CAIRO: Gunmen set off an explosion at a gas pipeline in Egypt in the 12th such attack on the pipeline that transports gas to Israel and Jordan since former president Hosni Mubarak was ousted in popular street protests one-year ago. Witnesses told German press agency dpa that the fire along the pipeline at al-Masaid, west of the city of al-Arish in the northern Sinai Peninsula, could be seen from a distance of 20 kilometers away. Civil defense forces and firefighters were reportedly called to the scene and the company that operates the pipeline, Egyptian Natural Gas Company (GASCO), shut down the lines. The attack followed the death of a man who was detained pending investigation on charges that included previous attacks on the pipeline. 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/VhlIS Tags: featured, Gas, Israel, Pipeline, Sinai Section: Egypt, Jordan, Latest News, Palestine
