US defuses Egyptian-Israeli crisis: Egypt may post troops in E. Sinai

DEBKAfile Exclusive Report August 21, 2011, 12:53 AM (GMT+02:00)

Intense diplomatic efforts by Washington Saturday night, Aug. 20, produced a compromise for resolving the Egyptian-Israeli crisis moments before their 1979 peace accord was overturned. Cairo agreed not to recall the Egyptian ambassador from Israel, whereas the Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak apologized publicly for the deaths of three Egyptian policemen in the course of a firefight between Israeli troops and Palestinian terrorists shooting on the Eilat road from both sides of the border. Israel also agreed to a joint probe to determine who caused their deaths. The Israeli deputy ambassador in Cairo posted a formal apology at the Egyptian foreign ministry Saturday night.

debkafile’s Washington sources report that Israel also agreed, when spirits are calmer, to renegotiate certain terms of the Camp David peace accords relating to the demilitarization of Sinai as a buffer between the two former belligerents. The two parties would open talks with American assistance on the posting of Egyptian forces in eastern Sinai along the Gulf of Aqaba coast and the 200-kilometer dividing Egyptian Sinai from the Israeli Negev.

The Palestinian multiple terrorist attack last Thursday, which killed eight Israelis and injured 40 and aimed to kill and kidnap many more, has had the unforeseen consequence of radically rearranging the relative deployments of the Israeli and Egyptian armies along their border.
[…]

However, our sources report that in the first hours after the attack, the Israeli government and high command were too bewildered to think clearly and react rationally.

Now it is too late. Egypt’s ruling generals are beyond heeding testimony, however credible, demonstrating that al Qaeda – not Israeli troops or helicopters – was responsible for the Egyptian deaths. Egged on by the Muslim Brotherhood, they have taken the first step on the road to revoking the historic Camp David peace accords.

They can only be turned back if the United States intercedes and urges them to think again and abandon this radical and hazardous course.

August 21, 2011 | 7 Comments »

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7 Comments / 7 Comments

  1. When the moshiach comes, he will straighten this whole mess out. In the meantime, enjoy the ‘play’, you know, happiness, tragedy, wise kings, stupid kings, evil kings, good kings.

  2. Intense diplomatic efforts by Washington Saturday night, Aug. 20, produced a compromise for resolving the Egyptian-Israeli crisis moments before their 1979 peace accord was overturned. Cairo agreed not to recall the Egyptian ambassador from Israel, whereas the Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak apologized publicly for the deaths of three Egyptian policemen in the course of a firefight between Israeli troops and Palestinian terrorists shooting on the Eilat road from both sides of the border. Israel also agreed to a joint probe to determine who caused their deaths. The Israeli deputy ambassador in Cairo posted a formal apology at the Egyptian foreign ministry Saturday night.

    Ridiculous. Another display of weakness on the part of Israeli leadership. So what if they overturn the peace treaty? Essentially Egypt already declared it null and void when Egyptian troops murdered Israelis or at least assisted those who did. Ending the Camp David accords would give Israel justification to retake the Sinai.

  3. @ Shy Guy:

    No, you didn’t. It’s a whole lotta Jews and Israelis, including much of Israel’s Jewish voting population.

    You still have a minute to go back and delete your post. 🙂

    I don’t disagree but the ultimate responsibility rest with those two idiots. Tried to edit at the 3 min point and got a “You don’t have permission” ????

  5. yamit82 Said:

    FIFY

    No, you didn’t. It’s a whole lotta Jews and Israelis, including much of Israel’s Jewish voting population.

    You still have a minute to go back and delete your post. 🙂