Egyptian policemen clash with Sinai Bedouins

By JERUSALEM POST STAFF
Authorities mobilized hundreds of policemen in eastern Sinai on Friday after armed Bedouins trying to cross into Israel wounded an Egyptian security officer, police said. The clash came a day after more than a thousand Bedouins staged an anti-government protest near the Israeli border in response to the deaths of two locals in clashes with Egyptian police. Capt. Mohammed Badr said Bedouins armed with machine guns opened fire on Egyptian border guards Friday, injuring one officer in the leg, after they were denied entrance into Israel. The incident took place near Al Awja, a border point some 70 kilometers (43 miles) south of Rafah used to exchange goods between Egypt and Israel, he said.