Top IDF brass in Egypt to resolve border fiasco

Top IDF officials were in Cairo earlier Sunday to meet with senior Egyptian officials to come to an understanding regarding the fiasco on the Egyptian border on  June 3 when an Egyptian policeman killed three IDF soldiers.

The Israeli delegation included IDF Southern Commander Maj.-Gen. Eliezer Toledano, Tevel Brigade Head Brig. Gen. Efi Dafrin and IDF Intelligence Operations Brigade Chief Brig.-Gen. "G". 

The joint probe by the two countries and their militaries has been ongoing since the incident, including senior Egyptian officials making a special trip to the scene of the attacks by their policeman, who it appears went rogue.

Both sides continue to emphasize their commitment to completing the probe professionally and getting to the truth of what occurred.

Joint cooperation over an issue sensitive for Egypt and Israel

The issue is sensitive for both sides because neither side wants to be perceived as taking orders from a foreign country whose populations still hold significant distrust.

However, both countries also view their militaries' high level of coordination and cooperation as critical to their own national security strategies and to maintaining order and security in the area where the incident took place.

Prior to the incident, though there had been some incidents from ISIS groups earlier in the 2010s, the Egyptian border has been generally one of Israel's quietest. 

Last week, the IDF said that it would be publicizing the initial results of its probe within about a week.

To date, some of the negligence on the IDF side has included portions of the border being knowingly poorly reinforced and shifts for border guards which were too long. More generally, the lack of commitment by the IDF and the government to exercising clear sovereignty on the border, versus a focus on tactical victories, such as periodic arrests, has been criticized.