tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842479373699548813.post6914651946147606242..comments2024-03-11T20:09:36.515+00:00Comments on Levantine Musings: Time To Recognize New RealitiesDavid Edgerlyhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/17084229580014552247noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842479373699548813.post-33602407925730456952012-10-14T09:20:25.174+01:002012-10-14T09:20:25.174+01:00Thank you for the interesting comment Sykes. Mark ...Thank you for the interesting comment Sykes. Mark Sykes would have been proud.<br /><br />DavidDavid Edgerlyhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17084229580014552247noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-5842479373699548813.post-40242192111858552612012-10-13T22:14:59.196+01:002012-10-13T22:14:59.196+01:00Good post. Other factors to take into account are...Good post. Other factors to take into account are that the Egyptian Govt will want to maintain and increase tourism on the Red Sea coast; Bedu kidnapping of tourists, as has happened this year, isn't going to help that. The Government will want to stop that and fast. The second is that the interests of Hamas are not necessarily those of Egypt; Hamas will want to challenge Israel, Egypt will not do so beyond rhetoric - witness Mursi's well-received speech last month to the UN. And finally, the Bedu in the Sinai are not a homogenous group. The interests of one tribe will inevitably challenge those of another. Some will aid jihadists as it's in their interest to do so (e.g. if income sources are few and far between, as in North Sinai); others will oppose jihadists as their activities harm them (e.g. those tribes who work with tourists in south Sinai). <br /><br />I've been to the Sinai on many occasions. The Bedu in the region, of whom there are about 300,000, have low incomes and little opportunity for advancement for their children. They may well welcome any developments that improve their life while allowing them to maintain a Bedu identity. With that will come political stability. Without it the Bedu will continue to do what they need to do to support their immediate and wider family. Particularly as there's less 'legitimate' work than ever in the region. Let's not forget that while some Bedu in Sinai will be guiding jihadists, kidnapping tourists and smuggling, other Bedu 50 km away across the border are serving in the Israeli Army. A complicated picture indeed.Sykeshttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16536233896895368721noreply@blogger.com