The Sinai
The Sinai Penisula, a desert region, is both bridge and barrier between the Asian and African continents. The traditional Sinai economy, based on fishing and trading in the small coastal towns, and nomadic herding by the Bedouin of the interior, is in profound change. New village projects to settle the Bedouin have begun and development is transforming several coastal areas and the once-remote St Catherine's monastery into international tourist destinations. Internal road networks and utilities are being improved, and imported Nile water supplies town and agricultural expansion in the north. While these changes have had an impact on margins of MFO's operations, the bulk of the mission takes place in barren, unforgiving terrain.
The climate is dry and harsh. Only winter low pressure systems over the Mediterranean and Red Sea bring rains, as well as floods, to the area. Low pressure systems from the Sahara bring blinding sandstorms to the Sinai during much of the year. Despite its appearance of durability, the Sinai and its three shorelines form a unique and fragile ecological system. The coral reefs along the Gulf of Aqaba,, among the world's most beautiful and well preserved, are prized by recreational divers and marine biologists alike.
 In recent years, the Sinai has been scarred by some of history's greatest battles: in 1948 following the proclamation of the state of Israel, in 1956 during the invasion of Egypt, by Britain, France and Israel following the nationlization of the Suez Canal, in 1967 during the Six-Day War, and in 1973 during the October War. The dry climate of the Sinai creates its own war memorials. The charred hulks of armored vehicles remain as they were on the day they burned. The shifting sand uncovers belongings of the troops who have suffered in the Sinai during the campaigns of this century. The wars of the past claim present victims: minefields remain, often moving with the sands, as deadly as on the day they were planted. It is in this desert environment that the peacekeeping mission of the MFO is carried out. Operating under these conditions represents a constant challenge to thousands of dedicated men and women who have preformed the mission. |
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