Bedouins block passage to Sinai-Israel crossing
Published yesterday (updated) 11/06/2012 17:11
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=494382

EL-ARISH, Egypt (Ma'an) -- A group of Egyptian Bedouins on Monday blocked
the main road leading to a border crossing between the Sinai peninsula and
Israel.

The protest -- against the detention of Bedouins in the Sinai by Egyptian
authorities -- shut down the passage to Al-Ouja crossing, a Ma'an reporter
said.

Truck drivers saw burning tires and rocks along the road, and gunmen armed
with machine guns.

Vehicles carrying aid to the Gaza Strip, including fuel tankers delivering
diesel from Qatar, were allowed through, they said.

Bedouin tribesman in the Sinai, where many people are armed, have long
complained of neglect by the state and have in the past clashed with police,
who they accuse of heavy-handed tactics against their tribes.