[Ha'aretz] Amos Harel, Avi Issacharoff and Barak Ravid - A key issue in the negotiations is the opening of Rafah crossing, which Hamas is seeking to have opened completely, with Turkish troops monitoring its operation. Egypt is opposed to such a move, and is seeking to place a force loyal to Mahmoud Abbas at the crossing. Another outstanding issue is the Israeli request to create a half-kilometer buffer zone in the area known as the "security perimeter" on the Palestinian side of the border fence with Israel. Israel is seeking to prevent the entry of armed militants to the area to combat the placement of explosive devices or the digging of tunnels there.
2009-02-06 06:00:00Full ArticleBACK Visit the Daily Alert Archive