Strategic dialogue between Egyptian and Israeli defense officials under the supervision of Israeli Minister of Defense Ehud Barak may lead to an amendment in the military clauses of the 1979 peace treaty between Israel and Egypt, Israeli newspapers reported. Israeli newspapers Maariv and The Jerusalem Post said Israel has been holding strategic dialogue with a number of countries, most notably the United States and Britain to discuss joint military issues. According to reports, Israel is attempting to resolve differences over the Israeli-Egyptian peace agreement before the next parliamentary elections in Egypt as to not make it a point of controversy during the Egyptian Presidential elections. Recently the Israeli government approved an Egyptian request to send an additional 1,500 troops supported by tanks and armored personnel carriers to the Sinai Peninsula as part of an attempt to regain control of the region amid growing security threats. The peace agreement limits the amount of military and security personnel the Egyptian government can deploy in the eastern Sinai Peninsula. The Jerusalem Post cast doubts of the success of such dialogue due to weak contacts between the Israeli Government and the Egyptian military leadership. Maariv reported that Israeli officials expect each presidential candidate to take an extreme position on the peace agreement with Israel in order to gain popular support, necessitating a quick resolution to the issue. Yedioth Aharonoth reported that Knesset member Michael Ben Ari asked Shaul Mofaz, Chairman of the Committee on Foreign Affairs and Security to schedule a session for the committee to discuss the causes of Egypt's decision to increase its forces in Sinai. Ben Ari requested the presence of Barak as he and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu approved the deployment of Egyptian forces. Haaretz reported that the Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) on the Egyptian border continued to be on alert amid warnings that more clashes could occur. The newspaper pointed out that Southern Region Commander General Tal Rousseau Man, recently inspected IDF troops stationed near Eilat and the Egyptian border to assess their ability to respond to emergencies. The IDF announced that Road 12, which runs adjacent to the Egyptian border, is still closed in both directions for fear of a possible attack. Road 12 was closed after gunmen crossed into Israel from the eastern Sinai Peninsula and killed eight Israelis and injured dozens more. Barak has claimed in statements that Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip intend to create a similar incident to the Eilat attacks. “We are in standby in the region with the southern border with Egypt,” he said.
