Netanyahu opposes any official PA involvement in Rafah crossing: Axios
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US officials suggest that reopening the Rafah crossing could be an initial step in a broader post-war strategy aimed at stabilizing and rebuilding Gaza, as per Axios.
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This picture taken on October 19, 2023, shows the closed gate to the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, in the southern Gaza Strip. (AFP)
Three Israeli and US officials told Axios that the US, "Israel", and the Palestinian Authority held a covert meeting last week to discuss reopening the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza as part of a captive and ceasefire agreement.
US officials suggested that reopening the Rafah crossing could be an initial step in a broader post-war strategy aimed at stabilizing and rebuilding Gaza, as per the report.
It further stressed that "Israel" and Egypt have thus far been unable to reach an agreement on the reopening of the crossing.
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Egypt wants Palestinian Authority personnel to manage the crossing, while "Israel" prefers operators who are not affiliated with Hamas and are opposed to any official role for the Palestinian Authority, mainly due to domestic political reasons, the report detailed.
Additionally, the Biden administration views the reopening as a means to begin reestablishing governance in Gaza in a way that excludes Hamas and allows for some Palestinian Authority involvement, as per the report.
The meeting, held in Tel Aviv, included key figures such as President Biden's top Middle East Advisor, Brett McGurk; Israeli Shin Bet chief, Ronen Bar; and senior deputies to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Hussein al-Sheikh and Majed Faraj, as per Axios.
According to sources familiar with the meeting, the Israeli side emphasized that Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu opposes any official involvement by the Palestinian Authority in the Rafah crossing. Meanwhile, the Israelis urged Abbas' senior aides to send personnel to the crossing in an unofficial role, but the Palestinian side rejected this proposal.
IOF pullout from Philadelphi Axis discussed despite Netanyahu denying
This comes as The Times of Israel cited two informed officials as saying that Israeli negotiators have been discussing the issue of an Israeli military withdrawal from the key Philadelphi Corridor between the Gaza Strip and Egypt as part of a potential ceasefire agreement, despite the office of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denying the matter.
According to the officials, the withdrawal would be part of a plan where Egypt, with assistance from the United States and other international partners, would strengthen the border to prevent the Hamas movement from allegedly smuggling weapons into Gaza from Sinai.
Additionally, the officials indicated that the arrangement would include constructing an underground wall along the Philadelphi Corridor to eliminate the tunnel threat.
Earlier, Reuters cited two Egyptian sources and a third source familiar with the matter as saying that Israeli and Egyptian negotiators are discussing the implementation of an electronic surveillance system along the Gaza-Egypt border, which could allow "Israel" to withdraw its troops if a ceasefire is agreed upon.
Netanyahu's office described the Reuters report as "absolute fake news," affirming that the Israeli premier "insists that Israel remain on the Philadelphi Corridor."
On its part, the Israeli newspaper Maariv reported that officials involved in the negotiations mentioned that a partial withdrawal from the Philadelphi Corridor was proposed during the negotiations, specifically in the talks the director of the Shin Bet, Ronen Bar, made in Egypt.
Conversely, the newspaper mentioned that another official, also participating in the negotiations, said that "Israel" did not discuss the issue of the Philadelphi Corridor and did not address the issue of "Israel" maintaining control over the Rafah crossing.
Moreover, Al-Qahera News TV cited a high-ranking Egyptian source who denied rumors about Egyptian-Israeli security arrangements regarding the border with the Gaza Strip.
Netanyahu insists that "Israel" maintains control of the Philadelphi Corridor and the Rafah crossing, key Gaza territories along the border with Egypt, which conflicts with Hamas' position that the occupation forces must withdraw from all of the Gaza Strip after a ceasefire.
Netanyahu claimed that control of the Philadelphi Corridor is part of efforts to prevent "weapons to be smuggled to Hamas from Egypt."
What is the Philadelphia Axis?
The Philadelphia Axis is a region that extends from the Israeli-controlled Karem Abu Salem crossing, linking the Gaza Strip and occupied territories, to the southernmost point on the Gaza Strip's coast.
Also known as the Philadelphi Route, the 14 km narrow strip of land separates Palestine from Egypt and was established as a "buffer zone" between "Israel" and Egypt in a 1979 treaty. Before the Strip was liberated in 2005, the Axis was under the control of Israeli occupation forces.
Initially, the Israeli occupation had intended to utilize its presence in the region as a method to prevent the transfer of materials and goods into the Gaza Strip, however, intricate tunnel systems eventually deemed it an ineffective method. As the occupation withdrew from the Gaza Strip, it concluded the Philadelphi Accord with Egypt, in which 750 Egyptian troops were allowed to be positioned alongside the border under the title of "maintaining security".
