St. Catherine’s Monastery in Sinai is iconic; it is one of the oldest Christian monasteries in the world.

Islamic State claimed responsibility for the attack on a police checkpoint about 800 meters (yards) from the entrance to the monastery, one of the world’s most important Christian sites.

Despite the useless state of emergency declared by Egyptian President Abdel Fatah al-Sisi following the deadly jihad attacks on two Coptic churches that killed 45 people as they celebrated Palm Sunday, nothing substantial is being done (or has ever been done) to protect the threatened Christian population in Egypt. Sisi has mastered the gift of words, but apparently not of action. According to a February 2016 report in International Business Times:

Christians continue to complain of rampant and systemic discrimination, and they are virtually shut out from the political sphere. All church construction and repairs must be approved by authorities, and Christians in rural areas have frequently been on the receiving end of violent attacks. Human rights groups say crimes against Christians regularly go unpunished.

At least Israel is looking after its people:

Israel took the unusual step earlier this month of barring its citizens from crossing into the Sinai peninsula, saying the threat of attacks in the area inspired by Islamic State and other jihadi groups was high.

“Gunmen kill policeman in attack near Egypt’s St. Catherine’s Monastery”, By Ali Abdelaty, Reuters, April 18, 2017: