After months of simmering tensions, Egypt's relations with former foe Israel are nearing the point of open enmity, with distrust between the pair fuelled by proposals to resettle Palestinians in Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and claims that Cairo may be boosting its forces near Israel's border in preparation for war.
Sources familiar with the matter have also told The National that Egypt's recent arms purchases, including a deal for an advanced Chinese-made air defence system, is contributing to the heightened tension, with Israel's media sounding the alarm over Egypt's growing military might and raising questions about Cairo's intentions.
Relations between the Middle East neighbours have been tense since the Gaza war between Hamas and Israel broke out in October 2023, but the tension rose significantly in May last year when Israel seized a strip of land running the length of Egypt's border with Gaza on the Palestinian side, a move that has angered Cairo, which claimed it was a serious breach of its 1979 peace treaty with Israel and subsequent accords.
Tension rose again as Israel embraced and began to act upon a proposal first made in January by US President Donald Trump to resettle Gaza's 2.3 million Palestinians in Egypt and Jordan before Washington takes over the enclave on the east Mediterranean coast and turns it into a glitzy resort.
Significantly, the leaders of Egypt and Israel have not spoken directly about the deterioration in relations, with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's right-wing government, according to the sources, leaking to loyal media outlets its concerns about Egypt's troop reinforcement in the Sinai Peninsula – the main theatre of Egypt's four full-fledged wars against Israel – and the aim behind its weapons procurement drive.
The sources said Israel has repeatedly complained to Egypt about what it sees as “unauthorised” military infrastructure in parts of Sinai that, under the terms of the peace treaty, should be demilitarised. The complaints have been relayed in person by officials from Israel's Mossad spy agency who have been frequently visiting Cairo for Gaza ceasefire negotiations with Egyptian and Qatari mediators, they added.
Mr Netanyahu complained to Mr Trump at their White House meeting earlier this month about Egypt's military build-up and infrastructure in Sinai, the sources said, and asked the American leader to persuade the Egyptians to pull back from the border.
The Israeli media outlets loyal to Mr Netanyahu's government have more recently been sounding the alarm after news broke of Egypt purchasing and deploying of the Chinese-made, long-range HQ-9B air defence system that is widely believed to be on par with Russia's S-400 system.
Breaking with past practice, the deal with China was not announced by the Egyptian military. It was left to a retired army general, Samir Farag, to announce its arrival and deployment on a television talk show last week. However, at around the same time, the military said Egyptian and Chinese units were conducting aerial war drills that began in Egypt on April 15 and will continue until the end of the month.
Egypt's military, which enforces a stringent code of secrecy and controls media coverage of its affairs, has in recent years regularly publicised the purchase and arrival of multibillion-dollar weapon systems that included naval troop and helicopter carriers, submarines, fighter jets and missile systems.
“Egypt is dealing with the rapidly developing and grave events in the Middle East with maturity, political wisdom and restraint, but at the same time it does not rule out the use of military power to defend its interests,” said Egyptian analyst Khaled Okasha, head of the Cairo-based Egyptian Centre for Strategic Studies, a think tank known to be close to the government.
President Abdel Fattah El Sisi has meanwhile used diplomatic language to condemn what he has frequently described as Israel's scorched earth tactics in Gaza to make the territory unfit for human habitation, thus forcing Palestinians to seek refuge elsewhere, namely Sinai, as well as its use of food as a weapon.
Separately, the foreign ministry has used strong language to denounce every Israeli action perceived in Cairo as heavy-handed, expansionist or oblivious to the lives and suffering of civilians, whether they are in Gaza, Lebanon or Syria.
After Israel's capture of the Gaza border strip, which it calls the “Philadelphi Corridor”, the foreign ministry said it was joining South Africa in its case before the International Court of Justice that alleged Israel committed genocide in Gaza.
Israel contends that underground tunnels running under the Egypt-Gaza border have been used to smuggle weapons and dual-use materials for Hamas. Moreover, it argues that, just as it made an exception and allowed Egypt to send troops and heavy arms to the demilitarised part of Sinai to fight Islamic extremists in recent years, it too wanted to keep its troops in the corridor to fight Hamas militants.
While Mr El Sisi and his government showed relative restraint in their public pronouncements on Israel, the task of projecting Egypt's rapidly growing enmity towards Israel, as well as some sabre-rattling, was left to loyal commentators, including retired army generals, who nightly appear on television talk shows to deliver messages that “official Egypt” wants to put out, said the sources.
These messages include stern warnings against forcing Gaza's Palestinians to move to the sparsely populated Sinai Peninsula, arguing that such action would pose a national security threat that Cairo will not tolerate. They also include accounts of Egypt's military capabilities.
Sometimes, they remind viewers of Egypt's last war with Israel in 1973, when Egyptian troops crossed the Suez Canal in a surprise attack that seized Israeli fortifications on the waterway's east bank in what was then Israeli-occupied Sinai.
Scores of social media accounts known to be controlled by the government disseminate posts filled with nationalist, anti-Israeli messages and calling on Egyptians to place their trust in Mr El Sisi, a former army general, and the military to deal with Israel.
On the ground, Egypt has since the Gaza war staged war-footing and intensely publicised drills involving its Third Army, which is chiefly tasked with defending Sinai and the Suez Canal. These involved use of live munitions, tens of thousands of troops and hundreds of tanks, fighting vehicles and armoured personnel carriers.
It has also placed on high alert units deployed on the west side of the Suez Canal facing Sinai, according to the sources, with Defence Minister and armed forces' commander Gen Abdel Maguid Saqr recently assuring the nation that the military was ready and capable of dealing with any threat to its security.
“It all comes down to making sure that your potential enemy realises you're up to the fight if one is unavoidable,” said one of the sources. “It's a kind of deterrence that should make the enemy think twice before doing something stupid; and that, in turn, can safeguard the peace.”
Notably, some of the messages sent out by Egypt and its state institutions travel in a different direction, something that the sources said was designed to calm Egyptians angered by Israel's actions in Gaza and whose support for Palestinians' rights has become part of their identity for many.
Mr El Sisi, for example, has publicly emphasised that peace remained Egypt's strategic choice, while the Dar Al Eftaa, the state's highest arbiter on religious matters, gave a public rebuke this month to Muslim clerics who issued edicts saying war against Israel in solidarity with the Palestinians in Gaza was a holy duty.
“Supporting the Palestinian people's legitimate rights is a moral and humanitarian duty, but only on condition that it is within the framework of their interest,” said a statement by Dar Al Eftaa. “Anything else will serve certain agendas or lead to dangerous adventures that will bring more destruction, displacement and calamities upon the Palestinian people.”
Egypt's US-sponsored peace treaty with Israel is widely viewed as a cornerstone of regional stability. Its regional ramifications live to this day, from signalling Egypt's exit from the cold war-era Soviet camp to the start of its close relations with the US, Israel's chief benefactor and supporter.
The treaty has allowed Egypt to receive billions of dollars in US aid over the years, including an annual $1.3 billion in military assistance. US economic aid also helped transform Egypt's economy after years of half-heartedly embracing a socialist ideology.
However, the peace with Israel has proved to be a “cold” one, with the pair co-operating on security and counter-terrorism, an arrangement that has grown significantly deeper in the decade or so before the latest Gaza war; all while Israel remained the main potential adversary in the war doctrine of the Egyptian military and most Egyptians shunning dealing with Israel on any level.
SHADOWS%20AND%20LIGHT%3A%20THE%20EXTRAORDINARY%20LIFE%20OF%20JAMES%20MCBEY
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Two products to make at home
Toilet cleaner
1 cup baking soda
1 cup castile soap
10-20 drops of lemon essential oil (or another oil of your choice)
Method:
1. Mix the baking soda and castile soap until you get a nice consistency.
2. Add the essential oil to the mix.
Air Freshener
100ml water
5 drops of the essential oil of your choice (note: lavender is a nice one for this)
Method:
1. Add water and oil to spray bottle to store.
2. Shake well before use.
Britain's travel restrictions
- A negative test 2 days before flying
- Complete passenger locator form
- Book a post-arrival PCR test
- Double-vaccinated must self-isolate
- 11 countries on red list quarantine
Pros%20and%20cons%20of%20BNPL
%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3EPros%3C%2Fstrong%3E%0D%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EEasy%20to%20use%20and%20require%20less%20rigorous%20credit%20checks%20than%20traditional%20credit%20options%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EOffers%20the%20ability%20to%20spread%20the%20cost%20of%20purchases%20over%20time%2C%20often%20interest-free%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EConvenient%20and%20can%20be%20integrated%20directly%20into%20the%20checkout%20process%2C%20useful%20for%20online%20shopping%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EHelps%20facilitate%20cash%20flow%20planning%20when%20used%20wisely%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cstrong%3ECons%3C%2Fstrong%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A%3Cul%3E%0A%3Cli%3EThe%20ease%20of%20making%20purchases%20can%20lead%20to%20overspending%20and%20accumulation%20of%20debt%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EMissing%20payments%20can%20result%20in%20hefty%20fees%20and%2C%20in%20some%20cases%2C%20high%20interest%20rates%20after%20an%20initial%20interest-free%20period%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3EFailure%20to%20make%20payments%20can%20impact%20credit%20score%20negatively%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3Cli%3ERefunds%20can%20be%20complicated%20and%20delayed%0D%3C%2Fli%3E%0A%3C%2Ful%3E%0A%3Cp%3E%3Cem%3ECourtesy%3A%20Carol%20Glynn%3C%2Fem%3E%3C%2Fp%3E%0A
If you go
The flights
Etihad (etihad.com) flies from Abu Dhabi to Luang Prabang via Bangkok, with a return flight from Chiang Rai via Bangkok for about Dh3,000, including taxes. Emirates and Thai Airways cover the same route, also via Bangkok in both directions, from about Dh2,700.
The cruise
The Gypsy by Mekong Kingdoms has two cruising options: a three-night, four-day trip upstream cruise or a two-night, three-day downstream journey, from US$5,940 (Dh21,814), including meals, selected drinks, excursions and transfers.
The hotels
Accommodation is available in Luang Prabang at the Avani, from $290 (Dh1,065) per night, and at Anantara Golden Triangle Elephant Camp and Resort from $1,080 (Dh3,967) per night, including meals, an activity and transfers.
Movie: Saheb, Biwi aur Gangster 3
Producer: JAR Films
Director: Tigmanshu Dhulia
Cast: Sanjay Dutt, Jimmy Sheirgill, Mahie Gill, Chitrangda Singh, Kabir Bedi
Rating: 3 star
Key findings of Jenkins report
- Founder of the Muslim Brotherhood, Hassan al Banna, "accepted the political utility of violence"
- Views of key Muslim Brotherhood ideologue, Sayyid Qutb, have “consistently been understood” as permitting “the use of extreme violence in the pursuit of the perfect Islamic society” and “never been institutionally disowned” by the movement.
- Muslim Brotherhood at all levels has repeatedly defended Hamas attacks against Israel, including the use of suicide bombers and the killing of civilians.
- Laying out the report in the House of Commons, David Cameron told MPs: "The main findings of the review support the conclusion that membership of, association with, or influence by the Muslim Brotherhood should be considered as a possible indicator of extremism."
How to increase your savings
- Have a plan for your savings.
- Decide on your emergency fund target and once that's achieved, assign your savings to another financial goal such as saving for a house or investing for retirement.
- Decide on a financial goal that is important to you and put your savings to work for you.
- It's important to have a purpose for your savings as it helps to keep you motivated to continue while also reducing the temptation to spend your savings.
- Carol Glynn, founder of Conscious Finance Coaching
MATCH INFO
Jersey 147 (20 overs)
UAE 112 (19.2 overs)
Jersey win by 35 runs
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre flat-six
Torque: 450Nm at 6,100rpm
Transmission: 7-speed PDK auto or 6-speed manual
Fuel economy, combined: 13.8L/100km
On sale: Available to order now
The President's Cake
Director: Hasan Hadi
Starring: Baneen Ahmad Nayyef, Waheed Thabet Khreibat, Sajad Mohamad Qasem
Rating: 4/5
Mubadala World Tennis Championship 2018 schedule
Thursday December 27
Men's quarter-finals
Kevin Anderson v Hyeon Chung 4pm
Dominic Thiem v Karen Khachanov 6pm
Women's exhibition
Serena Williams v Venus Williams 8pm
Friday December 28
5th place play-off 3pm
Men's semi-finals
Rafael Nadal v Anderson/Chung 5pm
Novak Djokovic v Thiem/Khachanov 7pm
Saturday December 29
3rd place play-off 5pm
Men's final 7pm
The specs
Engine: 4.0-litre V8 twin-turbocharged and three electric motors
Power: Combined output 920hp
Torque: 730Nm at 4,000-7,000rpm
Transmission: 8-speed dual-clutch automatic
Fuel consumption: 11.2L/100km
On sale: Now, deliveries expected later in 2025
Price: expected to start at Dh1,432,000
More from Rashmee Roshan Lall
Quick pearls of wisdom
Focus on gratitude: And do so deeply, he says. “Think of one to three things a day that you’re grateful for. It needs to be specific, too, don’t just say ‘air.’ Really think about it. If you’re grateful for, say, what your parents have done for you, that will motivate you to do more for the world.”
Know how to fight: Shetty married his wife, Radhi, three years ago (he met her in a meditation class before he went off and became a monk). He says they’ve had to learn to respect each other’s “fighting styles” – he’s a talk it-out-immediately person, while she needs space to think. “When you’re having an argument, remember, it’s not you against each other. It’s both of you against the problem. When you win, they lose. If you’re on a team you have to win together.”
The Voice of Hind Rajab
Starring: Saja Kilani, Clara Khoury, Motaz Malhees
Director: Kaouther Ben Hania
Rating: 4/5
Emergency phone numbers in the UAE
Estijaba – 8001717 – number to call to request coronavirus testing
Ministry of Health and Prevention – 80011111
Dubai Health Authority – 800342 – The number to book a free video or voice consultation with a doctor or connect to a local health centre
Emirates airline – 600555555
Etihad Airways – 600555666
Ambulance – 998
Knowledge and Human Development Authority – 8005432 ext. 4 for Covid-19 queries
Graduated from the American University of Sharjah
She is the eldest of three brothers and two sisters
Has helped solve 15 cases of electric shocks
Enjoys travelling, reading and horse riding
The specs: 2018 Volkswagen Teramont
Price, base / as tested Dh137,000 / Dh189,950
Engine 3.6-litre V6
Gearbox Eight-speed automatic
Power 280hp @ 6,200rpm
Torque 360Nm @ 2,750rpm
Fuel economy, combined 11.7L / 100km
2018 ICC World Twenty20 Asian Western Regional Qualifier
Saturday results
Qatar beat Kuwait by 26 runs
Bahrain beat Maldives by six wickets
UAE beat Saudi Arabia by seven wickets
Monday fixtures
Maldives v Qatar
Saudi Arabia v Kuwait
Bahrain v UAE
* The top three teams progress to the Asia Qualifier
Lexus LX700h specs
Engine: 3.4-litre twin-turbo V6 plus supplementary electric motor
Power: 464hp at 5,200rpm
Torque: 790Nm from 2,000-3,600rpm
Transmission: 10-speed auto
Fuel consumption: 11.7L/100km
On sale: Now
Price: From Dh590,000
Global Fungi Facts
• Scientists estimate there could be as many as 3 million fungal species globally
• Only about 160,000 have been officially described leaving around 90% undiscovered
• Fungi account for roughly 90% of Earth's unknown biodiversity
• Forest fungi help tackle climate change, absorbing up to 36% of global fossil fuel emissions annually and storing around 5 billion tonnes of carbon in the planet's topsoil
Jetour T1 specs
Engine: 2-litre turbocharged
Power: 254hp
Torque: 390Nm
Price: From Dh126,000
Available: Now
Avatar: Fire and Ash
Director: James Cameron
Starring: Sam Worthington, Sigourney Weaver, Zoe Saldana
Rating: 4.5/5
BUNDESLIGA FIXTURES
Saturday
Borussia Dortmund v Eintracht Frankfurt (5.30pm kick-off UAE)
Bayer Leverkusen v Schalke (5.30pm)
Wolfsburg v Cologne (5.30pm)
Mainz v Arminia Bielefeld (5.30pm)
Augsburg v Hoffenheim (5.30pm)
RB Leipzig v Bayern Munich (8.30pm)
Borussia Monchengladbach v Freiburg (10.30pm)
Sunday
VfB Stuttgart v Werder Bremen (5.30pm)
Union Berlin v Hertha Berlin (8pm)
Islamophobia definition
A widely accepted definition was made by the All Party Parliamentary Group on British Muslims in 2019: “Islamophobia is rooted in racism and is a type of racism that targets expressions of Muslimness or perceived Muslimness.” It further defines it as “inciting hatred or violence against Muslims”.
Springsteen: Deliver Me from Nowhere
Director: Scott Cooper
Starring: Jeremy Allen White, Odessa Young, Jeremy Strong
Rating: 4/5
The specs
Engine: Turbocharged four-cylinder 2.7-litre
Power: 325hp
Torque: 500Nm
Transmission: 10-speed automatic
Price: From Dh189,700
On sale: now
Election pledges on migration
CDU: "Now is the time to control the German borders and enforce strict border rejections"
SPD: "Border closures and blanket rejections at internal borders contradict the spirit of a common area of freedom"
IF YOU GO
The flights
FlyDubai flies direct from Dubai to Skopje in five hours from Dh1,314 return including taxes. Hourly buses from Skopje to Ohrid take three hours.
The tours
English-speaking guided tours of Ohrid town and the surrounding area are organised by Cultura 365; these cost €90 (Dh386) for a one-day trip including driver and guide and €100 a day (Dh429) for two people.
The hotels
Villa St Sofija in the old town of Ohrid, twin room from $54 (Dh198) a night.
St Naum Monastery, on the lake 30km south of Ohrid town, has updated its pilgrims' quarters into a modern 3-star hotel, with rooms overlooking the monastery courtyard and lake. Double room from $60 (Dh 220) a night.
Key facilities
- Olympic-size swimming pool with a split bulkhead for multi-use configurations, including water polo and 50m/25m training lanes
- Premier League-standard football pitch
- 400m Olympic running track
- NBA-spec basketball court with auditorium
- 600-seat auditorium
- Spaces for historical and cultural exploration
- An elevated football field that doubles as a helipad
- Specialist robotics and science laboratories
- AR and VR-enabled learning centres
- Disruption Lab and Research Centre for developing entrepreneurial skills
The Land between Two Rivers: Writing in an Age of Refugees
Tom Sleigh, Graywolf Press
PROFILE
Name: Enhance Fitness
Year started: 2018
Based: UAE
Employees: 200
Amount raised: $3m
Investors: Global Ventures and angel investors
Blackpink World Tour [Born Pink] In Cinemas
Starring: Rose, Jisoo, Jennie, Lisa
Directors: Min Geun, Oh Yoon-Dong
Rating: 3/5
Napoleon
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