Israel to close Gaza-Egypt border

Israel is to close the Rafah border crossing between Gaza and Egypt until further notice, officials said today, after proposing new arrangements that could include movement of Palestinians in and out of Gaza under the supervision of foreign inspectors without an Israeli presence.

The officials said the crossing, the only land link between Gaza and the outside world without passing through Isael, would be shut down tomorrow. Israel plans to complete its pull-out next week.

Palestinian officials said it was a unilateral Israeli move, and they were informed of the decision today.

Meanwhile, officials on both sides said intensive negotiations would continue, with an eye to reaching an agreement before Israel completes its pull-out, as early as Monday.

So far Israel-Palestinian talks on arrangements over the Rafah crossing on the Gaza-Egypt border have failed to resolve the key issue: Israel insists on maintaining control over the flow of cargo and people in and out of Gaza for security reasons, while the Palestinians demand open access to the outside world to revive Gaza’s economy.

Full details of Israel’s decision today were not released. However, defence officials and Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said the vital crossing would be closed for at least six months.

During that time, Israel would retain control of Gaza’s access points. Palestinian travellers would pass into Egypt through a new crossing at the juncture of Gaza, Egypt and Israel near the Kerem Shalom village, and cargo from Gaza would cross into Egypt at Israel’s Nitzana crossing, about 20 miles from Gaza.

After six months, Rafah could reopen, Israeli Foreign Minister Silvan Shalom said, raising the possibility that foreign inspectors could be deployed there to ensure weapons and militants do not pass into Gaza over the border. Palestinians had already accepted the idea of foreign inspectors at the border as a compromise proposal to ease Israeli security fears.

“If we would want at a later time to permit the entry and exit from Rafah to Egypt, and smoothly, we would want a third party there. There is no doubt that the Europeans are very interested to be the third party,” Shalom told Israel Radio.

Palestinian Cabinet Secretary Samir Hleileh said the Palestinians were not discussing Kerem Shalom, insisting on a two-way crossing at Rafah. Hleileh told The Associated Press that a move by Israel to close the Rafah crossing “will strengthen our suspicion that the Israelis want to turn Gaza into a big prison”.

He said there would be intensive talks in the coming days in an attempt to resolve the problems before the Israeli pullout, which he said would take place Monday.

Israel defence officials said that Israel would allow Rafah to be reopened only if the Palestinians crack down on militants groups, a long-standing Israeli demand – and part of the “road map” peace plan – that Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas has rejected.

Any decision on Rafah’s future status would be made only after Israel left Gaza, the officials said.

The Palestinians demand a firm commitment to reopening Rafah within three months and it was unlikely they would accept the proposal without changes. No immediate Palestinian reaction to the latest Israeli stand was available.

Israeli Vice Premier Shimon Peres said an agreement on the border crossings was “crucial to the completion of the withdrawal from Gaza”.

Peres said he was optimistic an agreement could be reached in the coming days, before Israel withdraws from Gaza, which could come as soon as Monday.

“I think the gaps are very narrow and manageable, and I hope in a very short while they will be solved,” he said, without providing details.

International envoy James Wolfensohn, who has been working to broker the agreement, said the free flow of goods and people was crucial to the success of the Gaza pullout.

“You need a door to move in and out, and if you say that there has to be an Israeli at that door then it is not a withdrawal,” he said.