Israel eyes expanded Egyptian force at Gaza border

[Scurrilous]

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"Israel is weighing a proposal for Egypt to increase the number of its guards on the border with the Gaza Strip as part of stepped-up efforts to prevent Hamas from rearming, Israeli officials said on Sunday.

Outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert cited new security arrangements with Egypt in unilaterally calling off military operations in the Gaza Strip after a 22-day offensive, but he offered no specifics.

Israel has long resisted an increase in Egyptian border forces on the grounds that it would run counter to the 1979 peace treaty between Egypt and Israel. The treaty limits the number of Egyptian guards to 750 but Israeli officials said Cairo proposed doubling that number to 1,500.

Egypt has said it would not allow foreign troops to patrol its side of the Gaza border.

Israeli officials, speaking on condition of anonymity, said the issue of expanding Egypt's border guard presence was raised with Israel in talks over ending Gaza's military offensive. "The issue has not been a problem in the talks," one official said.

Washington has privately questioned Israel's resistance to Egyptian requests for an increase, arguing that the 750 border guards authorised under the 1979 treaty was not enough to do the job, diplomats said."

more

[Scurrilous]

1. Israel to allow Egypt to boost force on Gaza border

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"Israel has taken a favorable view of an Egyptian request to increase the force of its border guards along the Philadelphi Route by at least 750 - and possibly as much as 1,500 - according to a senior Israeli political source.

Meanwhile, the head of the political-security bureau at the Defense Ministry, Amos Gilad, discussed the matter of expanding the Egyptian border force with Omar Suleiman, head of the Egypt's intelligence, in Cairo last night."

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"It is also unclear whether the broadening of the Egyptian border force will become part of the Israeli-Egyptian peace accords, or whether it will be a tacit agreement between the two. If the agreement is to be anchored in a written deal, the cabinet and the Knesset will need to approve it because it will alter the peace agreement of 1979.

"Increasing the Egyptian force will not constitute an obstacle to the understandings between the two countries on the issue of smuggling," a political source said yesterday in Jerusalem. "This is not what will make this deal fail."

Regarding possible numbers of Egyptian troops, the senior political source said that currently there are 750 troops along the border and Egypt had asked to double that number in the past. However, now tripling the force is being considered, raising the number to 2,250, and enabling 750 soldiers to patrol in three shifts 24 hours a day.

The issue of expanding the Egyptian force had been at the crux of a loud debate between the Foreign Ministry and the Defense Ministry. Following the breach of the Rafah crossing by Hamas in January 2008, a cabinet meeting was held at which time officials of the Foreign Ministry recommended that Egypt's proposal for a larger force should be accepted.

The Defense Ministry, and particularly Amos Gilad, opposed the Egyptian request, and the matter was tabled.

However, following Operation Cast Lead and the understandings reached between Israel and Egypt to stop smuggling, it appears that there has been a change of heart at the Defense Ministry on the matter."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1057965.html

[bemildred]

2. Good. I figured they'd have to crack on that issue. nt

[pelsar]

3. the problem is not the numbers...

its the quality of the force...they are quasi police force....basically the "bottom of the barrel when it comes to quality. If that isnt improved i doubt much will change......and of course someone has to tell the bedouin that smuggling isnt included in an "honests days work"....and for that they'll need more equipment adn motivation

[bemildred]

4. Thank you for explaining that.

I don't really expect the situation with the tunnels will change that much until they become uneconomic. It is true that much could be done with cooperation from the Gaza side, but there is no motivation for them to do that at present.