The Erosion of Israel's Sinai Buffer

This report examines the attempts by the governments of Egypt, Israel and Gaza to protect what they view as their vital security and commercial interests, alternately perceiving Sinai as both a buffer against external predators and a weak unstable territory ripe for expanding their respective spheres of influence. Without a new political contract balancing the new power and trade relationships in the peninsula, Sinai's continued fragility could render it a proxy battleground for the surrounding powers. The report assesses the potential scenarios if deep-seated tensions remain unaddressed. The report concludes with a series of recommendations designed to forestall spiralling instability, not least by upholding the rights and aspirations of Sinai's indigenous people, and enhanced security coordination between the governments of Egypt, Israel and the Gaza Strip.