Egypt's campaign to control the violence in Sinai after Islamic militants killed 16 border guards on 5 August is proving to be something of a test of President Muhammad Mursi's intentions towards and relations with Israel. After the Egyptians let it be known that they were preparing to deploy aircraft and armor in Sinai for the first time since the 1973 war, the Israelis broke a studied silence on 20 August when an anonymous official said that "Israel is bothered by the entry of armored vehicles in Sinai without coordination…there is no precedent for armored vehicles being deployed in Sinai and certainly not without any coordination." In reply Mr Mursi's spokesman told Reuters the military measures in Sinai are "crucial" to Egypt's security, while an anonymous "military source" claimed that "we don't need to issue a daily report to Israel on the operation as it is a matter of sovereignty and national security." Also keeping a close eye on the situation was the third partner in the ménage-a-trois, the US, where State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland announced that Secretary of State Hillary Clinton had called her Egyptian counterpart, Muhammad Kamil ΄Amr, on 22 August "in keeping with a series of contacts we've had in recent days with both Egyptians and Israelis encouraging both sides to keep the lines of communication open." Ms Nuland added that the situation in Sinai should be dealt with "in a way that first and foremost strengthens Egypt's security but also has a positive impact on the security of neighbors and the region as a whole" and that "our view is that effective mechanisms do exist and that they just need to continue to be used."

Charles Snow