Israel approves Egypt-Gaza crossing
JERUSALEM (Reuters) – Top Israeli cabinet ministers on
Tuesday approved a border crossing between Gaza and Egypt, to
allow Palestinians to come and go freely after the Israeli
withdrawal from the strip, Israeli officials said.
It would be the first time since Israel captured the West
Bank and Gaza Strip in 1967 that Palestinians would be allowed
to enter and leave either territory without passing through
Israeli controls.
But details, including the possible role of European Union
monitors, still have to be finalized with the Palestinians. The
Egyptian-proposed plan also has to be approved by the full
Israeli cabinet, probably on Sunday, the officials said.
Palestinians have complained that they were not involved in
discussions on opening the Rafah crossing and objected to an
Israeli demand for cameras filming those who use it. They have
not said they would reject the Egyptian proposal, though.
“The Israelis want not only to monitor the Rafah crossing
point themselves through the live transmission of images from
the new terminal, they also want to retain a veto over which
Palestinians are permitted to use the crossing point,”
Palestinian Planning Minister Ghassan Khatib said.
He called Tuesday’s decision “a misleading attempt by
Israel to maintain its suffocation of Palestinians in Gaza
indefinitely by drawing out the process of re-opening the Rafah
crossing point and selling it as progress.”
Under the plan accepted last week by Defense Minister Shaul
Mofaz, the foot crossing would be under foreign oversight to
assuage Israeli fears that arms and militants could easily
cross into Gaza.
Since withdrawing from Gaza in September after 38 years of
occupation, Israel has been under pressure from the United
States to help open up Gaza’s frontiers so Palestinians can
trade and travel more easily.
The United States hopes a thriving economy in Gaza will
help peacemaking under the “road map” it backs for Palestinian
statehood.
(Additional reporting by Nidal al-Mughrabi in Gaza)