Egyptian Intelligence chief, Omar Sulaiman, in Israel to negotiate Israeli refusal of re-opening Rafah border crossing

Egyptian Intelligence chief in Israel to negotiate border crossings

Date: 15 / 02 / 2008 Time: 12:59
Bethlehem – Ma'an -

The Director General of the Egyptian intelligence Omar Sulaiman will visit Israel in the next two days to discuss the issue of border crossings and Israeli threats to invade the Gaza Strip.

In the London-based Arabic daily newspaper Al-Hayat, an Egyptian high-ranking official denied that Sulaiman's visit will include a discussion on activating Egyptian mediation in a prisoner exchange deal aimed at negotiating the release of the captured Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. He said Egypt was not involved in this matter.

"The issue of Shalit will remain unchanged," the Egyptian source said.

The Egyptian government and delegations from Hamas and the Palestinian Authority (PA) have been negotiating the reopening of the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Both Hamas and the PA have separately expressed their willingness to take control of the border crossing.

In November 2005 Israeli and the PA drew up the Agreement on Movement and Access (AMA). Under the agreement, European monitors replaced Israel military forces at the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Israel retained effective control to open and close the crossing, however, because it could prevent the European teams from reaching the crossing point.

Egypt is advocating the reactivation of the AMA as a way out of the current crisis. The Egyptian official told the newspaper that the Egyptian government will reveal the factions that are impeding the opening of the Rafah crossing, by refusing to accept the reactivation of the AMA.

He said that Egypt has invited the Secretary-General of Islamic Jihad Ramadan Shallah to visit Cairo to search for a solution to the Rafah border crisis.

He added that the Rafah crossing is the lifeline for more than one and a half million Palestinians, and an appropriate solution to the border crisis must be found.

Al-Zahar of Hamas heads for Egypt over Rafah crossing terminal

Thursday February 14, 2008 16:59 by Rami Almeghari - IMEMC&Agencies rami at imemc dot org
Dr. Mahmoud Al-Zahar, a senior political leader of the ruling Hamas movement in Gaza headed Thursday evening for the Egyptian town of Al-Arish for talks over the Rafah crossing terminal.

Al-Zahar's visit to Egypt comes as a part of the movement's coordination with the Egyptian authorities, in a bid to tackle all the complications of the Israeli siege on the coastal territory.

Hamas's senior member, Ismail Radwan, told media outlets in Gaza that Hamas has recently formed three committees; the political, the security and the health, in order to deal with the emerging complications of the Israeli closure of Gaza.

He confirmed that contacts will continue at the said three levels between Hamas and the Gaza-based government from one part and Egypt from the other.

Last month, Cairo sealed off the Gaza-Egypt border line in southern Gaza, after hundreds of thousands of Gazans flooded into nearby Egypt to bring in essential supplies.

Prior to sealing off borders, a Hamas delegation, headed by Al-Zahar, discussed with the Egyptians responsibility over the Rafah crossing terminal, which was closed after Hamas took over the coastal Strip in June of last year.

Hamas wants that the terminal be reopened without return of the European observers, who used to monitor movement over there, prior to the Hamas's takeover last June, as Cairo insisted that the 2005's U.S-brokered operation agreement, be reinstalled.

In June2007, Israel placed the Gaza Strip under a strict closure of border crossings, right after the Islamist Hamas routed Fatah-loyal security services amidst a power struggle with the secular Fatah party.

Israeli FM refuses handover of Gaza's crossings to Abbas in presence of Hamas

Thursday February 14, 2008 18:35 by Rami Almeghari - IMEMC&Agencies rami at imemc dot org
Israeli foreign minister, Tsibi Livni, refused Thursday handover of Gaza's crossings to Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas in presence of the ruling Hamas.

Livni, who yesterday took 60 world countries' ambassadors in a tour across the southern Israeli town of Sderot on northern Gaza-Israel border line, said that Israel still refuses a proposal, to take control over Gaza's crossings, produced earlier by President Abbas's Ramallah-based government.

" the only response to this proposal is No, for those in effective control of Gaza are the Hamas movement, therefore, such a proposal is not accepted", Livni was quoted as saying.

Livni believed that return of the Palestinian presidential guards to crossings is conditioned with Hamas's approval and consent.

Palestinian minister of prisoners affairs, Ashraf Ajrami, considered the Livni's position as one more obstacle to underway Palestinian-Israeli peace talks.

He also believed it is a 'negative stance' towards Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

Since taking control of Gaza in June2007 and the subsequent Israeli closure of Gaza, Hamas has been accusing Abbas of contributing to the ongoing Israeli siege of the coastal territory.

The Palestinian caretaker government in the West Bank, proposed few months ago taking control of Gaza's borders to alleviate the suffering of Gaza's 1.5 million residents amidst Israeli closure.

Last month, the Hamas-led government in Gaza agreed to Abbas taking control over the Rafah crossing terminal, in coordination with its own forces and without intervention of European observers.

Cairo insisted that the terminal be reopened within the 2005's U.S-brokered arrangements, with Abbas's forces in control and European observers monitoring.

Last June, Israel placed Gaza under strict closure after Hamas took over the coastal region, amidst a power struggle with Fatah party of President Abbas, who embraces a peace strategy.
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