Sinai is Sisi's new enemy

The series of targeting the poor, salt of the earth Egyptian soldiers in cowardly bombings that recently included the bombing of the armoured vehicles in Rafah, resulting in the martyrdom of 30 soldiers and the wounding of dozens in a suicide bombing operation, is ongoing. Unfortunately, despite the recurrence of such cowardly operations, the perpetrators are still unknown so there is no trial and no retribution for the blood of the innocent victims. Although the official discourse is full of threats and intimidation directed at the perpetrators, revenge is being taken against the innocent people of Sinai who are being collectively punished and are paying the price for something they did not do, or at least have not been proven to have done.

Their homes are being destroyed by the explosives and their children are being killed by the aircrafts and cannons. In addition to this, they are now on the verge of being displaced from their land, according to Al-Sisi in his most recent statement, in which he said he was now engaged in a war against terrorism in Sinai and that it was an existential, not a border war. It is as if the inhabitants of Sinai are the enemies and that they are not Egyptians because Gamal Abdel Nasser, who Al-Sisi sanctifies and who his supporters compare him to, used to consider his war with the Zionist enemy an existential war, not a war of borders. What do they think now after this statement and his consideration of our people in Sinai as enemies who must be fought and displaced and how they consider Rafah and Sheikh Zuwaid unpopulated buffer zones?

This was an Israeli demand during Hosni Mubarak’s reign and he continued to stall, and did not give in to their demands, even though he was their strategic treasure. Now they brought Al-Sisi to power and he is either meeting their demands or paying them back for making him president of Egypt.

It’s strange that the pro-Sisi media had started a campaign before the latest incident that spreads incitement and calls for displacing those in Rafah and Sheikh Zuwaid, by means of the expert strategists stationed in Al-Sisi’s media. This raises a number of questions regarding who was actually behind the latest bombing, after which the decision to evacuate ​​Rafah and Sheikh Zuwaid was demanded to be made. This is especially true because they have been negotiating with them for months regarding providing them with alternative homes in other places.

We liberated the land of Sinai with the blood of Egyptian soldiers from the grips of the Zionists and all the Egyptian voices were calling for its reconstruction and attracting millions of Egyptians to the area in order to build, invest, and settle there. However, today the indigenous population and their children are being displaced from their land. So why did we fight battles, sacrifice all that it precious to us, and defend it with the blood of our people until we liberated it simply to return it to the Zionists on a gold plate?

The views expressed in this article belong to the author and do not necessarily reflect the editorial policy of Middle East Monitor.