Egypt asks Israel to announce Southern Sinai safe zone

The Egyptian government is said to be angry that Israel is still warning its citizens not to travel to the Sinai Peninsula as it is not safe for tourism because of possible terror attacks, Yedioth Ahronoth has reported.

According to the newspaper, Israel’s Council for National Security has confirmed that there is still a serious risk of attacks against Israeli tourists by Egyptian armed groups allied to Daesh.

The acting Egyptian Ambassador to Israel, Kamel Galal, met with Israeli MK Merav Ben-Ari and discussed the issue. He asked the parliamentarian to at least announce that Southern Sinai is currently safe.

Galal told Ben-Ari that the Egyptian army has sent thousands of its soldiers to fight terror and maintain security in the resort in Peninsula over the past few years. In response, she has apparently asked the Council for National Security to look again at its warnings, in part to help to strengthen relations with Egypt.