By giving a green light to Egypt’s initiative to facilitate an Israeli troop withdrawal from Gaza, the quartet of nations responsible for overseeing the road map is hoping it can chart a course back to what is left of the peace plan. Over the weekend, the quartet lent its support to Egypt in promoting the pullout by agreeing on the need to reform the Palestinian security services and offer training. Egypt had previously agreed to dispatch around 100 security advisors to help train and restructure the police forces of the Palestinian Authority decimated by consistent Israeli attacks during nearly four years of the intifada.
Before sending personnel, Egypt is seeking guarantees from both sides. From the Israelis Cairo wants confirmation that there will be an unequivocal commitment that Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmed Qorei will be authorized to operate a Palestinian security force. The commitment should be coupled with an Israeli pledge that it will not attack Gaza or Egyptian security officials in Gaza. Israeli withdrawal will be orderly, complete and free of any further military confrontations like the one witnessed Saturday in which six Palestinians were killed.
Egypt has repeatedly declared that it would not play its role in facilitating the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza without the full consent of all Palestinian factions. On his part, Qorei has praised the Egyptian plan, calling it a “safety net” for the Palestinian people. However, some Palestinian political factions have not been as welcoming, saying that the security of Israelis should not be the priority, that the occupation is the problem, not the Palestinians, and that looking at the issue any other way would be to turn it on its head. There have even been some threats made to Egypt should it embark on its initiative. The threats, while they should be taken seriously, should not stop any process meant to free the Palestinians and their land. Logic says that not a single Palestinian would harm any Arab who has come to help Israel withdraw from Palestinian land. These are post-occupation arrangements meant to ensure that this disengagement will work.
Egypt is also fighting back against the scheme Israel has reportedly come up with to dig a trench or moat along the Gaza-Egypt border. The trench is to be built because, claims Israel, tunnels between Rafah and the Egyptian border are being used to smuggle weapons into Gaza.
Even if the Israeli claim is justified, hundreds of Palestinian homes would once again have to be destroyed to build the trench, and that is no justification for building it. In addition, Gaza is still occupied, meaning under international law that not even an ashtray can be moved from point A to point B. Everything must remain as is until the occupation ends.
If there is to be a complete pullout from Gaza, then surely Israel will have no need to build a trench or anything remotely similar. That Tel Aviv has even floated the idea raises questions over the real extent of a Gaza withdrawal.
