Palestine Authority says ready to control Rafah checkpoint
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The Palestinian government says it is prepared to take over the Rafah checkpoint and control it under international supervision.
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Egyptian ambulance drivers, carrying bodies of Palestinians who died at Egyptian hospital after injuries from the war in Gaza, wait to cross Rafah crossing port, Egypt, on the way to Gaza Strip, occupied Palestine, November 27, 2023. (AP)
The Palestinian government has expressed its readiness to take control of the Rafah checkpoint on the border with Egypt, on the condition that the Israeli occupation forces withdraw from the crossing critical for the entry of humanitarian aid, Palestinian National Economy Minister Mohammed al-Amour told Sputnik.
Al-Amour emphasized that the Palestinian authorities were prepared to manage the Rafah crossing in accordance with the 2005 agreement stipulating the complete withdrawal of the Israeli occupation forces from Gaza.
The minister underlined that the arrangement would involve the presence of international observers to ensure transparency and cooperation with the ultimate goal of benefiting the Palestinian people.
"Our position is clear: we are ready to operate the Rafah checkpoint under the 2005 agreement with the presence of international observers, but this is contingent upon the withdrawal of the occupying Israeli forces," al-Amour stated.
Negotiations have stalled
However, according to a report by Israeli news portal Walla!, citing high-ranking US and Israeli officials, negotiations involving the Israeli occupation, Egypt, and the United States have stalled. The primary point of contention remains the occupation's refusal to allow Palestine any operational control over the Rafah crossing.
The Israeli occupation forces have been in direct control of Rafah since May, though they were controlling whether the checkpoint is open or not and what goes through it since the start of the war on Gaza, imposing a stifling blockade on the Palestinian people.
The Rafah and Karem Abu Salem crossings are the only routes to deliver aid to southern Gaza, the latter being under the full physical control of the occupation forces, while the former, despite its entry being under Egyptian authority, remained subject to Israeli approval or rejection by force of strikes and shelling. That is until the Israeli occupation forces occupied it following the invasion of Rafah.
Israelis believe that controlling the Rafah crossing would pressure the Resistance, Hamas, by putting the occupation in direct control of the aid entering densely-populated southern Gaza.
After occupying Rafah, the Israelis held talks with the United States to hand over control of Rafah to a private security contracting company.
According to Haaretz, the Israeli occupation government, in order to secure the deal, has been negotiating with "a private company in the US that specializes in assisting armies and governments around the world engaged in military conflicts. The company has operated in several African and Middle Eastern countries, guarding strategic sites like oil fields, airports, army bases, and sensitive border crossings. It employs veterans of elite US Army units."
Under the agreed terms between the three parties, once "Israel" finishes its 'limited operation' in the border crossing area, a US company will take over the operation of the facility. This responsibility includes overseeing goods entering Gaza from Egypt and preventing Hamas from regaining control of the crossing. "Israel" and the US will provide support to the company as needed.
