The terror in Sinai

Friday, October 08, 2004

At least 27 people were killed, mostly in Taba, but no complete death toll was available this morning, as Egyptian and Israeli rescue units worked side by side to uncover bodies still buried this morning beneath the shattered Taba hotel. More than 100 were wounded. Israeli government officials were speaking about 38 Israelis missing – but it is possible that some of those are people who survived the blast(s) and had not managed to contact relatives or friends to let them know they were safe.

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he speculation about responsibility ranged from Hamas – even though the group remains formally committed to keeping its conflict within the boundaries of Israel and the Palestinian territories – to Jama'a Al-Islamiya Al-Alamiya, the World Islamic Jihad, considered part of the Al Qadia network. AFP, late last night, was reporting that Jama'a Al-Islamiya Al-Alamiya had called to claim responsibility, but nothing formal appeared at known Al Qaida web sites except for praise for the bombing. On the other hand, simultaneous attacks at more than one target at the same time is a Qaida fingerprint, Egypt is known to be a target for the bin Laden network, and tourists – particularly Israelis -- are always a good target for Egyptian terror groups, which are constantly under enormous pressure from the Mubarak government. Hamas spokesmen in Gaza said they had nothing to do with the attacks, and the first condemnation came from the Palestinian Authority. Israelis may feel that they were targeted, particularly because the Taba Hilton was full of Israelis. But the real target of the bombings appears to have been the secular government in Cairo.

Obviously, Egyptian accomplices were necessary for whoever was behind the bombings. There were some reports about Egyptian security services making arrests this morning, but those were probably ‘usual suspect’ type arrests, possibly meant to start seeking intelligence threads that might lead to the culprits.

The Israeli government was convening at noon in Tel Aviv to discuss what state radio was calling ‘the terror wave.’ There were some initial reports about difficulties created by Egyptian officials at the border preventing Israeli rescue teams and equipment from reaching Taba to help in the rescue efforts. But those complaints have faded and the reports from Taba described Egyptian and Israeli crews at harmonious work on the collapsed sections of the hotel, hunting for bodies and survivors in the rubble. The foreign ministers of the two countries spoke at least twice over the last several hours, promising each other cooperation. The Chief Rabbinate in Israel was also helping out – announcing that rescue operations should continue through the Sabbath.

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