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Is the Gaza Security Perimeter Defunct?

(Jerusalem Post) Amb. Alan Baker - The ease with which an armed Hamas terrorist was able to approach Israel's defensive barrier and shoot a border policeman at close range raises many serious questions. One of the central security elements of the 1995 Israeli-Palestinian Interim Agreement ("Oslo II") was the creation of a "Delimiting Line" separating Gaza from Israel, with a "Security Perimeter" adjacent to that line, within Gaza, hundreds of meters wide. Following Hamas' violent takeover of Gaza in 2007, this essential component of the security arrangements relating to Gaza appear to have been replaced by a glaring security vacuum along the perimeter line with Israel. Hamas has utilized and abused this same security perimeter, turning it into a zone in which they sponsor, encourage, and organize periodic mass, violent demonstrations and as a staging area for attempted infiltrations. The question arises whether Hamas should be required to commit to reviving the security perimeter in the same format as appears in the interim agreement. The author, former legal adviser to the Israel Foreign Ministry, heads the International Law Program at the Jerusalem Center for Public Affairs.
2021-08-30 00:00:00
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