'Egypt nabs terror cell in Sinai'

[Phx_Dem]

Egyptian security forces apprehended a terror cell in the Sinai in recent days - comprised of five Palestinians in possession of explosives belts - that was planning to carry out attacks in Israel, the semi-official Egyptian paper Al-Ahram reported Wednesday morning. The paper also reported that Egyptian authorities set the beginning of next week as the final deadline for all of the Palestinians who breached the Rafah border and crossed into Egypt to return to the Gaza Strip.

snip

"The Egyptian authorities have issued an ultimatum to Hamas to return all the gunmen by this weekend," the officials told The Jerusalem Post. "According to our sources, the Egyptians are very serious this time."

snip

According to the officials, Hamas and other Palestinian armed groups had succeeded in bringing tons of explosives and various weapons into Gaza over the past week. They said tons of drugs had also made their way into the Strip from Sinai.

The Egyptians have also foiled an attempt by Hamas members to raise Palestinian and Hamas flags on top of several government institutions in Sinai's Rafah and el-Arish.

Al-Ahram reported that the attempt to place the flags was seen as a serious "provocation" by many Egyptians.

Hassan Issa, a member of the Egyptian parliament, accused Hamas of jeopardizing his country's security. "Hamas has violated our sovereignty and this is totally unacceptable," he said. "This move poses a real threat to Egypt's national security."

Arab diplomats in Cairo estimated that around 10,000 Palestinians were still in Sinai, six days after the barrier separating the Gaza Strip from Egypt was destroyed.

One diplomat told the Post that Hamas supporters were trying to create the impression that they had succeeded in "liberating" Egyptian territory.

"The Hamas people apparently forgot that they had invaded Egypt, and not Israel," he said. "The Egyptians are running out of patience."

More at:
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?cid=1201523788535&pagename=JPost%2FJPArticle%2FShowFull

[Fredda Weinberg]

1. This was so predictable. Egypt is taking its historical role n/t

[Phx_Dem]

2. The PPA is reporting

that Hamas is claiming 13K acres in Egypt as Palestinian land:

CAIRO - Palestine Press - called Ahmed Yousef political adviser to Prime Minister Ismail Haniya Ahamsawi article "demolition and removal of the border between Palestinian Rafah and the Egyptian territory and the seizure of thousands of acres built on the border" claiming that the ownership back to the Palestinians. "

وادعى يوسف في حديث لقناة العربية الليلة " أن تدمير حماس للجدار كان يهدف لاسترداد الفلسطينيين لأراضيهم التي زعم أنها أخذت لبناء الجدار الحدودي وهي حوالي 13 ألف دونم " وقال:" لا نريد استمرار هذا الجدار لأننا لا نفضل وجود أي جدار بيننا وبين عمقنا العربي" حسب قوله. Youssef claimed in an interview with the Arab channel tonight that "Hamas destruction of the wall was intended to restore to the Palestinians their land allegedly taken to build a border wall is about 13 thousand acres" and said: "We do not want the continuation of the wall because we do not prefer the existence of any wall between us and deepened Arab" as he said.

http://translate.google.com/translate?hl=en&langpair=ar%7Cen&u=http://www.palpress.ps/arabic/index.php%3Fmaa%3DReadStory%26ChannelID%3D21746&tbb=1

[Fredda Weinberg]

3. We might see the Maghreb after all. Franz Fanon would be pleased n/t

[pelsar]

4. egypt is now an occupation force as well.....n/t

[Vegasaurus]

5. Shhhhhhhh! Arabs don't occupy other Arabs.

We only care about occupation, land theft, assassinations, etc., when it is Jews against Arabs.

Arab on Arab? Turn the other way.

[azurnoir]

6. Must be frustrating

Egypt has the gall to arrest Palestinian (Hamas) or so claimed on Egyptian territory and this makes them occupiers? LOL This makes them smarter then some hoped IMHO
Add to that yesterdays reports of gasp cooperation between Hamas and Egypt in rebuilding the border barriers an indication that the border might remain open but more tightly controlled IMHO

All in all Egypt is managing what could be a disaster for them quite well, better then hoped IMHO