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Gaza border security agreement nears
(AP)
Updated: 2005-10-09 08:50
Israel and the Palestinians were moving toward agreement on new security
arrangements for Gaza's border with Egypt, officials from both sides said
Saturday, a deal that could allow Palestinian residents of the coastal strip
relatively free movement for the first time.
The signs of progress came days before Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon
and Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas were to meet for the first time since
Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.
Also Saturday, the Palestinians broke ground on their first major development
project in Gaza since the withdrawal — a $100 million complex that will provide
housing for 25,000 people. The development, funded by the United Arab Emirates,
was being built on the former Jewish settlement of Morag and was expected to
take two years to complete.
A border deal would mark a significant breakthrough. Before completing its
withdrawal last month, Israel closed the Rafah border terminal, Gaza's main
gateway to the outside world. The Palestinians say reopening the border is vital
for Gaza's devastated economy.
A deal to reopen the terminal will have to address the security concerns of
Israel, which fears militants and weapons will reach Gaza more easily without
the Israeli inspectors who once operated Rafah.
This concern was underscored in the days following the Israeli withdrawal.
Border control broke down and thousands of Palestinians crossed freely in and
out of Egypt without any security checks. With few exceptions, Palestinians have
been barred from traveling to Egypt since order was restored.
Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom also said Saturday that Egypt is not
doing enough to stop the flow of weapons into Gaza and that anti-tank rockets
and shoulder-held missiles have reached the area.
"There is no doubt that the situation has improved, compared to the first
days, but we still see a relatively free movement (of weapons)," he told Israel
Radio.
Egypt and Israel negotiated a security arrangement, including the deployment
of 750 Egyptian border guards, ahead of the Gaza pullout.
Under a compromise proposal brokered by international mediator James
Wolfensohn, Palestinian travelers and exports leaving Gaza would go through
Rafah, with foreign inspectors supervising the traffic.
Incoming goods would be rerouted through Kerem Shalom, an Israeli-run
inspection point in the area where Gaza, Egypt and Israel converge.
Wolfensohn told Abbas on Friday that Israel had agreed in principle to the
presence of European inspectors, said a Palestinian official who participated in
the talks. The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he wasn't
authorized to talk to the media.
A senior Israeli official said Israel is open to the idea of foreign monitors
on the border and the Wolfensohn plan is "one of the options" under
consideration. Israel wants to have access to the terminal's computers to
monitor who is entering and leaving Gaza, the official said, declining to be
identified because of government rules.
Abbas and Sharon were expected to meet Tuesday, but the date was uncertain.
Both sides have said it would be better not to hold the meeting at all than to
have it fail.
Israel wants Abbas to take tougher action against militant groups. Abbas has
refused to use force to disarm the groups, preferring instead to negotiate with
them, though he recently imposed a ban on public displays of weapons in Gaza.
Militants repeatedly have flouted the ban.
"We call on our brothers who started the calm with us, who agreed to end
military parades and displays, to start a new era and open a new page, the page
of construction, development and investment," Abbas said during the
groundbreaking ceremony for the Gaza housing project.
Abbas stressed he wanted measurable progress in a meeting with Sharon.
"We don't want a public relations summit. We don't want a failed summit. We
want a meaningful summit with results," Abbas said Saturday.
In a possible concession, Israeli security officials decided over the weekend
that they would not object to a prisoner release approved by the government,
officials said Saturday.
The officials also recommended that Palestinian security forces be permitted
to obtain armored vehicles and more ammunition to help bolster efforts to
control militants. Israel's security chiefs, however, object to allowing the
Palestinians to purchase more guns, the officials said.
The issues are likely to be discussed during an Israeli Cabinet meeting
Sunday.
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