AL-ARISH: Unknown gunmen bombed Tuesday the main gas pipeline behind Arish Airport, which feeds natural gas to Israel, for the fourth time in six months and the second time in July. North Sinai Governor Abdel Wahab Mabrouk said that the ensuing fire was controlled, adding that the saboteurs used the same technique employed in the previous bombings. Mabrouk claimed that the perpetrators are driven by “external forces” to destabilize the country and harm the Egyptian economy, confirming that the prosecution is still investigating the bombing which was allegedly conducted by gunmen using a four wheel drive. Investigations also showed that the assailants threatened the station guards at gunpoint, planted the bombs beneath the station and detonated it remotely. Security sources said that the bombing took place at 2 am in Al-Taweel station, the target of the first bombing six months ago, adding that human and financial losses have yet to be determined. Another gas line in Al-Nagah station in Arish was targeted earlier this month, but the gas pumping to Israel and Jordan soon resumed, which may have been the reason behind the recent bombing. Meanwhile, Israel-based daily Jerusalem Post cited National Infrastructures Minister Uzi Landau as telling Army Radio after the attack that "the most important economic connection between Israel and Egypt is eroding." "Electricity disruptions are not expected since we have other energy reserves, however, it will be more expensive," he said, adding that the price will increase by about 20 percent due to the use of gasoline and diesel. "But my job is to maintain the supply of electricity to the Israeli economy," he said. Reuters reported on Monday that the international shareholders in East Mediterranean Gas Co (EMG) are pushing ahead with legal claims against Egypt for $8 billion in damages from contract violations in gas supplies, according to a company official said. An EMG board member also told Reuters that the Egyptian government's failure to deliver contractual quantities had already caused Egypt a loss of nearly $500 million as well as serious problems to the Israeli energy market, which gets about 40 percent of its gas from EMG.
