The Egyptian Prime Minister The Egyptian Prime Minister and members of his government have been accused of letting foreign monks into Saint Katherine area, north-east Egypt. A former army general filed a lawsuit against the members of the government as he said this poses a threat to Egyptian national security and is against the law. The Administrative Court in Ismailia referred the case on Tuesday to the concerned committee to examine the historical sites subject to trespass by foreign monks. The claim stated that “there are actual damages on historical areas in Saint Katherine city by some foreign monks, especially those of Greek nationality”.
The claim also stated that “the features of the Saint Katherine Monastery area have changed, six buildings were built on it, and it was surrounded with fences and plantations. The names of valleys in the area were also changed, in addition to allowing foreigners to live there”, which the legal claim considers to be “a threat to Egyptian national security”.
The claim revealed that “some of the monastery officials bought the valleys leading to the area from Bedouins, and built 3-metre high fences. The foreign monks in turn built a gate on the historical piece of land over an area of more than 300 acres that includes the Nabi Haroun area, Wadi Al-Talaa, Wadi Jbalya, Wadi Al-Torka, and the entrance to Sahl Al-Raha”.