Palestinians to run Gaza crossing
Rice steers two sides to border agreement New deal opens coastal territory to outside world
The Gaza Strip, a dubious prize by any measure, is not necessarily the vehicle to peace in the Middle East. But we will never know if Palestinians are capable of test- driving it to independence until Israel hands over the keys. Yesterday, after all- night talks forced upon Israelis and Palestinians by U. S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, the keys emerged. One by one they were grudgingly passed in a deal that saw Israel acquiesce on many of its deepest objections to ceding control of Gaza’s borders. The six- point agreement breaks a two-month deadlock that all but sapped the momentum of Israel’s historic withdrawal from Gaza in September. It sets out comprehensive rules that will open the isolated coastal territory to the outside world for the first time since 1967, when the Israeli army first occupied Gaza during the Six Day War. Among the key provisions: Gaza’s Rafah border crossing to Egypt will open as early as Nov. 25 under Palestinian control, JERUSALEM— but also under the scrutiny of a team of 60 European Union police and customs officials. The EU mission will operate under restrictions as monitors only, without the enforcement capabilities Israel had demanded. Israeli eyes will survey the passage with real- time video feed. Israel agrees to urgently upgrade the flow of exports from Gaza with the addition of new security scanning equipment that will see as many as 400 trucks a day move through the Karni cargo terminal into Israel by the end of 2006. The system will be adapted to encompass two other crossings, at Erez and Kerem Shalom. Israel will allow the passage of convoys from Gaza to the West Bank, the larger of the two Palestinian territories, with bus convoys operational by Dec. 15 and truck convoys by Jan. 15. Work is to begin immediately on the construction of a Gaza seaport, with Israeli assurances to international donors that it will not interfere with the operation. The seaport, which is not expected to be operational until at least 2008, will function under security arrangements similar to Rafah, with third- party monitoring. Israel also acknowledges the importance of reopening the Gaza’s lone airport, but its status will be subject to further talks. Israel agrees to accelerate efforts to reduce military obstacles in the West Bank to minimize disruption to Palestinian lives, with the work to be completed by Dec. 31. Rice, who put her personal prestige on the line to cement the arrangement, hailed the agreement as a delicate compromise designed to give Palestinians “freedom to move, to trade, to live ordinary lives.” “ The important thing here is that people have understood that there is an important balance between security on the one hand, and on the other hand, allowing Palestinian people freedom of movement,” Rice told reporters in Jerusalem. “ The other important point is that everybody recognizes that if the Palestinians can move more freely and export their agriculture, that Gaza will be a much better place, where the institutions of democracy can begin to take hold.” Foreign Affairs Minister Pierre Pettigrew said in a statement Canada welcomes news of the agreement, and “ will continue to provide its support to ensure that progress continues.” Israeli and Palestinian officials alike hailed the pact as a significant breakthrough. “ It is in the interest of both sides that Palestinians enjoy freedom of trade to enhance their economy. We’ve been keen for this all along,” said David Baker, a spokesman for Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon. But with Israel drifting toward early elections, Sharon’s rivals immediately set upon the agreement, warning it is likely to backfire in the transition from paper to reality. “ The results are easy to see,” former Israeli prime minister Benjamin Netanyahu told a meeting of Israel’s Foreign Affairs and Defence Committee. “ There will be plenty of weapons finding their way to Gaza. Qassam rockets and mortars will be transported through Judea and Samaria ( the West Bank) to be launched at Israel.” Despite an eleventh- hour ultimatum from Rice, Palestinian officials said much of the credit for the agreement belongs to special Mideast envoy James Wolfensohn, the former World Bank president who works in the region on behalf of the United States, Russia, the EU and the United Nations. “ Wolfensohn is proving to be unique among envoys to the region as a truly honest broker,” said Sharif Hamadeh, a spokesman for the Palestinian Authority Negotiations Support Unit. “ He’s not a political player. He doesn’t have a career to watch out for. He has nothing to lose, in that sense, and at the same time he actually cares,” Hamadeh said. “ When he stood up and told everyone, ‘ If you don’t agree to this I’m going home’ it brought a lot of pressure to bear.’ ”