Israel asks Egypt to withdraw heavy weapons

High-level Israeli sources said Egypt must withdraw heavy weapons which  recently entered the Sinai Peninsula, as they contradict the military annex agreed in the Camp David Treaty. The sources told Israel Radio on Friday that they follow these moves with concern, noting that communication channels between Israel and Egypt at political and security levels are still open. The sources said meetings between senior officials of the Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and the Israeli Ambassador in Cairo Yaakov Amitai have taken place. The Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported Thursday that some of the Egyptian forces in Sinai had arrived there with the consent of Israel but that there are also forces deployed without the prior consent of Israel. Officials in the Israeli government said they knew about these forces. The newspaper reported that according to the treaty (Camp David), Egypt is not allowed to bring tanks to some parts of the Sinai, including Arish, to which tens of tanks have arrived over the past few days. The newspaper reported that Egyptians may ask for their forces currently in Sinai to stay until the end of military operations there, although it is unclear when it will happen. The forces of the Egyptian army and police launched a crackdown in Sinai in response to the attack by gunmen on August 5 on the Egyptian border guards in north Sinai which killed 16 officers and soldiers and wounded seven others.