http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1201523788535&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull
'Wednesday, Egyptian officials said security forces captured a cell of Palestinian terrorists that infiltrated Sinai from Gaza and was in possession of a number of explosive belts. Israeli defense officials confirmed the report and said that additional Gazan terrorists, with plans to infiltrate into Israel, were believed to be hiding in Sinai after crossing into there via the open border in recent days.'
Immediately the border was breached, most commentators from the MSM chortled with glee at what a poke in the eye this was for Israel. People who know about the situation in southern Israel and northern Sinai took a very different view. Tens of thousands of lawless Palestinians wandering around in the Sinai is definitely bad news for Egypt. The authorities know that although many Palestinians just want a can of cooking oil and a sack of flour, many others will be there to cause mayhem and criminal activities. But the Egyptian authorities are hamstrung (if they'll forgive the infidel analogy)- if they crack down on the Palestinians who are there to bomb, buy arms and do criminal deals, the Arab world will come down on them like a ton of Korans. If they don't, the already dodgy Sinai towns will turn into full-fledged criminal bazaars like the towns in the NWFP of Pakistan, and the border towns of Mexico. For very good commercial and diplomatic reasons, Egypt doesn't want the spawning of a criminal economy in one of its major tourist areas.
It also doesn't want its relationship with (much stronger and wealthier) Israel to suffer major damage. So what to do? I wouldn't want to be Mubarak right now.
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