Militants operating in the Sinai breached Israel’s borders for the second time in six weeks on Friday. One soldier was killed during the latest incursion, prompting demands that Egypt do more to reign in groups operating in the Sinai Peninsula.
Mohammed Mursi acted swiftly last time militants crossed into Israel, but insists his hands are now tied. Tunnels between Gaza and the Sinai make the peninsula hard to govern while the terms of the 1979 peace agreement make it is a demilitarised zone. The absence of an effective military presence there has allowed Islamists to use the area as a springboard for attacks against Israel.
It would not be unprecedented for Egyptian forces to enter the area. After last month’s attack, Egypt sent its army into the area with Israeli permission. Indeed, it is known that Israeli intelligence worked closely with their Egyptian counterparts, directing and assisting their operation against Islamists operating in the Sinai.
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