Israel votes for Egyptian troops on Gaza border
Israel’s parliament easily approved handing responsibility over the Gaza-Egypt border to Egyptian soldiers, but the debate became part of a rift that could hold up further Mideast peacemaking – hard-liner Benjamin Netanyahu’s campaign to unseat Prime Minister Ariel Sharon.
The 53-28 vote yesterday in favour of posting 750 Egyptian troops to replace Israeli forces that have been toiling to stop Palestinian arms smuggling, approved a key element in ending Israel’s 38-year occupation of the Gaza Strip.
