By Abdul-Raheem Ali, IOL Staff

CAIRO, October 9 (IslamOnline.net) – A cohort of Egyptian security, political and diplomatic experts have concluded that Israel is the only party to benefit from the blasts that rocked tourist resorts in the Egyptian Sinai peninsula on Thursday, October 7, ruling out any possible Egyptian involvement.

Former Egyptian Assistant Interior Minister Mohammad Omar Abdel-Fattah said that while analyzing any such operation security experts should always seek an answer to the basic question of who stands to benefit.

At least 38 people, mostly Israeli tourists, were confirmed dead after a series of bomb attacks rocked the Hilton hotel in the Red Sea resort of Taba and another attack at a backpacker resort in Nuweiba, further south.

"Israel is the only party to gain from this operation," the international security expert told IslamOnline.net.

He pointed out that the Israelis and their agents are the only people who have free access to the targeted area.

Abdel-Fattah said the booby-trapped vehicles used in the bombings do not carry the trademark of terrorist groups who usually resort to suicide bombers instead.

He stressed that the Israeli right has been cornered due to mounting pressures from the US on Israeli Premier Ariel Sharon after Washington had to wield its veto power to kill a resolution condemning Israel for the onslaught on the Gaza Strip.

Israel needed something to dodge such American pressures and throw the ball at the American court till the end of the elections, said the expert.

Targeting Egypt

Former Egyptian Assistant Foreign Minister Abdullah Al-Ashaal also agreed that several indications suggest an Israeli foul play.

"Israel’s ultimate goal is to undermine Egypt’s regional role and force it on its knees," he told IOL.

"All indicators suggest an Israeli involvement, especially that the area is very close to the Israeli borders."

He also recalled the recent Israeli travel warning against visiting the Sinai peninsula.

Al-Ashaal said that by jumping to heap the blame on Al-Qeada, Israel wanted to embroil Egypt in Washington’s so-called war on terror.

The Egyptian tourism sector, a main foreign currency earner, would bear the brunt of the bombings, he added.

Israeli tourists rush back home across the border checkpoint after the bomb explosions (AFP)

Diaa Rashwan, an expert in the Islamic movements affairs in Al-Ahram Center for Strategic Studies, an Egyptian think-tank, also agreed that Al-Qaeda was not a likely culprit.

According to American intelligence 70 percent of Al-Qeada  leaders have been either killed or napped while the rest are taking shelter on Afghanistan’s borders with Pakistan, he said.

"Sinai bombings carry the trademark of careful planning which means those involved had a hand-on experience on the area, which is already under tight security."

The expert suggested that "foreign intelligence" are directly or indirectly involved in such "dirty attacks."

Rashwan agreed with the other experts that Israel would be the only party to make gains from the attacks, especially that Israel would exploit them to associate itself with Washington in its so-called war on terror.

He also expected the Sharon’s Likud party to use the blasts to undermine the Egyptian role in the Palestinian cause.

Palestinians Suspected

Another group of experts did not rule out the involvement of Palestinian factions in the bombings and that they refrained from claiming responsibility to avoid a face-off with Egypt.

Political analyst Al-Sayed Yassin said the operation came in retaliation for the unparalleled state terrorism practiced by Israel against unarmed citizens in Gaza Strip.

He ruled out the involvement of Al-Qaeda in such bombings, as the network has no experience in working in the region.

The expert also undermined suggestions that the operation would be exploited to attack Egypt over security lax.

"Egypt can not be accused of security lax because those groups penetrate Israeli security on daily basis through operations committed not far from Sharon's residence," he said.

He also recalled that similar attacks have been mounted against targets inside New York and Washington.

Gamal Zahran, professor of political science in Suez Canal University, said the bombings were most likely carried out by Palestinian resistance factions.

The Palestinians are unable to retaliate the Gaza onslaught by hitting targets inside Israel because of watertight security measures and that is why they targeted Israeli tourists in Sinai, he suggested.

The expert said no Palestinian organization would declare responsibility for this operation in order not to undermine its relationship with Egypt.

Palestinian groups said Friday that Israel's occupation of the West Bank and Gaza had motivated those behind the deadly Sinai attacks, while insisting they personally were not involved.

"Sharon and his government are responsible for murders, destruction and the occupation of our people, all of which anger Arab and Muslim youths," Islamic Jihad spokesman Khaled Al-Batsh told Agence France-Presse (AFP).

"I believe that Palestinians have nothing to do with this operation," he said, adding that Palestinian factions are "committed to fighting in the occupied Palestinian territories and not outside."

Mushir Al-Masri, a Hamas spokesman, stressed the group was not involved in the bombings.

"Our struggle against the Zionist enemy is limited to the occupied Palestinian territories."