Israel willing for EU to monitor Gaza-Egypt border
AFP
Date: 10-31-05
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israel is willing to allow EU observers to monitor the Rafah terminal straddling the Gaza Strip and Egypt in order to authorise the border crossing to reopen, a senior official said.
The matter had been left in limbo since Israeli ground troops withdrew from the Palestinian territory in September and has provoked criticism from the international community's envoy for the pullout, James Wolfensohn.
"The ministers dealing with the matter have given their green light to the presence of European observers who will be charged with supervising the crossing of travellers to Rafah," said an aide to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
"The checking will be carried out by the Egyptians and the Palestinian Authority on the Egyptian side of the terminal, while the European observers will be present on the Palestinian side and will keep us informed," said the official on condition of anonymity.
Close-circuit cameras would also be installed on the Palestinian side to allow the Israeli authorities "real time" knowledge of events, he added.
Israel's security cabinet was expected to approve the arrangements on Tuesday, public radio said.
The Rafah crossing, the only exit from Gaza that bypasses Israel, was closed on September 7, ahead of Israel's pullout from the territory five days later.
Last Wednesday, Israel and Egypt reached an agreement that people moving through Rafah would be controlled by Egyptian and Palestinian officials, under direct European observation and Israeli camera surveillance.
Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz said that people would cross into Egypt directly through Rafah, while goods would have to transit through Israel first via the terminal of Kerem Shalom on the three borders.
Earlier this month, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice urged Israel to find a solution to the movement of people in and out of the Gaza Strip that she said was crucial to ensuring the territory's economic development.
Source
FAIR USE NOTICE
This site contains copyrighted material the use of which has not always been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. We are making such material available in our efforts to advance understanding of environmental, political, human rights, economic, democracy, scientific, and social justice issues, etc. We believe this constitutes a 'fair use' of any such copyrighted material as provided for in section 107 of the US Copyright Law. In accordance with Title 17 U.S.C. Section 107, the material on this site is distributed without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. For more information go to: http://www.law.cornell.edu/uscode/17/107.shtml. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond 'fair use', you must obtain permission from the copyright owner. |
|