Israel to deploy troops on Egypt border

Israeli newspaper Maariv reported Wednesday that the Israeli army has decided to recruit at least 22 reserve military squads in light of the tense security situation on the border with Egypt and Syria. The newspaper said the army may call up reserve troops after the Knesset approved a request submitted by the Israeli security agency. Israeli law allows recruiting reserve squads for a military service once every three years. Maariv quoted an Israeli soldier as saying that his squad had carried out a field reserve operation in the area of Jenin two years earlier, and that he was sure he would not be called for reserve service once again before next year. However, he received an order to appear to serve in a reserve force for 25 days on the western border. Maariv said six squads had been deployed until now. The newspaper quoted an army spokesperson as saying the reserves were approved by the Knesset foreign affairs and security committee despite the three year embargo law. Former defence minister and national infrastructure minister, MP Benjamin Ben-Eliezer, had said to the Hebrew The Marker newspaper: “[We] must be prepared for the possibility of a confrontation with Egypt.”  He said:  "Egypt is a pivotal state for Israel. People have no idea of its significance. It was the stabilising force of Saudi Arabia and the Gulf emirates and in effect controlled the Arab League. Its loss will be a very big blow to us. From now on it will be a completely different story. The (Egyptian) army is weakening, losing its autonomy to the benefit of the government. That is bad for us. It is vital that we maintain the relationship with Egypt at any price." He added that the recent gas deal cancellation broke the last link in the peace between Israel and Egypt. He said: “I see the Middle East as more religious, more Islamic, more anti-Israel.” Ben-Eliezer then moved to talk about Sinai, saying there were "already factories for making missiles and giant warehouses of explosives and rifles" in the peninsula. He added that the area today "hosts all the known terror organisations in the Middle East". "The best period for Sinai and the Bedouin who inhabit it was when Israel controlled it. Businesses flourished, tourism was at its peak, the fishing was unrestricted. Sinai today is a powder keg. There's chaos there." He said. He added: “[We] must be prepared for the possibility of a confrontation with Egypt. I hope I am wrong, and I would like nothing more than for the next [Egyptian] government to want to sit down with us.” He said it was not feasible to spend a fortune on readying the army for confrontation, "while the nation is crying". “Egypt has 85 million people, and a third of them earn less than $2 per day.” Ben-Eliezer said.