JERUSALEM, 18 June 2004 — Israel set in motion a plan yesterday to dig a dry moat along the tinderbox Gaza-Egypt border, inviting bids for the project meant to prevent arms reaching Palestinians through tunnels.
The Defense Ministry published the tender notice 11 days after the Cabinet approved in principle a Gaza withdrawal plan, under which Israel would keep a narrow corridor on the Egyptian frontier pending possible security arrangements with Cairo.
Inviting bids by July 12, the ministry said the southern Gaza Strip “canal” would be 15 meters to 25 meters deep and stretch four km (2.5 miles).
A senior military source said it would hug the “Philadelphi Corridor” buffer zone spanning Rafah, a border refugee camp that sees regular clashes between Palestinians and Israeli forces. “Our main objective is stopping the tunnelers,” the source said, adding that final approval for the project was pending. At its proposed length, the moat would leave the remaining eight kilometers of Gaza-Egypt border untouched.
Palestinians accused Israel of isolating the impoverished coastal strip. “This is the beginning of turning the Gaza Strip into a big prison,” Palestinian Cabinet Minister Saeb Erekat said, likening the trench to the barrier Israel is constructing in the West Bank with the declared aim of stopping bombers.
The senior military source dismissed earlier speculation the trench would be flooded with water. “The canal will be dry, with special technologies incorporated to prevent tunneling further underneath it,” the source said without elaborating.
The multi-million dollar plan was floated last month by the Israeli military.
