Six years and seven months of Israeli presence on the Suez Canal ended late yesterday as the last Israeli soldiers departed from the banks of the famed waterway to take up new positions some 14 miles eastward in the heart of the Sinai desert. The Israelis handed over their last positions on the canal banks to the United Nations Emergency Force (UNEF). The last Israeli vehicle to leave the zone was a half-track carrying three soldiers. They left behind a bullet-punctured sign saying “Shalom” in Hebrew, Arabic and English Someone added, “Au Revoir.”
This morning Egyptian army units crossed the canal to take over the evacuated zone from UNEF and for the first time since June, 1967, Egypt’s red, white and black flag flew over the entire 100-mile length of the Suez Canal on both of its banks.
The final phase of disengagement along the Suez was completed 24 hours ahead of the timetable set by the accord Israel and Egypt reached on Jan. 21. UNEF teams, each accompanied by an Israeli or Egyptian liaison officer, began their inspection of the zones now held by each side to determine among other things whether the disengagement provision calling for a thinning out of armed forces by both sides was being observed. They made their report to UNEF Commander Gen. Ensio Siilasvuo who relayed it to UN headquarters in Cairo. The latter confirmed this morning that the disengagement agreement was being carried out to the letter.
EGYPTIANS DEMOLISH MISSILE SITES
Israeli officials also reported that the Egyptians have demolished all missile sites built on the east bank of the canal. The razing operation was observed by Israeli forces. Egyptian forces on the east bank have given permission to Israel officials to continue to search for the bodies of missing Israeli soldiers believed to have been killed in the areas now under Egyptian control. It was learned yesterday that Egyptian forces east of the canal are less than the maximum allowed by the disengagement accord. This was not considered to be of military significance since the Egyptians can concentrate their forces on the west bank under an umbrella of SAM missiles, Israeli officials said.
Israeli sources stressed that Egypt’s reoccupation of both banks of the Suez Canal permits Cairo to begin clearing the waterway for navigation and rehabilitating canal-side towns and villages for the return of their civilian populations. In the Israeli view, these operations will further reduce the likelihood of renewed hostilities.
The new Israeli lines extend from Baloosa in the north to a point south of the Eyun Moussa water wells on the west shore of the Sinai peninsula fronting the Gulf of Suez. The lines run just west of the Jidi and Mitla passes. The Israeli and Egyptian zones are separated by a buffer zone manned by UNEF troops. (By. Yitzhak Shargil)
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