Posted on 07/16/2014 9:48:24 AM PDT by Star Traveler
In its efforts to help arrange an Israel-Hamas ceasefire, the Palestinian Authority is set to propose to Egypt that it open the Rafah border crossing under the supervision of PA security forces, and deploy PA forces along the Philadelphi Corridor between Gaza and Egypt.
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Israel does not oppose the idea of PA forces at Rafah, Israeli sources said.
The proposal would mark a significant return of Mahmoud Abbas’s forces to positions of authority in Gaza, seven years after Hamas seized the Strip from Abbas in a coup.
Hamas has sought the reopening of the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt as one of its key demands for an end to the current conflict. Tuesday’s Egyptian ceasefire proposal — accepted by Israel but rejected by Hamas — spoke only vaguely about reopening border crossings.
Palestinian Authority Mahmoud Abbas is set to meet in Cairo on Thursday with Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi, and will present a ceasefire proposal that includes the Rafah provision, Palestinian sources told The Times of Israel on Wednesday. Abbas is also to meet Thursday in Egypt with the deputy head of the Hamas political bureau, Moussa Abu Marzook, and discuss ceasefire terms with him. He may also meet with Hamas’s political bureau chief Khaled Mashaal in Turkey.
(Excerpt) Read more at timesofisrael.com ...
Remember, yesterday Israel ALREADY ACCEPTED Egypt's cease-fire proposal, but Hamas rejected it. Egypt and Israel have been working TOGETHER on this!
As much as one might see Abbas as a more moderate player, the Palestinians have through the decades proven themselves to be untrustworthy to the max.
Jordan, Lebanon, on the West Bank, and Gaza, with regard to Egypt, there’s simply no basis for anyone with half a clue over there to grant them any favors.
Personally, I think Egypt would be rather dumb to risk their border security to the PA.
These are people who like to wear bombs and detonate them. This is the sort of people they think can be peace partners?
Really?
No way. Only Israeli defense forces in Israel. Disband or kill the armed gangs and terrorists.
Egypt will still be on their side of the border. The Palestinian Authority will be on the Gaza side ... :-) ...
Between “Hamas” or “The Palestinian Authority” on the Gaza side, Egypt wants the PA.
Israel is not inside Gaza and Israel has not been at the Egypt-Gaza border since it left Gaza. Israel is maintaining its OWN border crossings in their own territory. Here we’re taking about leaving Hamas in control as it has been since it took over, or having the Palestinian Authority in place of Hamas.
Both Israel and Egypt would rather see the Palestinian Authority and not Hamas.
Sounds to me as if the P.A. is requesting the right to administer the crossing itself. It also wants to place it's troops in the passage way into Egypt.
Why should Egypt allow the P.A. to get the say-so what goes through that entry port? Any weapons could be used against Egypt too.
This time please read the post. It provides all the reasons necessary to prove the P.A. isn’t worthy of trust. Decades of abysmal behavior have proven this.
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/news/3181024/posts?page=2#2
Egypt will still be on their side of the border. It’s INSIDE GAZA that they’re talking about. And between it being Hamas (which it has been all along) versus the Palestinian Authority, Egypt prefers the PA.
Hamas is less so ... LOL ...
You’re going to have either Hamas -OR- the Palestinian Authority. I guess from your comments you’re going to lobby for Hamas to continue at the border ... :-) ...
Egypt is not friendly to the Muslim Brotherhood and/or their offshoot, Hamas. Egypt has already jailed the Muslim Brotherhood leadership and deposed the Muslim Brotherhood President of Egypt. Egypt does not like Hamas at all.
“...the Palestinian Authority is set to propose to Egypt that it open the Rafah border crossing under the supervision of PA security forces...”
That is not inside Gaza. It is the border of Gaza with Egypt, and the P.A. wants to administer the crossing.
I lobby for keeping the border shut. Neither Hamas or the P.A. have any credibility here, and if you would simply acknowledge the history of the P.A. you would realize this.
Why do you continue to ignore the P.A.’s sordid past?
Do you know how border crossings work? On each side, you have the control of the border in the hands of the country it is in. On the Egypt side, it’s Egypt who is in comtrol. And on the Gaza side, it’s Hamas who is in comtrol. That’s the “status quo” RIGHT NOW!
What Egypt is saying is that we want to change the status quo from Hamas to the Palestinian Authority.
Are you having a hard time reading?
The P.A. has not only advocated for being the sole agency in charge of the border crossing there, but also the authority to extend it’s presence on down the line through the passage to Egypt.
Now, perhaps this tells you the Egyptians are involved at the border, but it tells me a completely different story.
The question is, are you going to admit that the P.A. is not only asking for the sole right to administer the crossing, but also the corridor?
How does that leave Egypt with a function at the crossing?
Oh well..., it doesn’t.
Egypt and Gaza are not going to keep the border shut. And that’s actually something between Egypt -and- Gaza. Israel is not in Gaza nor does Israel control Gaza. Israel is not about to stay in Gaza either, when they are finished with their operation.
SO ... what this means is that in the joint border between Egypt and Gaza — EGYPT does not want Hamas on the Gaza side, but wants the Palestinian Authority on the Gaza side.
...the Palestinian Authority is set to propose to Egypt that it open the Rafah border crossing under the supervision of PA security forces, and deploy PA forces along the Philadelphi Corridor between Gaza and Egypt.
The Philadelphia Corridor ...
The Philadelphi Route, also called Philadelphia Corridor, refers to a narrow strip of land, 14 km (8.699 miles) in length, situated along the border between Gaza Strip and Egypt.[1] Under the provisions of the Israeli-Egyptian peace treaty of 1979, it was established as a buffer zone controlled and patrolled by Israeli forces. One purpose of the Philadelphi Route was to prevent the movement of illegal materials (including weapons and ammunition) and people between Egypt and the Gaza Strip. Palestinians, in cooperation with some Egyptians, have built smuggling tunnels under the Philadelphi Route to move these into the Gaza Strip.[2]
After the 1995 Oslo Accords, Israel was allowed to retain the security corridor. Following Israel’s unilateral disengagement from the Gaza-strip in 2005, the Philadelphi Accord with Egypt was concluded, which authorized Egypt to deploy 750 border guards along the route to patrol the border on Egypt’s side. The Palestinian side of the border was controlled by Palestinian Authority, until the 2007 takeover by Hamas.[3] The joint authority for the Rafah border crossing was transferred to the Palestinian Authority and Egypt for restricted passage by Palestinian ID card holders, and by others by exception.
http://www.wikipedia.org/wiki/Philadelphi_Route
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The Egyptians are going to be on “their side” with “their soldiers” ... that remains the same!
Note that this is going right back to the situation that Israel agreed with Egypt to do, when they left Gaza!
One further piece of information on this. You’ll see that Israel and Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is okay with this. Israel sees this as a way to diminish Hamas’ stranglehold on Gaza.
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