Mubarak denies Egypt boosted Gaza border security

Egyptian president says reports from his own government that about 5,000 Egyptian security police have been deployed along Gaza Strip border are 'totally baseless'

Ilan Marciano|Published: 10.30.06 , 18:33

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak denied Monday reports from his own government that about 5,000 Egyptian security police had been deployed along the Gaza Strip border.

"This is totally baseless," Mubarak told a group of Egyptian lawmakers of his ruling National Democratic Party.

False Report?

Egypt boosts security along Gaza border

Reuters

Following report that Israel may bomb tunnels used for smuggling weapons into Palestinian territories, Cairo moves 5,000 more security forces near border with Strip. 'We are following situation with extreme concern,' Egyptian official says

Egypt boosts security along Gaza border

Government officials and the state-run Middle East News Agency had reported Sunday that the police were dispatched to protect Egyptians living close to Gaza following newspaper reports that Israeli aircraft might bomb the border area in a bid to destroy tunnels used to smuggle weapons.

Israeli officials downplayed the Egyptian reports, stressing that any Israeli military action along the border would be coordinated with Egypt.

Israel says the smuggling of weapons across the Egypt-Gaza border has increased dramatically since its forces withdrew from the Palestinian territory in September last year.

The Israeli army recently completed an offensive in the area, saying it had destroyed 15 tunnels under the border. Israeli officials have said further military action is possible.

MK Steinitz: Egypt preparing for war with Israel

In spite of the denial, Knesset Member Yuval Steinitz (Liklud), former chairman of the Knesset's Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, said that "as far as I know, the Egyptians have significantly boosted their forces on the border with Israel."

According to Steinitz, "The declaration itself is an attempt to examine Israel. There is no state in the Middle East that is preparing for war against Israel so seriously and concretely like Egypt.

Steinitz has been warning of Egypt strengthening its military force for a long time now. According to him, "Every Egyptian soldier added in Sinai has a defined role in case of an overall eruption."

Steinitz added, "The truth must be said. What Egypt is doing to us in Gaza is exactly what Syria did in Lebanon, by strengthening Hizbullah. Egypt is in fact strengthening Hamas. For the past half a year, Egypt is allowing massive weapon smugglings, in order to allow Hamas to maintain its military power. We are not talking about Egyptian helplessness, but about a policy."

Steinitz explained that the Egyptians are enabling Hamas to smuggle weapons in order to create an escalation and move forces closer to the Negev.

"At this pace, we are not far from the day when 30,000 Egyptian soldiers will sit on the Negev border and threaten Israel's strategic sites," he warned.