In Dahab, bereft of Israelis
The southern Sinai used to draw hundreds of thousands of Israelis, clearing their heads in the most laid-back of atmospheres. Terrorism and kidnappings have changed all that
DAHAB, South Sinai – It’s easy to see why Israelis did not want to give up this beautiful stretch of land in 1979, even for a peace treaty with Egypt. Lush coral reefs cling to the shores, matched in beauty by the jagged mountains erupting from the hot desert.
The town is a mandatory stop for hippie backpackers traveling the Middle East and for avid scuba divers drawn to the picturesque but dangerous “Blue Hole,” an ocean sinkhole that plunges over 130 meters.
Israelis once flocked to Dahab for its laid-back atmosphere, remarkable diving, and cheap prices. But the glory of the Sinai has been scarred by terrorist attacks, kidnappings, and a growing jihadist presence. Although Israelis can technically still travel here, the government has issued strong warnings against doing so, and Israeli tourism to the Sinai has dropped over 50% from the peak years of 1999-2004 when over 400,000 Israelis made the trip annually.
Many Sinai businesses that once depended on Israelis are long gone or face a crippling lack of tourism.
The two-hour road trip from the Israel-Egypt Taba Border Crossing to Dahab is dotted with sprawling hotels and beach camps, set up to cater to Israeli tourists. Now they stand deserted and barren, with occasional camels lying in the shade of unfinished construction projects.
Dahab has managed to maintain some level of life, as the town’s niche tourist demographic — hippies and divers from the world over — places little importance on travel warnings. In contrast to the empty beach camps near Taba, here there are foreigners strolling the main drag and strapping on scuba gear. Vendors serving fresh juice dot the boardwalk, and Bedouin girls peddle handmade bracelets.
Ben (not his real name), a half-Jewish man who has family and friends in Israel, moved here five years ago after making frequent visits and falling in love with the place. An avid scuba diver in his late 20s, Ben says there is no danger in being Jewish in Dahab, then acknowledges that he hides his Jewishness to prevent “unneeded stress and suspicion.”
We talk in the shade of a Bedouin tent, with Ben taking long drags on his cigarette and tipping the ash into the remains of a conch shell. He elaborates on some of the nuances of the Sinai Peninsula, starting by demolishing the generalization of “the Sinai.” It’s important, he says, to differentiate between North Sinai — everything north of Taba — and South Sinai — encompassing the main tourist destinations such as Dahab and Sharm el-Sheikh.
Most of the criminal and terrorist activity is concentrated in North Sinai, he says, and the South has “suffered from being generalized into the entire Sinai.” Bedouin tribes in the South, whose livelihood depends on tourism, have attempted to force out the crooks and the jihadists. Southern Bedouin tribes have taken control of checkpoints and enforced some rule of law, he says, in an area that the new Egyptian government has proved largely unable to control.
Kidnappings in the southern Sinai are ‘not really kidnappings,’ says Ben. ‘It’s really drinking tea somewhere you didn’t want to’
And yet kidnappings still occur in the South, and not infrequently. In the past two years, there have been at least 14 cases of foreigners being kidnapped by southern Bedouin. Still, all hostages were released unharmed.
For Ben, the kidnappings are “not really kidnappings; it’s really drinking tea somewhere you didn’t want to.”
These kidnappings, he goes on, are generally a means to negotiate the release of Bedouin family members imprisoned by the Egyptian government.
The previous Egyptian regime, the Sinai Bedouin maintain, treated them unjustly — jailing them without cause, and demolishing their villages. They had hoped that the ousting of president Hosni Mubarak would usher in a new, more fair-minded government. However, the Morsi administration seems to be instituting the same policies, says Ben. This led, in early May, to the “retaliation kidnapping” of seven Egyptian security officials, who were released two weeks later.
The mistreatment has created huge disdain for the Egyptian government among the Bedouin here. A disdain so great, states Ben, that they would likely “side with Israel if another Egyptian-Israeli war broke out.”
During Israel’s presence in the Sinai, from 1967 to 1979, the Bedouin were treated relatively well. Furthermore, Israel built massive infrastructure projects that greatly benefited their communities. To this day, “Bedouin have positive things to say about the Israeli-built roads,” says Ben.
Outside a nearby beach canopy lies a pair of blue-patterned, Israeli-made Source Sandals. As if on cue, the owner, a Bedouin teenager in a white robe, emerges to tell me with a smile, “They are Israeli-made. The best. You can climb anything with these.”
Ben states there is a distinct difference in attitude toward Israelis between Bedouin and Egyptians. The Bedouin “are more positive because they have lived among the Israelis.” Still there is dislike for Israelis’ perceived “aggressiveness and wild party lifestyle.”
Thus, Ben’s advice for any Israeli traveler defying the security warnings and coming to the Sinai: “Remember that you are in an Arab country. Respect the customs, act respectfully, and you will be treated with respect.”
