Border Deal in Limbo over Row

07/11/2005| IslamWeb

A disagreement over the role of European Union security monitors kept Israel's cabinet yesterday from approving a border crossing for Palestinians between Gaza and Egypt.

Israel, which quit the Gaza Strip in September after 38 years of occupation, but controls the territory's borders, has been under US pressure to clear Palestinians for trade and travel, seen as a step to encourage peacemaking.

More than 1.4 million Palestinians live in the strip captured by Israel in the 1967 Middle East war.

Israel had accepted an Egyptian proposal to let Palestinians travel freely via the Rafah terminal, but with foreign oversight - a role to be filled by the EU monitors.

However, Israeli political sources said the European Union had balked at Israel's demand that its monitors arrest anyone suspected of smuggling arms from Egypt to Gaza militants.

Palestinians have objected to Israel's demand for cameras to film those who use the Rafah crossing, though they have welcomed an EU role to help reopen the terminal largely shut since Israel completed its Gaza pullout nearly two months ago.

During talks in Ramallah with Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qurei, EU envoy Marc Otte presented the Palestinians with documents outlining the proposed powers to be granted to the EU observers.

Israel meanwhile gave the go-ahead for Egypt to supply the Palestinian police with tens of thousands of bullets in a deal to be financed by the United States.

Officials said in Belgium's capital Brussels that the EU planned to announce today it would launch a three-year mission - starting January 1 - to help the Palestinians build up a credible police force.

PHOTO CAPTION

An Israeli soldier checks a cart in the West Bank city of Hebron. (AFP)