by Eyal Zisser
An attack by 300 terrorists in broad daylight with the objective of taking over an Egyptian municipality (Sheikh Zuweid) proves that this is already a full-scale militia that does as it pleases with large stretches of the Sinai Peninsula
The Islamic State
group's attack in the northern Sinai Peninsula last week raised a
justified concern in Israel about the possibility that the group may try
to carry out similar attacks against Israeli soldiers along the
Israel-Egypt border.
A few days later,
Islamic State sent Israel a reminder of its existence, a warning of
things come, with the launch of a few rockets from the Sinai border and
the claim that Israel is helping the Egyptian army fight the group. But
Islamic State does not need an excuse to attack Israel. Its operatives
(in their previous incarnation as Ansar Bait al-Maqdis) have already
fired rockets at Eilat in recent years, and in 2012, they carried out a
terrorist attack on Route 12 along the Israeli-Egyptian border, killing
eight Israeli citizens and soldiers.
And yet something has
changed in the Sinai Peninsula recently. The attack on the Egyptian army
outposts proves that Islamic State has grown under the watchful eyes of
Israel and Egypt, and now it is no longer just a few hidden terror
cells carrying out local targeted attacks and returning to their hiding
places.
An attack by 300
terrorists in broad daylight with the objective of taking over an
Egyptian municipality (Sheikh Zuweid) proves that this is already a
full-scale militia that does as it pleases with large stretches of the
Sinai Peninsula -- setting up bases and training camps and controlling
the area undisturbed. An attack like this also demonstrates its
significant operational capabilities -- with no shortage of weapons,
funding or fighters -- as well as its command and control capabilities.
All this has shown us, unfortunately, the failure of the Egyptian army
to regain control over IS-taken land in the northern and central Sinai
Peninsula.
A similar reality is
likely to take shape earlier than anticipated on Israel's northern
border as well, where Islamic State continues to close in on the border
fence. A year ago, IS fighters were still in eastern Syria, nearly 1,000
kilometers (620 miles) from the Israel-Syria border. Now, IS fighters
can be found an hour's drive away from the border, and concern is
growing that some of the rebel groups currently in the Golan Heights are
planning to swear loyalty to it, just as happened in the Sinai. In
Jordan, like in Egypt, it is likely that the terrorist organization will
seek to establish bases from which to work not only against the
Jordanian army, but also against Israel.
In the Sinai Peninsula,
as in Syria, IS is at the brink of taking over a land base that will
allow it to build itself up undisturbed. Airstrikes in the face of bases
like these are nothing more than a minor annoyance, mosquito bites, and
only a ground invasion can bring the phenomenon to an end. But a ground
operation like that would not be practical. It's doubtful whether the
Egyptian army would be capable of such an undertaking. And in Syria,
there is no one left who is willing or able to take on IS.
Israel must not wait
until IS's next attack is too close for comfort, whether in the north or
the south. Israel is already taking preventative steps, such as
fortifying the border and practicing increased alertness and caution
nearby, and of course, collecting intelligence on IS. But in addition to
all that, we must increase cooperation with Egypt and Jordan, which are
both embroiled in the struggle against IS. And we must also consider
active Israeli efforts against the terrorist organization, including
acting against its arms routes, its funding, its flow of volunteers, and
especially its attempts to take hold of land near the border with
Israel.
And a final comment,
the statements made by Israeli officials saying that Hamas in Gaza
cooperated with IS in Sinai on the attacks on the Egyptian army and on
firing missiles are worrying. After all, the single reason given not to
topple Hamas in Gaza was to avoid having IS take over the Strip.
But now it seems that Israel will
have to deal with Hamas and IS together, with a clear division of labor
-- Hamas ensures calm along Gaza's border with Israel, but IS in the
Sinai, with Hamas' help, freely operates against Israeli and Egyptian
targets. This is a reality we cannot accept.
Eyal Zisser
Source: http://www.israelhayom.com/site/newsletter_opinion.php?id=13075
Copyright - Original materials copyright (c) by the authors.
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