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Israel, Egypt Sign Philadelphi Route Agreement in Cairo

(AP/Ha'aretz) Maj.-Gen. Yisrael Ziv, head of the Operations Division in the Israel Defense Forces General Staff, and his Egyptian counterpart, Gen. Mohammed Fahrani, signed an agreement Thursday for the deployment of 750 Egyptian border policemen along the Philadelphi route between Egypt and Gaza. The Egyptians will begin deployment on Sept. 15, and the last of the IDF soldiers will withdraw from outposts along the route some two weeks later, thus completing the IDF's pullout from the Gaza Strip. Israel has demanded that the PA not destroy the steel and concrete wall it built facing Rafah. Israel is reluctant to give up control over people and goods flowing into Gaza, fearing militants could try to smuggle in weapons. Egypt and the Palestinians have proposed deploying foreign inspectors at Rafah to prevent smuggling, but Israel has rejected the idea. Instead, Israel has proposed moving the Rafah crossing to a three-way meeting point between Egypt, Gaza, and Israel - which would allow the continued presence of Israeli inspectors. Israel is due to start constructing a new border-crossing terminal at Kerem Shalom on the Israel-Egypt-Gaza border next week, despite opposition from Egypt and the PA.
2005-09-02 00:00:00
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