitarized zone, but Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak agreed to let Egypt station helicopters, armored vehicles, and thousands of troops in the Sinai desert, the Economist reported.

The Israeli military killed five Egyptian security personnel on the Rafah border crossing on August 18, which triggered massive protests outside the Israeli embassy in Cairo.

Protesters have called for an end to the country's peace accord with Israel and the expulsion of Tel Aviv's ambassador to Egypt.

source
http://www.presstv.ir/detail/195962.html

[IndigoStar]

Cairo - Instead of falling victim to Egypt’s eye-for-an-eye past, a concerted effort to create a culture of peace in what has quickly become a starkly fractured political scene – between religious groups, the military and activists, and activists and the people – may well be the best opportunity to bring about a new Egypt with social justice, transparency and tolerance.

Egyptians are striving daily to show the world that societies can change. Cairo is not the same city it was six months ago. As voices now begin to breech the political and social stalemate in the country, Egyptian society can, through a culture of peace, set a precedent not only for their own country but for the whole region.

UNESCO defines the culture of peace as “a set of values, attitudes, modes of behaviour and ways of life that reject violence and prevent conflicts by tackling their root causes to solve problems through dialogue”. In Egypt, for example, this could help develop an overall sense that the "other", who participated in violent acts in the past, can become part of society, instead of remaining on the outskirts as they are currently. Building such a culture in Egypt would follow the South African model of reconciliation, which allowed the country to look forward instead of focusing on the frustrating and sad past of apartheid.

Instilling a culture of peace in the younger generation could be a great antidote to the older generations’ mistrust and antagonism toward one another – Christian versus Muslim; Worker versus Owner; Military versus the People; and so on.

In Egypt, one of the root causes of a lack of a culture of peace is the educational system. Young Egyptian students are taught that they are different from one another, that their respective faiths are cause for separation. In schools, Christian students study the history and faith of Christianity separately, while Muslim studentsdo the same for Islam. This creates a sense that each group is separate and divided when it comes to any national cause. Without jointly learning the country’s history of Christianity and Islam, this helps build an idea that Egypt was, and is, “Christian” or “Muslim”.

A few years ago, I met a history teacher from a local secondary school in Cairo. She wanted to invest an entire week of the curriculum in discussing Judaism and Christianity, and their role in Egyptian history. The headmaster of the school told her she was not allowed to do so.

“They told me that Egypt is a Muslim country and the government has given students the opportunity to learn about Christianity if they are Christian,” the teacher said. She was frustrated. Students had been making slurs against their peers on a regular basis and she thought that a little education into the cultures that make up Egypt – such as Coptic history, the early years of Islam and the integration that subsequently came about – would go a long way. But that was not the way the government looked at this issue. Here, the headmaster of the private school refused to accept her proposal. For public schools, there is no debate – the government has simply not allowed integrated religious education.

This imposed division was broken down by the revolution, at least for a few months. But through a concerted effort by educators and peace advocates, Egyptian society can be transformed into one where a culture of peace and coexistence prevails, which can help implement the notions of tolerance and understanding through what UNESCO says is “dialogue, consensus-building and active non-violence”.

As Egypt pushes on in a new direction, now is the time to create a society that understands all facets of its history and its people. Through a greater push toward a culture of peace, Egypt can once more show the world that it is a country that is forward-thinking and can create a better world based on peace and tolerance.

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* Joseph Mayton is Editor-in-Chief of Bikyamasr.com. This article was written for the Common Ground News Service (CGNews).

Source: Common Ground News Service (CGNews), 30 August 2011, www.commongroundnews.org
Copyright permission is granted for publication.

http://www.commongroundnews.org/article.php?id=30288&lan=en&sp=0

[Maia Gabrial]

Sounds hopeful for Egypt.

[Twinsel]

Source: Russia Today (http://rt.com/usa/news/ceasefire-us-sinai-israel-435/)
Published: 23 November, 2012, 20:44


Netanyahu agreed to ceasefire after Obama promised US troops in Sinai next week?

http://rt.com/files/usa/news/ceasefire-us-sinai-israel-435/obama-president-barack.n.jpg
US President Barack Obama.(AFP Photo / Saul Loeb)Israel

and Palestine are momentarily at a ceasefire, but the potential reasoning behind the recess could have some real international implications. Israel’s Debka reports that the pause in fighting comes after the US promised to send troops to Sinai.

According to Debka, US troops will soon be en route to the Sinai peninsula, Egyptian territory in North Africa that’s framed by the Suez Canal on the West and Israel on the East. In its northeast most point, Sinai is but a stone’s throw from Palestinian-controlled Gaza, and according to Debka, Hamas fighters there have been relying on Iranian arms smugglers to supply them with weaponry by way of Egypt.

Debka reports this week that Sinai will soon be occupied by US troops, who were promised by President Barack Obama to Israel’s leaders as a condition that a ceasefire be called. Once deployed, the Americans will intervene with the rumored arms trade orchestrated by Iranians, ideally cutting off supplies for Hamas while at the same time serving as a thorn in the side of Iran.

“Once the missile and arms consignments depart Iranian ports or Libyan arms bazaars, Tehran has no direct control of their transit from point to point through Egypt until they reach Sinai and their Gaza destination,” Debka reports. “All the same, a US special forces operation against the Sinai segment of the Iranian smuggling route would count as the first overt American military strike against an Iranian military interest.”

The decision to send US troops to Sinai in exchange for a ceasefire was reportedly arranged early Wednesday morning after Pres. Obama made a deal over the phone with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu. In the days prior, Israel was relentless in targeting Gaza, killing more than 100 persons — including civilians — during a renewed assault on Hamas. A ceasefire has since been called after a week of fight, but more military action could soon occur, claims Israel, if the flow of weapons to Gaza is not stopped. Netanyahu has been adamant with his pleas for the United States to strike Iran in an effort to disrupt its nuclear enrichment facilities, a demand which up until now has been brushed aside by Pres. Obama. The White House has up until now insisted on diplomatic measures in order to make an impact on any Iranian output, but Debka’s sources suggest that US troops may now have to intervene in Sinai if any smugglers should attempt to move weapons into Gaza.

“By opening the Sinai door to an American troop deployment for Israel’s defense, recognizes that the US force also insures Israel against Cairo revoking or failing to honor the peace treaty Egypt signed with Israel in 1979,” adds Debka.

According to their sources, US troops are expected in Egypt early next week. Meanwhile, American forces have all but surrounded Iran and are stationed in countless bases across the Middle East.