The Multinational Force and Observers (MFO) is an international peacekeeping force overseeing the terms of the peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. It has been suggested that this article be split into multiple articles accessible from a disambiguation page. ...

Welcome to El Gorah The Canadian RWAU HQ 1989

Canadian CH135 Twin Hueys on the El Gorah Flight Line 1989

French Air Force Twin Otter on the El Gorah Flight Line 1989

A Colombian soldier hosts a Canadian helicopter pilot 1989. The Colbatt soldier is wearing the distinctive "terracotta" beret that is unique to the MFO.

Canadian CH135 Twin Huey helicopter and an MFO Observer wearing the distinctive orange uniform used in 1989

US Army UH-1H Huey helicopter at MFO South Camp, Naama Bay 1989

French Air Force Transall C-160 assigned to the Fixed Wing Aviation Unit El Gorah Flight Line 1989

MFO water meter and Fijian barracks. Water is always in short supply in the Sinai

US Army Soldiers from 1/125 Infantry slingloading supplies 2004

US Army Soldiers from civil affairs worked closely with Egyptian military authorities.

Physical training track at OP (observation point) 3-11 on Tiran Island on the red sea. The island is surrounded by functional and non functional land mines.

USBATT and SUPBATT soldiers prepare to leave Tiran Island. Saudi Arabia is visible in the background.

A USBATT MFO soldier wearing the authorized orange stetson hat identifying him as an MFO peace keeper in front of South Camp's USBATT Headquarters in Sharm el Sheikh.

A hill outside the landing zone on Tiran (OP 3-11) island. MFO soldiers nicknamed OP 3-11 "The Rock" after the US prison movie due to its supposedly similar qualities.

UH-1N on the ground at Camp Fallujah, Iraq in July of 2004 The Bell UH-1N Twin Huey is a medium military helicopter that first flew in 1968. ... The DHC-6 Twin Otter is a 20-passenger STOL feederliner and utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... Image File history File links No higher resolution available. ... This article is about the military versions of the Bell 204 and 205 models. ... The Transport Allianz Transall C-160 is a military transport aircraft developed by a consortium of French and German aircraft manufacturers for the air forces of those two nations and that of South Africa. ... Tiran Island Tiran (Arabic: ‎) is an island belonging to Saudi Arabia at the entrance of the Straits of Tiran, which separates the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. ... Tiran Island Tiran (Arabic: ‎) is an island belonging to Saudi Arabia at the entrance of the Straits of Tiran, which separates the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. ... Sharm el-Sheikh is a city situated on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, on the coastal strip between the Red Sea and Mount Sinai. ...

Background

On March 26 1979 the Camp David Accords were signed by Israeli Prime Minister Menachem Begin and Egyptian President Anwar Sadat under the sponsorship of United States President Jimmy Carter. Celebrating the signing of the Camp David Accords: Menachem Begin, Jimmy Carter, Anwar Al Sadat. ...   (‎, August 16, 1913 – March 9, 1992) was a Jewish-Polish head of the Zionist underground group the Irgun, Nobel Peace Prize laureate and the first Likud Prime Minister of Israel. ... Muhammad Anwar Al-Sadat (محمد أنورالسادات in Arabic) (December 25, 1918 – October 6, 1981) was an Egyptian politician and served as the third President of Egypt from September 28, 1970 until his assassination on October 6, 1981. ... For other persons named Jimmy Carter, see Jimmy Carter (disambiguation). ...

Following the signing of the Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty, the United Nations was asked to provide the peacekeeping forces for the Sinai Peninsula mandated in the treaty. The terms of the treaty required the presence of international peacekeepers to ensure that both Israel and Egypt kept to the provisions regarding military build-up along the border. ^[1] The Israel-Egypt peace treaty (Arabic: معاهدة السلام المصرية الإسرائيلية; transliterated: Muahadat as-Salam al-Masriyah al-Israyliyah) (Hebrew: הסכם שלום ישראל-מצרים; transliterated: Heskem Shalom Yisrael-Mizraim) was signed in Washington, DC, United States, on March 26, 1979, following the Camp David Accords (1978). ... UN redirects here. ... Sinai Peninsula, Gulf of Suez (west), Gulf of Aqaba (east) from Space Shuttle STS-40 For other uses, see Sinai (disambiguation). ...

Initially, the peacekeeping force was provided by the US Sinai Field Mission, while efforts were made to create a UN force.

On May 18 1981 the President of the UN Security Council indicated that the UN would be unable to provide the force, due to the threat of a veto of the motion by the USSR at the request of Syria. A session of the Security Council in progress The United Nations Security Council is the most powerful organ of the United Nations. ... State motto (Russian): Пролетарии всех стран, соединяйтесь! (Transliterated: Proletarii vsekh stran, soedinyaytes!) (Translated: Workers of the world, unite!) Capital Moscow Official language None; Russian (de facto) Government Federation of Soviet republics Area  - Total  - % water 1st before collapse 22,402,200 km² Approx. ...

As a result of the UN Security Council impasse, Egypt, Israel and the United States opened negotiations to set up a peacekeeping organization outside the framework of the UN. On August 3 1981, the Protocol to the Treaty of Peace was signed, establishing the Multinational Force and Observers.^[1]

This is accomplished by carrying out four tasks:

• Operating checkpoints, observation posts and conducting reconnaissance patrols on the international border as well as within Zone C,
• Verification of the terms of the peace treaty not less than twice a month,
• Verification of the terms of the peace treaty within 48 hours, upon the request of either party,
• Ensuring freedom of international marine navigation in the Strait of Tiran and access to the Gulf of Aqaba

Over the three decades that the MFO has carried out its mission it has proven a highly successful force. The desire for peace on the part of both Egypt and Israel, combined with the effectiveness of the MFO, has resulted in a durable and lasting state of peace between these two nations.^[2] The Straits of Tiran are the narrow passages formed by the Sinai and Arabian peninsulas which separates the Gulf of Aqaba from the Red Sea. ... Sinai Peninsula, with the Gulf of Aqaba (east) and the Gulf of Suez (west), as viewed from the Space Shuttle STS-40. ...

Organization

The MFO has its main headquarters in Rome, where it is headed by the Director-General. It also has two regional offices, in Tel Aviv and Cairo, while the Force itself is based in Zone C on the Sinai Peninsula, under the command of the Force Commander. For other uses, see Rome (disambiguation). ... Tel-Aviv was founded on empty dunes north of the existing city of Jaffa. ... For other uses, see Cairo (disambiguation). ...

The Force Commander is responsible for the military elements of the MFO, which comprise:

• Headquarters
• Three infantry battalions
• Support battalion
• Coastal Patrol Unit
• Rotary Wing Aviation Unit
• Transport unit
• Engineers unit
• Military Police Unit
• Flight Following (Air Traffic control) Unit

The Observer contingent of the MFO is made up of civilians seconded to the peacekeeping force. The observers are mostly retired US military and State Department personnel. Infantry of the Royal Irish Rifles during the Battle of the Somme in World War I Infantry or footmen are very highly disciplined and trained soldiers who fight primarily with small arms(rifles), but are trained to use everything from their bare hands to missle systems in order to neutralize... The Singapore Armed Forces Military Police Command providing security coverage at the Padang in Singapore during the National Day Parade in 2000. ...

States involved

The personnel for these come from a total of eleven states:

•  Australia - 25 personnel based at Force HQ (departing in 1986 and returning in 1993 replaced in the interim by a contingent from the United Kingdom) ^[3]
•  Canada - 28 personnel within the Force and Contingent HQs in addition to the Operations, Liaison, Support and Personnel Branches ^[4]
•  Colombia - Infantry battalion (COLBATT)- 358 personnel
•  Fiji - Infantry battalion (FIJIBATT)- 329 personnel
•  France - 15 personnel based at Force HQ and with the fixed wing unit
•  Hungary - Military Police unit (41 personnel)
•  Italy - Coastal patrol unit (75 personnel, 3 ships)
•  New Zealand - 27 personnel divided between support battalion and Training and Advisory Team
•  Norway - 6 personnel based at Force HQ^[5] including the Force Commander as of 12 October, 2007 - Major General Kjell Narve Ludvigsen^[6]
•  United States - The US contributes three units:
  • Force HQ - 27 personnel
  • Infantry Battalion (USBATT - drawn from National Guard units)- 425 personnel currently members of the Pennsylvania National Guard
  • Support Battalion - 235 personnel consisting of:
    • Headquarters
    • Medical Company
    • Explosive Ordnance Disposal Detachment
    • Aviation Company (Active U.S. Army)
•  Uruguay - 87 personnel with Transport and Engineering Unit
•  Netherlands - Until 1995 provided Military Police and a Communications Squadron and were replaced by Hungary

Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Colombia. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Fiji. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Hungary. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Italy. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_New_Zealand. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Norway. ... Image File history File links This is a lossless scalable vector image. ... This article is about the U.S. State. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_Uruguay. ... Image File history File links Flag_of_the_Netherlands. ...

Uniforms

Military

Military personnel serving with the MFO wear national military dress appropriate to the climatic conditions of the Sinai. All contingents wear national flags or crests to identify their country of origin.

MFO crests are sewn on uniforms to identify the wearer as a member of the force. All military members of the force wear a terracotta-colored beret or bush hat. Some contingents, such as Colombia, also wear terracotta neck scarves when on parade. Terra cotta is a hard semifired waterproof ceramic clay used in pottery and building construction. ...

The terracotta beret is unique to the MFO and was selected to show that the force is not a United Nations peacekeeping force. UN peacekeeping forces wear a distinctive light blue beret. An MFO badge is also worn on the beret, a metal badge for commissioned officers, and cloth badge for non commissioned officers.

Civilian observers

The 15 civilian observers employed by the MFO wore highly visible orange coveralls while carrying out their treaty verification duties until the arrival of US Foreign Service Observer Harry Holland in 2002, when he affected a change to bright orange shirt worn with khaki trousers, now used on all ground verification missions. The orange shirts have since been replaced by black polo shirts.

Chronology

January 1982

Approximately 160 soldiers from Fort Bragg, North Carolina were deployed to the Sinai. The mission of this augmented company size unit was to establish support facilities in preparation for the upcoming arrival of the infantry battalions to monitor the peace. This was not a typical US Army logistical company. Initially those who deployed were required to wear civilian clothing, due to the security threat. They arrived in the middle of the night and were bussed to Etam, Air Base, Israel. This Air Base would later be renamed El Gorah after the April 25, 1982 transfer of the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt. These soldiers were to prepare to assume the mission of the Sinai Field Mission. The goal was to establish a command structure, fixed and rotary aircraft support, parts support, water and petroleum supply, medical, logistics for the Multinational Force which would later assume the mission.

Upon arrival they were initially housed in several buildings which were in existence as part of Etam Airbase. It was several months before permanent buildings were in place.

April 1982

The MFO assumed its mandate on April 25, 1982, the day Israel handed over sovereignty of the Sinai Peninsula to Egypt. In 1995 the United States experimented with a composite battalion consisting of National Guard soldiers from Virginia and Maryland, and Regular Army soldiers from the 82nd Airborne Division and the 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault). In April 2006, the Third Army Central Coalition Forces Land Component Command (CLFCC) assumed responsibility of the 1st Corps Support Command (1st COSCOM) from the XVIII Airborne Corps and re-designated it as the 1st Sustainment Command (Theater). Since January 2002, the United States has been supplying National Guard Infantry battalions. is the 115th day of the year (116th in leap years) in the Gregorian calendar. ... Year 1982 (MCMLXXXII) was a common year starting on Friday (link displays the 1982 Gregorian calendar). ...

February 1984

MFO Director-General Leamon Hunt is assassinated in Rome while sitting in his chauffeur-driven armored car, outside the gates of his private residence. The assassins poured automatic weapon fire into the reinforced rear window until they were able to penetrate the glass and strike the director-general in the head. Credit for the assassination was claimed by Lebanese Armed Revolutionary Faction the Red Brigade.

Later that same year, American pilot Chief Warrant Officer Two Charles N. Hurt and two other crew members were killed on a UH-1 Iroquois test flight outside South Camp.^{[citation needed]} This article is about the military versions of the Bell 204 and 205 models. ...

March 1985

Due to the imminent end of the four year Australian MFO commitment in April 1986, the governments of Israel, Egypt and the United States invited Canada to provide a contingent. Canada agreed to replace Australia in the MFO and to supply a helicopter squadron, staff officers and a flight following section of air traffic controllers totally 136 military personnel. The Canadian Contingent (CCMFO) was brought on strength of the Canadian Forces on September 26 1985. ^[7] The Canadian Forces (CF) (French: Forces canadiennes (FC)) are the unified armed forces of Canada, governed by the National Defence Act, which states: The Canadian Forces are the armed forces of Her Majesty raised by Canada and consist of one Service called the Canadian Armed Forces. ...

December 1985

Main article: Arrow Air Flight 1285

On December 12, 1985, a chartered Arrow Air DC-8 with two hundred and forty eight returning members of the US 101st Airborne Division and eight flight crew crashed into the cold, damp landscape at the end of runway 22 at Gander International Airport in Gander, Newfoundland, with no survivors. The 101st was rotating home from a tour of duty with the MFO. The accepted theory is that the crash was caused by ice accumulation on the leading surfaces of the wings, but debate and speculation still rages that the crash may have resulted from some type of incendiary device placed on the plane. Arrow Air Flight 1285 was a McDonnell Douglas DC-8 registered N950JW. On December 12, 1985, the aircraft was chartered to carry U.S. servicemen from a six-month stay in the Sinai, where they had served in the Multinational Force and Observers peacekeeping force, back to Fort Campbell, Kentucky. ... Image:ARROW.jpg DC10 Freighter Arrow Air (IATA: JW, ICAO: APW, and Callsign: Big A) [1] is a cargo airline based in Miami, Florida. ... The Douglas DC-8 is a four-engined jet airliner, manufactured between 1959 and 1972. ... The 101st Airborne Division (Air Assault)—nicknamed the “Screaming Eagles”—is an airborne division of the United States Army primarily trained for air assault operations. ... Gander is a town in northeastern Newfoundland, Newfoundland and Labrador, Canada. ...

April 1986

The Australian contingent, consisting of staff officers and a helicopter squadron who were members of the initial deployment, withdrew in the course of their government's reduction of its peacekeeping commitments. They were replaced by the CCMFO Canadian Rotary Wing Aviation Unit, equipped with nine CH135 Twin Hueys, staff officers and flight following. The CCMFO was operational at El Gorah on March 31 1986. Canadian tactical helicopter units rotated to El Gorah for six month tours of duty. The primary units proving military personnel were 408, 427 and 430 Tactical Helicopter Squadrons and 403 Helicopter Operational Training Squadron. ^[8] UH-1N on the ground at Camp Fallujah, Iraq in July of 2004 The Bell UH-1N Twin Huey is a medium military helicopter that first flew in 1968. ... The 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron is a unit of 1 Canadian Air Divisions 1 Wing. ...

December 1989

A Canadian CH135 helicopter on a maintenance test flight crashes one mile north of El Gorah. Both crew members are injured, one seriously.

March 1990

After four years with the MFO the Canadian helicopter squadron was withdrawn. This was due primarily to Canada accepting a new commitment to send a helicopter squadron to Central America with a UN peacekeeping force. This left 28 Canadian Staff Officers and Air Traffic Controllers in the flight following role with the MFO, a commitment which continues to the present day. Due to the Canadians departure, the US split their rotary wing unit between South and North camps.

January 1993

The Australians, who had been replaced by a British contingent, returned to the mission, and the British contingent withdrew.

August 1994

Australian MFO contingent members were involved in a hit-and-run accident that they failed to report. The incident^[9] came to light when one of the vehicle passengers, army Staff Sergeant David Hartshorn, reported it after he'd been returned to Australia. Prima facie evidence of the incident was established and included in a formal inquiry by the Australian Government.^[10]

January 1995

The 4-505 PIR assume duties as USBATT. This battalion is composed of Reservists and National Guardsmen in addition to active duty soldiers. The US Army used this group as a test to see if reservists could take over the mission in the future.

September 1995

A Hungarian contingent arrived to serve as the Force Military Police Unit. The Hungarians replaced the Dutch contingent, and as well as military police include two members of the Force staff, a doctor and a liaison officer.

January 2005

The most experienced civilian observer in the history of the MFO, Tony Puccini (retired US Navy Lt. Commander), with over 12 years service to the MFO Civilian Observer Unit (COU) in the Sinai, was presented with the Director General's Award.^[11]

August 2005

An MFO vehicle carrying two members of the Canadian contingent was badly damaged, the results of an IED attack. The Canadians were only slightly injured.

January 2006

The 1-124 Cav Regiment assumed duties as the USBATT contingent. The 1-124 Cav is part of the 36th Infantry Division of the Texas Army National Guard. Units that were pulled together to complete the manning for the mission include 1-112th Armor, 3-112th Armor, and several other units.

February 2006

MFO U.S. Aviation Contingent assisted Egyptian authorities in the rescue and recovery efforts of survivors of the al-Salam Boccaccio 98, a ferry that sank near Safaga, Egypt, in the Red Sea. The ferry was enroute to Safaga from Duba, Saudi Arabia.

April 2006

A suicide bomber attacked an MFO vehicle as it was driving along route Mike northbound from the North Camp base at El Gorah to the Rafah border crossing. Inside the vehicle was a Norwegian Liaison Officer and a New Zealand driver and two Egyptian officials. The vehicle was damaged, but there were no casualties besides the bomber himself. Half an hour later, a second bomber attacked an Egyptian police vehicle in the same area, with similar results.^{[citation needed]} El Gorah is a town in northeastern Sinai, in Egypt, approximately 16 kilometers from the Israeli border. ... Rafah (Arabic: رفح Hebrew: רפיח) is a town in the Gaza Strip, on the Egyptian border, and a nearby town on the Egyptian side of the border, on the Sinai Peninsula. ...

May 2007

A French Air Force de Havilland Canada DHC-6 Twin Otter aircraft on duty with the MFO Fixed Wing Aviation Unit crashed in the middle of the peninsula, 80km south of the town of Nakhl. Eight French and one Canadian passengers and crew were killed. The aircraft reported trouble with one engine and was attempting an emergency landing on a highway when it struck a truck. It crashed and exploded moments later. The driver of the truck escaped unharmed. The French Air Force is the air force branch of the French Armed Forces. ... The DHC-6 Twin Otter is a 20-passenger STOL feederliner and utility aircraft developed by de Havilland Canada. ...

The aircraft was operated by the French air force as their contribution to the MFO. It made regular flights between the two main MFO bases at El Gorah and Sharm el-Sheik, as well as conducting observation missions as part of the MFO's mandate. El Gorah is a town in northeastern Sinai, in Egypt, approximately 16 kilometers from the Israeli border. ... Sharm el-Sheikh is a city situated on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, on the coastal strip between the Red Sea and Mount Sinai. ...

Sinai Peacekeeping Zones

The Sinai Peninsula

Article 2 of Annex I of the Peace Treaty called for the Sinai Peninsula to be divided into zones. Within these zones, Egypt and Israel were permitted varying degrees of military build-up: Image File history File links Sinai_MFO.PNG Summary Representation of the divisions of the Sinai Peninsula. ... Image File history File links Sinai_MFO.PNG Summary Representation of the divisions of the Sinai Peninsula. ...

• Zone A: Between the Suez Canal and Line A. Egypt is permitted a mechanized infantry division with a total of 22,000 troops in Zone A.
• Zone B: Between Line A and Line B. Egypt is permitted four border security battalions to support the civilian police in Zone B.
• Zone C: Between Line B and the Egypt-Israel border. Only the MFO and the Egyptian civilian police are permitted within Zone C.
• Zone D: Between the Egypt-Israel border and Line D. Israel is permitted four infantry battalions in Zone D.

Within Zone C there are two main installations: For other uses, see Suez (disambiguation). ...

• North Camp is at El Gorah, 37 km south east of El Arish, and is the location of the military Force HQ.
• South Camp is located between the towns of Sharm el Sheikh and Naama Bay.

In addition there are thirty smaller sites at various points within Zone C. One remote observation post (OP 3-11) is located offshore on Tiran Island, which is part of Saudi Arabia, requiring resupply by air or sea. El Gorah is a town in northeastern Sinai, in Egypt, approximately 16 kilometers from the Israeli border. ... El Arish (alternate spelling Al Arish) is an Egyptian city on the Mediterranean coast of the Sinai peninsula. ... Sharm el-Sheikh is a city situated on the southern tip of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, on the coastal strip between the Red Sea and Mount Sinai. ... Tiran Island Tiran (Arabic: ‎) is an island belonging to Saudi Arabia at the entrance of the Straits of Tiran, which separates the Red Sea and the Gulf of Aqaba. ...

Zone C

Zone C is subdivided into sectors, each controlled by a Sector Control Center. The sectors are numbered from north to south and assigned:

• Sectors 1 and 2 - Fijibatt
• Sectors 2 and 4 - Colbatt
• Sectors 5, 6 and 7 - USbatt.^[12]

Badges

The MFO cloth badge worn by all military personnel

Badge worn by members of the Canadian Contingent Rotary Wing Aviation Unit 1989-90

External links

• MFO official site
• Australian Government article - Yasser Arafat's 1994 return to the Sinai and tour of MFO facilities
• Australian MFO Contingent site

References