Israel has no designs on peninsula
The In My View column by Burak Sakir Seker was insightful in its analysis of the situation in the Red Sea (“Reasons behind Red Sea crisis”, The Herald, January 17).
However, one aspect of Seker’s article raised alarm bells.
He writes of “Israel’s attempt to control the Sinai peninsula”, which is nothing more than a red herring.
Israel invaded Sinai in 1956 and 1967, but in reaching a peace agreement with Egypt’s then president Anwar Sadat it renounced all claims to the peninsula and withdrew from it.
Recent events on Gaza’s border with Egypt have led to sensational reports of fresh Israeli designs on the peninsula, but without foundation.
There is no indication that Israel has any intention of invading Egyptian territory.
Egypt has a single border crossing point to Gaza at Rafah.
It has kept it tightly sealed, neither allowing Gazans to enter Egypt nor allowing commercial traffic or aid to pass through Rafah.
Al Jazeera has reported Israeli rocket strikes on the Gazan side of Rafah, and speculated that this shows an intention of venturing onto Egyptian soil.
However, the same agency has been circulating reports suggesting that Israel’s targeting of schools and hospitals in Gaza is a matter of targeting civilians when it is common knowledge that Hamas uses such buildings, as well as residential complexes and even mosques, as covers for its underground command centres, as well as storing rockets in such buildings and firing them from those sites.
It clearly ignores the fact that the Israel defence forces routinely warn civilians of impending rocket strikes and attacks and advise them to leave the target area, not to mention the Hamas tactic of [allegedly] forcing civilians to remain in the firing line, and shooting those who do not comply.
This while Israeli tanks protect Gazans as they flee the danger zones.
Seker, it would seem, has been caught up in a tide of rumour-mongering which is completely inappropriate for a person in his position.
The Red Sea crisis has been caused by the Houthi, with their piracy and their rocket attacks on Saudi ports and shipping, on Israel-bound shipping and on US naval vessels.
Seker blames inaction with regard to the Houthi on a lack of co-operation on the part of countries along the shores of the Arabian peninsula and the Gulf of Persia, but this hardly justifies his wild speculation about Israeli intentions. Mike Oettle, Newton Park