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.

While the evacuation of all 21 settlements in Gaza and four in the West Bank has widespread public support, Netanyahu is basing his challenge on opposition among registered members of the ruling Likud Party to the pullout. Many ideologues in the traditionally pro-settlement party are opposed. They control party institutions, giving Netanyahu a solid chance to unseat Sharon.

With a Likud party convention set for late September, election fever is rising in Israel. Elections are set for late 2006 but are likely to be brought forward, as both Likud and the moderate Labour are in the throes of leadership contests.

Palestinians are also facing parliamentary elections, and the focus by both sides on domestic politics is likely to push the hoped-for push for a peace accord in the wake of Israel’s Gaza pullout off the table.

Netanyahu quit Sharon’s government three weeks ago before the last vote on the pullout, saying he could not take part in the responsibility for evacuating Gaza and part of the West Bank.

Since then, he has been repeating themes from his 1996-99 term as prime minister, demanding concrete returns for Israeli gestures and charging that Sharon is undermining Israeli security.

During the parliamentary debate on the agreement with Egypt, Netanyahu displayed his basic distrust of both the Palestinians and the Egyptians, insisting on Israeli control of the Egypt-Gaza border, as well as the Gaza seacoast and air space.

“It is important that we keep the Philadelphi road in our hands,” he said, referring to the border route, “and certainly not give a port or airport to the Islamic terror base which is going to arise in Gaza.”

During more than four years of Palestinian-Israeli violence, Israeli forces have uncovered and destroyed dozens of tunnels under the border, used by Palestinians for smuggling arms and contraband into Gaza.