Op-MedOpinions on the Mediterranean November 2012

About this Series Shifting Sands: Security and Development Op-Med is an ongoing series of for ’s Sinai opinion pieces on topical issues in Mediterranean politics from by Andrea Dessì a transatlantic perspective. The series brings together European, North American, and southern Mediterranean experts through the German Marshall Fund–Istituto Escalating tensions in Egypt’s Sinai lems plaguing Egypt’s Sinai remain 1 Affari Internazionali strategic Peninsula have become a serious head- unaddressed. partnership. The series examines key ache for the country’s new rulers and a If managed improperly, tensions in the questions surrounding the political, major test for ’s presi- Sinai could have destabilizing effects societal, and economic evolution of dency. As the Egyptian Muslim Broth- on Egypt, the Hamas-ruled Gaza specific Mediterranean countries erhood (MB) struggles to revamp the Strip, and , potentially drag- as well as the broader regional and country’s ailing economy, deliver on its ging the three into an escalation that international dynamics at play in the campaign pledges, and restore Egypt’s could send ripples across the region. Mediterranean region as a whole. regional clout, widespread lawless- ness along Egypt’s eastern border Given that a stable Sinai is in the risks undermining these efforts while interest of all parties and the region further complicating the MB’s nascent as a whole, the West should develop a relationship with the West. two-track policy focusing on security and development for the area while Reports of an increased penetration devising strategies that could lay the of radical jihadist groups in the Sinai groundwork for increased cooperation surfaced soon after the overthrow between the three neighbors. of in February 2011 and have since grown into a key Breaking the Cycle of Violence and domestic and foreign policy challenge Marginalization for Egypt’s new government. Begin- Radical in the Sinai is not ning in August 2011, and following new, and a series of Salafi-Jihadi a first cross-border raid by Jihadi groups have been active in the area militants into Israeli territory, the well before 2011. Major bombings Egyptian government approved a occurred in 2004, 2005, and again large-scale military operation in the in 2006, and each time the Mubarak Sinai in an attempt to re-establish regime responded with a security- central authority over Egypt’s eastern first strategy, sending in the army to governorates. The anti-insurgency conduct punitive sweeps and mass 1744 R Street NW campaign, dubbed “Operation Eagle,” Washington, DC 20009 has had mixed results and over a year T 1 202 683 2650 1 Operation Eagle was initially launched in August 2011 since its inception many of the prob- but then expanded one year later following the deaths of F 1 202 265 1662 16 Egyptian border guards in an attack by militants in the E [email protected] northern Sinai. Opinions on the Mediterranean Op-Med arrests. More than 2,500 people were imprisoned following An Opportunity for Cooperation the 2004 attack and most were detained for years without Hamas’s seeming willingness to cooperate, combined with charge while being denied visits by family members or Israel’s clear interest in limiting the penetration of radical lawyers.2 Islamism in the Sinai (and Gaza), prove that Egypt is by no means alone in having to devise a strategy for its eastern These harsh measures only added to the widespread governorates. Security and development for the Sinai is marginalization of the Sinai in Egyptian society, indeed in the interests of Egypt, Israel, and Hamas as well with many being considered as second-class citizens or as the international community, creating a unique potential simply as smugglers, arms dealers, or human traffickers. for cooperation between this unusual set of bed-fellows. While such activities are indeed widespread, the lack of Notwithstanding various flare-ups, intelligence cooperation opportunities in the Sinai is such that many inevitably make between Israel and Egypt has continued under the Muslim a living through illegal activities or the shadow economy. Brotherhood, and this welcomed development can also Having for decades suffered from severe socio-economic serve as a basis to preserve the 1979 Egypt-Israeli peace discrimination, the Sinai’s 61,000 square kilometer area treaty. is Egypt’s least developed region, with the highest rates of unemployment and poverty. Little or no benefits have The treaty has come under strain due to repeated attacks reached the local inhabitants from the development of the on Israel from the Sinai and Egypt’s deployment of heavy Sinai’s tourism industry and communities are military hardware into areas classified as partially demilita- largely prevented from working in these luxury resorts. A rized under the security annexes of the treaty. This however career in the army is also unavailable, given the Egyptian should not necessarily lead to serious tensions as the treaty military’s tendency to restrict Bedouin conscription. itself allows for increased deployments into the Sinai as long as they are done in coordination with Israel. Such under- Since the overthrow of Mubarak, there have been repeated standings could reassure Israel while allowing the Egyptian attacks on Egyptian police and army units stationed in the government to present the army’s deployment into the Sinai Sinai, at least 14 separate bombings on pipelines carrying as a response to those who charge that Egyptian sovereignty Egyptian gas to Jordan and Israel, and four deadly cross- is undermined by the treaty. Moreover, such understandings border raids into Israeli territory. The security vacuum would also allow Egypt to improve security coordination created by the fall of Mubarak coupled with the deterio- with Hamas and together limit the growth of radical Jihadi rating economic outlook in Egypt as a whole are part of the groups in the Sinai and Gaza Strip. problem. The gradual reopening of the Egypt-Gaza border also increased the penetration of radical elements in the Any response to the Sinai’s current troubles must however Sinai. In the wake of recent attacks on the Egyptian army also address the socio-economic inequalities affecting the in the area, Hamas has offered to establish a new border local inhabitants and avoid repeating past mistakes that security force in Gaza and increase security cooperation have essentially tended toward a securitization of the issue. with Egypt. Moreover, in a sign that Hamas is itself growing The punitive military campaigns unleashed by the Mubarak increasingly worried about the growth of these extremist regime following each major bombing effectively only groups, authorities in Gaza are blocking attempts by Salafi increased the feelings of marginalization present among groups to form a political party inspired by the Egyptian the Sinai’s local inhabitants while neglecting those social Salafi Al-Nour party.3 and economic grievances that in part can explain their radicalization. Thus, while Egypt’s cash-strapped govern- ment is today in no condition to invest extensively for the development of the Sinai, regional and international donors should increase their focus on this area. In the West, the

2 “Egypt: Mass Arrests and Torture in Sinai,” Human Rights Watch, Vol. 17, No. 3 (Febru- United States and U.K. have both shown a willingness to ary 2005), http://www.hrw.org/reports/2005/02/21/egypt-mass-arrests-and-torture- assist Egyptian security efforts in the Sinai. Such assistance sinai-0. must go beyond the security dimension and also promote 3 “Salafis say Hamas security preventing new political party,” Ma’an News Agency, 15 long-term development projects to bring drinking water, October 2012, http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=529069.

2 Opinions on the Mediterranean Op-Med electricity, and basic infrastructure to villages in the central and northern Sinai. In this respect, and notwithstanding the About the Author current financial crisis, the EU could play an important role Andrea Dessì holds a master’s degree in conflict, security and given the extensive experience and tools at its disposal while development from King’s College London and a bachelor’s in history the United States could earmark a fraction of its $1.5 billion of the Middle East from the School of Oriental and African Studies in in yearly aid to Egypt for specific developmental projects London. He works as a junior researcher in IAI’s Mediterranean and in the Sinai. Moreover, the Egyptian government must also Middle East Programme. clearly engage with the local communities and promote About GMF their full integration into Egyptian society.4 Some belated efforts have been made by President Morsi in this respect, The German Marshall Fund of the United States (GMF) is a such as a pledge to review 252 charges brought against non-partisan American public policy and grantmaking institution inhabitants in the Sinai under Mubarak and a proposal to dedicated to promoting better understanding and cooperation allow residents to buy and own land in the Sinai, a practice between North America and Europe on transatlantic and global issues. that was prevented in the past on security grounds.5 GMF does this by supporting individuals and institutions working in the transatlantic sphere, by convening leaders and members of Ultimately, security and development in the Sinai (and the policy and business communities, by contributing research the region) is also dependent on external factors, such as and analysis on transatlantic topics, and by providing exchange a true and complete reconciliation agreement between the opportunities to foster renewed commitment to the transatlantic Palestinian factions of Hamas and Fatah, a full end to the relationship. In addition, GMF supports a number of initiatives Gaza blockade, and a just and lasting solution to the Israeli- to strengthen democracies. Founded in 1972 through a gift from Palestinian conflict. Given that these external aspects are Germany as a permanent memorial to Marshall Plan assistance, GMF unlikely to be resolved anytime soon, Egypt, Israel, Hamas, maintains a strong presence on both sides of the Atlantic. In addition and the international community should make an effort to to its headquarters in Washington, DC, GMF has seven offices in concentrate on those areas where their interests overlap. Europe: Berlin, Paris, Brussels, Belgrade, Ankara, Bucharest, and This cooperation could develop along the established Warsaw. GMF also has smaller representations in Bratislava, Turin, bilateral relations between and Tel Aviv on one hand and Stockholm. and Egypt-Gaza on the other and thus serve as a means to defuse tensions and prevent possible escalations that About IAI only serve the interests of the most extremist elements in The Istituto Affari Internazionali (IAI), founded by Altiero Spinelli in these societies. The Sinai should no longer be considered a 1965, does research in the fields of foreign policy, political economics, remote and inhospitable buffer zone between Egypt, Gaza, and international security. A non-profit organization, the IAI aims to and Israel, but rather as a potential arena for cooperation disseminate knowledge through research studies, conferences, and between these three uneasy neighbors. publications. To that end, it cooperates with other research institutes, universities, and foundations in Italy and abroad and is a member of various international networks. More specifically, the main research sectors are European institutions and policies, Italian foreign policy, trends in the global economy and internationalization processes in Italy, the Mediterranean and the Middle East, defense economy and policy, and transatlantic relations. The IAI puts out an English- 4 Nicolas Pelham, “Sinai: The Buffer Erodes,” London, Chatham House, September 2012, language quarterly (The International Spectator), an online webzine http://www.chathamhouse.org/publications/papers/view/186061. (AffarInternazionali), a series of research papers (Quaderni IAI) and 5 “Priority to Bedouins in 100,000-acre govt land sale in Sinai,” Egypt Independent, 21 October 2012, http://www.egyptindependent.com/news/priority-bedouins-100000-acre- an Italian foreign policy yearbook (La Politica Estera dell’Italia). govt-land-sale-sinai.

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