1 of 5 | Guards stand watch at the Rafah crossing with Egypt in the southern Gaza Strip on July 5, 2013. Egyptian army closed the Rafah border crossing with Gaza after Egyptian Islamist militants fired rockets and directed heavy machine gun fire at a police base the previous day in the restive Sinai peninsula, security officials and witnesses said.UPI/Ismael Mohamad |
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TEL AVIV, Israel, July 4 (UPI) -- Israeli officials expressed concern Thursday that radical Islamists or Jihadists may take advantage of the situation in Egypt to wage terror attacks.
"It is hard to believe the Egyptians will overcome the ever-deepening polarization between the Islamist Egypt and the secular Egypt. Ultimately we have no choice but to find an agreed upon framework for cooperation until they do, we might see violent clashes," an unnamed Israeli government official told Ynetnews.com.
The situation in the Sinai Peninsula worsened under Morsi's rule unnamed Israeli officials said, noting the area has become a haven for terrorists, drug smugglers and other elements seeking to evade the authorities, Arutz Sheva said.
The officials said they doubt the Muslim Brotherhood will accept Morsi's ouster quietly, and may move to the Sinai where they already have allies in the Bedouin population there, and could also receive large number of fighters from the Gaza Strip if needed to boost their ranks, Arutz Sheva said.
With the Egyptian army is trying to restore control in the country's cities during the interim period, the officials cautioned that the situation in the Sinai could break down completely.
Ruth Wasserman Lande, former deputy chief of mission at the Israeli embassy in Egypt, told USA Today, that while there is no reason to consider Egypt's close military ties with Israel will not continue, it remains to be seen if the Egyptian Army will be able to monitor the border with Israel.
"It is hard to tell how much time, energy and resources it will have left for other issues," she said.
