Egyptian tourists unwelcome in south Sinai as Israelis visit in droves - Al-Monitor: Independent, trusted coverage of the Middle East
▻https://www.al-monitor.com/originals/2022/07/egyptian-tourists-unwelcome-south-sinai-israelis-visit-droves
Legally, there is no entry permit required to go to south Sinai. According to Article 62 of the constitution, “Freedom of movement, residence and emigration is guaranteed. No citizen may be expelled from state territory or banned from returning thereto. No citizen may be banned from leaving state territory placed under house arrest or banned from residing in a certain area except by a causal judicial order for a specified period of time, and in cases specified by the law.”
An employee of a passenger transport company spoke to Al-Monitor on condition of anonymity about several incidents he experienced while driving Egyptian tourists to south Sinai and Sharm el-Sheikh.
“Many passengers were forced to return to Cairo and denied entry, without any justification,” he said. “Security forces would stop us and an officer would ask passengers for their national identity cards. He would then pick those who can go through and those who must go back.”
He noted, “Every driver working for a tourism or transportation company must have experienced this several times. Sometimes the passengers singled out by the security officers would be subject to a security check, and in other cases some would be immediately banned from crossing toward south Sinai.”
The source was unable to give specific numbers, but he confirmed that these incidents happen frequently.
In regard to the legality of preventing Egyptian nationals from entering south Sinai, Mahmoud Nasser, a retired brigadier general and expert in security affairs, told Al-Monitor, “It is not legal to prevent any national from entering any of the country’s governorates."
He said, "However, this matter is left to the discretion of the responsible security officer, who may suspect a specific person may cause problems. After running a background check, some passengers appear to have a criminal record and in this case a decision may be taken not to allow them to pass through for fear they would cause security problems.”
