Lawless Sinai Becomes Flashpoint For Egypt With Israel, Hamas
The growing presence of armed groups in the Sinai threatens to destabilize the area, potentially drawing Israel, Egypt and Hamas into confrontation, Noura Khouri writes.
Another another episode in Egypt’s political drama is unfolding in the "lawless Sinai," or the "Wild West" as it’s often called.
The murder mystery, also referred to as the “Ramadan Massacre,” which killed 16 Egyptian border guards last Aug. 5, comes complete with a showdown of political rivals, Muslim extremists and riveting plot twists, leaving observers at the edge of our seats. The antagonist, Wael Hamdy, an Egyptian “leftist” lawyer who recently brought a case against Hamas for the killing of the border guards stated: “I filed the case because I was worried about the state of national security in my country after the rise of the Muslim Brotherhood to power and its unclear policies and links with Hamas.”
Today, unlike the early days of the revolution, political figures in Egypt are completely divided and vying desperately for control, meanwhile ignoring blistering plots taking place in the Sinai. Last Thursday [March 14], charges were further ratcheted up by another lawyer, Samir Sabry, holding Hamas responsible for masterminding the entire operation. Sabry filed a complaint with the prosecutor general, claiming Hamas had ordered the deadly attack and described the incident as “premeditated murder and a breach of Egypt’s sovereignty.” These serious charges are not only counter-intuitive, but by all accounts, the allegations are utterly baseless, factually unsubstantiated and target the easiest scapegoat.
Even a slightly closer look at this badly played charade would reveal decades of lawlessness in the Sinai that's been bubbling beneath the surface. The far-reaching future implications of what's at stake, however, will determine not the least of which, who will control the troubled region. If the stated goal is truly to provide ‘security’, an honest evaluation and critical analysis of the facts and information by all the actors — which is severely lacking — must be undertaken.
