CAIRO: The Egyptian government lashed back at Israel on Monday saying it is cracking down on smuggling tunnels between Egypt's Sinai Peninsula and the Gaza Strip. Top security officials rebuked Israel for its criticism of Cairo on Sunday, where Israeli officials said Egypt was not doing enough. After a blockade was implemented by Israel and Egypt following Palestinians in the Gaza Strip in June 2006 kidnapped an Israeli soldier, the 1.5 million citizens have resorted to the only method of having foodstuffs and resources into the area: smuggling. But, Israel said on Sunday it believes Egypt is not doing its part to crackdown on the use of tunnels that run into Gaza. They argue Palestinians are using the tunnels to smuggle weapons that would be used to attack Israel. However, Palestinians say otherwise. Amjad, 24, who has helped create a tunnel that smuggles cigarettes, cooking oil and other essentials, told Bikya Masr recently that “all Palestinians want is to live their lives and if the tunnels are the only way we can actually achieve this, then we will continue. I have never seen weapons go through the tunnel I use, and if it happens, it is rare.” When Hamas took control of Gaza in 2007, both Egypt and Israel increased the blockade in an attempt to force Hamas out of power. The move, however, has backfired and Hamas remains stronger than ever in Gaza. One Egyptian official, speaking on condition of anonymity to Reuters news agency, said his country's security forces have closed down dozens of tunnels this year but found none used for smuggling weapons. He said security services have captured large quantities of explosives that were extracted from ordnance left over from Egypt's wars with Israel, before the two countries signed a peace deal in 1979. Other weapons were smuggled into Gaza by sea, he said. “We set up dozens of checkpoints inside Rafah and along the roads leading to it to prevent smuggling operations. The weapons that reach Gaza come the sea, which is controlled by the Israeli navy,” he said. On Sunday, a senior Israeli intelligence official said that Egypt could do more to curtail smuggling into the Palestinian territory. “Egypt has lost control of what is happening,” he said. However, the Israeli official also praised Egypt for apprehending Islamic militants believed to be operating in the Sinai Peninsula. Egypt said on Friday it had arrested at least 20 Islamists suspected of extremist ideology in the Sinai, a day after Israel warned its citizens of a possible kidnap plot there. Security services in Egypt have accused militants arrested over the past two years of receiving training inside Gaza to mount attacks in the Sinai targeting tourists and the Suez Canal. BM
