The Foreign Service Journal, May 2006

Still a Good Deal The MFO today is not the peace- keeping operation that deployed to the Sinai in March 1982. It has changed and adapted and is consid- erably smaller. It has built a record of professionalism in operations and management and of evenhanded impartiality that has made it a cred- ible partner with Egypt and Israel. Underlying all this is one key fac- tor: the MFO belongs to Egypt and Israel, and they want it to succeed. They want the security provisions of their treaty to work. Both have iden- tified this as important to their national interests. The MFO is a witness for each, a facilitator, a prob- lem solver and a partner in building confidence, stability and peace. Defense Secretary Donald Rumsfeld has said that the MFO “is a good deal” for Egypt and Israel. In fact, it is also a good deal for the United States and for all countries that want a stable and peaceful Middle East. Acting as a de facto “third party” to the treaty through its robust liaison system, the MFO has precluded and resolved prob- lems and built confidence between the parties at very modest cost. The MFO also is focused on pro- tecting its own forces. Special mea- sures were in place during monitor- ing near the southern portion of 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 55 The MFO today is not the peacekeeping operation that deployed to the Sinai in March 1982. IE BW