World

Analysis

Silver Lining?

After Sinai attacks, an opening for Israeli-Egyptian cooperation.

Since then, the Egyptians have been
trying
to mediate a cease-fire involving
Jewish Telegraphic Agency
all Palestinian organizations, including
radical groups such as Hamas and
Jerusalem
Islamic Jihad.
he coordinated terrorist attacks on
In late May, Mubarak and Israeli
Israeli tourists in Sinai on Oct. 7 may
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon agreed to
have some significant, unintended
set up political, security and economic
consequences: a deepening of anti-terrorism
committees to upgrade all aspects of
cooperation between Israel and Egypt and
the countries' bilateral relationship.
greater Egyptian readiness to guarantee securi-
The
move coincided with the conclu-
ty in the Gaza Strip after Israel's planned with-
sion
of the biggest deal ever between
drawal next summer.
the
two
countries: a contract worth
At first glance, the three bombings were a
$2.5 billion for Egypt to supply Israel
blow to Middle Eastern rapprochement. It
with natural gas for 15 years, begin-
could take years before Israeli tourism to Sinai
ning in 2006.
— one of the few signs of people-to-people
Israeli analysts attribute the change
normalcy in Israel's relations with the Arab
in
Egypt's attitude to Sharon's plan to
world — returns to anything like the dimen-
disengage
from the Palestinians. They
sions of this holiday season.
say
the
Egyptians
are motivated by
There was a symbolic blow to peace too:
fear that after Israel's withdrawal,
Israeli reporters recalled that the Hilton Taba
Hamas will seize control of the Gaza
hotel, targeted by the terrorists, had hosted
Strip and make it a hotbed of Islamic
hundreds of hours of peace talks over the years
fundamentalism that could spill over
between Israelis and Egyptians and Israelis and
into Egypt.
Palestinians. With one wing of the hotel
Now, after the Sinai bombings,
reduced to rubble, one reporter said the shat-
Egypt
has far more reason for con-
An
Israeli
father
hugs
his
son
at
the
Taba
border
crossing
as
Israelis
stream
back
to
tered building suggested a scarred monument
cern.
There
is a palpable danger that
Israel
on
Oct.
9.
Car
bombs
ripped
through
the
Hilton
Hotel
and
two
beach
to failed visions of peace.
Global Jihad would see a Hamas-con-
resorts packed with Israeli tourists on Egypt's Red Sea coast.
But some noted another image: Israeli and
trolled Gaza as a golden opportunity
Egyptian rescue workers sifting through rub-
to establish a land base against Cairo.
ble together.
That
gives Egypt added incentive to
Behind the scenes, top Israeli and Egyptian
cooperate
with Israel.
officials discussed intelligence and other coop-
minded Islamic radicals to power," said Boaz Ganor of
Giora
Eiland,
head
of
Israel's
national security coun-
eration against the common threat of Islamic terrorism.
the Herzliya Interdisciplinary Center.
cil,
summed
up
Israeli
expectations:
In the past, he
Avi Dichter, head of Israel's Shin Bet security service,
The attacks were designed mainly to hit Egypt's
said, the Egyptians had been lax about cracking down
visited the Hilton site and met with Egyptian counter-
tourism industry, weaken the economy and destabilize
on criminal activities and weapons smuggling in Sinai,
parts. Soon afterward, Israeli field agents were allowed
the regime, Ganor said. If that's indeed the case, Egypt
and had allowed "hostile elements" to get too close to
to scour all three Sinai bombing sites for evidence.
has an obvious interest in cooperating with all intelli-
the border with Israel. Eiland said he hoped the
They worked closely with Egyptian security agents
gence services, including Israel's, that can supply
Egyptians now would clamp down as strongly as they
and were given information from Egyptian interroga-
advance warning of planned attacks and help target
did against radical Islamic groups in Egypt in the
tions of suspects and eyewitnesses. This constituted
would-be perpetrators.
1990s.
cooperation of an unprecedented nature for Egyptian
For most of the 25 years that Egypt and Israel have
authorities, who have been wary of cooperating with
been nominally at peace, such cooperation would have
security agents of what many Egyptians still consider
been unthinkable. A former Egyptian foreign minister,
Counterweights
the "Zionist enemy."
Boutros Boutros Ghali, coined the term "cold peace" to
But
it won't all be clear sailing. Egypt still sees itself as
According to initial Israeli intelligence estimates, the
describe how Egypt had resisted normalizing relations
competing
with Israel for regional hegemony, a percep-
three coordinated bombings, one on the Hilton Taba
even after signing a peace treaty.
tion
that
may
lead Cairo to continue its efforts to com-
and two at the Sinai resort of Ras Satan, were carried
Still, despite strong Egyptian criticism of Israel's han-
pel
Israel
to
give
up its nudear capability.
out by "Global Jihad," a network of radical Islamic
dling of the Palestinian intifada, ties had been warming
And the sharp, often vitriolic criticism of Israel's
groups directed by Osama bin Laden's Al Qaida organ-
for several months before the Sinai attacks. The most
response to Palestinian violence will almost certainly
ization.
significant upgrading came in late May, when President
continue, at least in the press and on the Egyptian
Hosni Mubarak affirmed Egypt's readiness to help keep
street.
the peace in Gaza after Israel's planned withdrawal.
Eventually, ties between Cairo and Jerusalem
Target: Egypt
Mubarak agreed to beef up Egyptian forces to patrol
could
mirror those Israel has with Jordan and Turkey
Though Israeli tourists were targeted, some Israeli
the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, prevent
—
where,
despite abiding popular hostility toward
counterterrorism experts believe the attackers' primary
the smuggling of weapons from Sinai into Gaza and
Israel, the governments work closely at the highest
goal was to destabilize the Egyptian regime. "Global
send Egyptian instructors to train Palestinian Authority
strategic levels. El
Jihad's main aim is to topple moderate Arab and
security forces.
Muslim regimes, like that in Egypt, and bring like-

LESLIE SUSSER

T

*TN

10/15
2004

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