Egypt Agrees To Police Philadelphi
Route After Israeli Disengagement
(August 2, 2005)
Defense Minister Shaul
Mofaz and Egyptian President Hosni
Mubarak reached a preliminary agreement
in March 2005 for Egypt to provide security along the “Philadelphi
Route” (the
border area separating Egypt and the Gaza
Strip) after Israel withdraws
for the area.
Egypt has
offered to deploy 750 national guards along
its border with the Gaza
Strip to help maintain security after
Israel withdraws its military and settlements as
part of the disengagement
plan scheduled to take place in the summer of
2005. Mubarak insisted, however, that he
would act only after Israel removes its troops
from the buffer zone, which has been a scene
of the most intense Israeli-Palestinian
fighting over the past four years.
Israel has said it will eventually leave the zone -
but not immediately - owing to the ongoing weapons smuggling by Palestinians
through tunnels across the border.
In August, the two countries
reached a new agreement whereby the Egyptian
troops will take up positions along the 14-kilometer
southern border of the Gaza Strip, from the
Mediterranean to the border with Israel,
near Kerem Shalom. The Egyptians reportedly
will deploy in September,
and Israel will withdraw from the Philadelphi
route in October. To avoid conflicts with
the Israel-Egypt
peace treaty, the Egyptian
forces are not to bring tanks or anti-tank
weapons, or construct permanent military
infrastructure. Its soldiers will carry light
arms only, and be outfitted with observation
equipment and armored vehicles suitable for
police.
Sources: Jerusalem
Post, (March 10, 2005); Haaretz,
(August 2, 2005) |