CAIRO: The natural gas pipeline from Egypt to Israel and Jordan was attacked and bombed for the 10th time this year on Sunday, officials said. According to a security source speaking to Reuters news agency, the attack occurred in the North Sinai, but had already been disabled due to earlier attacks this year. No group has claimed responsibility for the attack, which occurred close to Egypt's al-Arish in the northern Sinai Peninsula. “The attack was carried out using remote-controlled explosives by unidentified assailants who arrived at the scene using four-wheel-drive vehicles,” the source was quoted as saying. The pipelines carry cheap gas to Israel and Jordan. The 20-year gas deal struck with Israel in 2005 under Mubarak's reign entails very favorable conditions for Israel. It is highly contested among Egyptians who see the deal as a selling-off of its natural resources, besides the objection of exporting to Israel as a matter of principle. On the other hand, Israel is highly dependent on the gas imports from Egypt, which accounts for 43 percent of its gas supplies. Under popular pressure to toughen its stance towards Israel, the interim government has sought to renegotiate the terms of the gas deal with Israel, but so far with no success. However, they were able to double the price of gas exported to Jordan last month. The Sinai has suffered time and again from a fragile security situation, which was aggravated after the police thinned out in the wake of the February revolution. The Sinai is claimed by Israel to serve as a rear base for militant attacks against its territory. It is also reported to be an important smuggling route to the Palestinian enclave of Gaza. The geostrategic importance of the area adds to sensitive issue of marginality of the Beduin community. It complains that the authorities have neglected the Sinai for decades. Egyptian authorities have taken steps to improve the security situation, carrying out security sweeps against Islamist groups they claim to be responsible for recent attacks on pipelines. Egyptian armed forces reportedly captured a four Islamist militants involved in the preparation of a pipeline attack. On November 21, two police officers were shot in el-Arish while attempting to capture the leader of an al-Qaida inspired militant group. BM ShortURL: http://goo.gl/DynJI Tags: Attack, Gas, Israel, Pipeline, Sinai Section: Egypt, Jordan, Latest News, Palestine
