The Foreign Service Journal, May 2006

flight-following, and Australian head- quarters staff. Civilian personnel include international and Egypt- ian staff as well as contractors. An Adaptable Framework Initial MFO operations were not without problems, including viola- tions by both parties; but there were no crises. Issues were sorted out without delay. It quickly became clear that the MFO would be tena- cious, tough and evenhanded in applying the treaty and its own man- date consistently and reasonably. While some violations continue to occur, regrettably, none has ever threatened the fabric of the peace nor called into question the funda- mental commitments of Israel and Egypt. The MFO has a rigorous proce- dure for determining violations and reporting them directly to both gov- ernments, never publicly or to a third party. This has ensured that occasional issues are contained, managed and resolved without becoming public disputes involving questions of prestige, honor or “right,” with the attendant public pressures. As it gained the confidence of the parties, the MFO evolved from a supervisory role monitoring compli- ance into an active partner in appli- cation of the treaty’s provisions. From the start the MFO made full use of its authorities and drew liber- ally from the positive and negative experiences of earlier peacekeeping operations in the area, including the United Nations Emergency Force and the Sinai Field Mission. Headed by a strong director general answerable to the parties them- selves, the MFO is agile and flexible and has easily adapted to the changes in Egyptian-Israeli relations over the past quarter century. The strong liaison system has developed into a key to the MFO’s effectiveness, often working in infor- M A Y 2 0 0 6 / F O R E I G N S E R V I C E J O U R N A L 53 As it gained the confidence of the parties, the MFO evolved from a supervisory role monitoring compliance into an active partner in application of the treaty’s provisions. mideast journal or edit board ad?