Abu Ageila

{{Short description|Road junction In the north of the Sinai peninsula in Egypt}} thumb|250px|right|Abu Ageila in December 1948 '''Abu Ageila''' is a road junction and dam in the north of the Sinai Peninsula in Egypt, which, because of its proximity to Egypt's border with the State of Israel, is strategically important. Located approximately 25 kilometres from Auja al-Hafir, and 45 kilometres southeast of El Arish, it was the site of major battles in the 1948, 1956, and 1967 wars between the two states. The adjacent location Umm Katef ({{langx|ar|أم قطف}}) was another key Egyptian position in the Abu Ageila battles.<ref>{{cite book|last1=Gawrych|first1=G.W.|title=Key To The Sinai: The Battles For Abu Agelia In The 1956 And 1967 Arab Israeli Wars [Illustrated Edition]|date=2014|publisher=Pickle Partners Publishing|isbn=9781782895794|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=uJNvCwAAQBAJ|accessdate=22 November 2016}}</ref>

In 1930, there were about 10,000 'Azazme Bedouin Egyptians, related to the Tarabin in El Arish,<ref name="Negev Townships">{{cite book|last1=Chatty|first1=Dawn|authorlink=Dawn Chatty|title=Nomadic Societies in the Middle East And North Africa: Entering the 21st Century|date=2006|publisher=Brill|isbn=9789004147928|page=905|url=https://books.google.com/books?id=JzqIpRZAvdEC&dq=Azazme&pg=PA768}}</ref> living in the area. By 1948, the number was only 3,500. Land ownership was often disputed between the inhabitants.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Suwaed |first1=Muhammad |title=Historical Dictionary of the Bedouins |page=30 |date=2015 |publisher=Rowman & Littlefield Publishers |isbn=9781442254510 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=P8yhCgAAQBAJ |accessdate=22 November 2016 }} </ref><ref>{{cite book |last1=Lancaster |first1=William |last2=Lancaster |first2=Fidelity |title=People, Land and Water in the Arab Middle East: Environments and Landscapes in the Bilâd Ash-Shâm |page=120 |date=1999 |publisher=Harwood Academic Publishers |isbn=9789057023224 |url=https://books.google.com/books?id=eSYDZj3n2VEC |accessdate=22 November 2016 }} </ref>

In his 2013 biography of Ariel Sharon, 'Arik: The Life of Ariel Sharon', David Landau records that, during the Israeli occupation of Egypt's Sinai Peninsula, Sharon ordered the secret expulsion from Abu Ageila of 3,000 of its inhabitants in late January 1972. Ostensibly, this was to clear the way for a military exercise code-named ''Oz'' (meaning "Valour" in Hebrew) in preparation for an attack on the Suez Canal were a further war to break out between Israel and Egypt. The expulsion order was executed by Israeli military personnel over three days during the onset of freezing temperatures in the desert. No warning was given to the inhabitants, and no time was allowed for them to collect their belongings before being removed from their homes. Lt. Gen. David Elazar later ordered that the expelled inhabitants be allowed to return.<ref>Anshel Pfeffer, [https://www.haaretz.com/2014-02-12/ty-article/.premium/sharon-expelled-3-000-bedouin/0000017f-efcd-d8a1-a5ff-ffcff2a50000 'Sharon ordered expulsion of 3,000 Bedouin, new biography reveals ,'] at Haaretz, 11 February 2014</ref>

==Gallery== <gallery> File:Abu 'Ujaylah.jpg|Egyptian water tanks at Abu Ageila. 1948 File:Ruafa Dam.jpg|Ruafa dam, 1948 File:Ruafa dam.jpg|Ruafa dam. 1948 </gallery>

==References== {{Reflist|30em}}

Category:Sinai Peninsula