Israel and Egypt still talking about Philadelphi Corridor and Rafah

A senior Egyptian security source denied reports yesterday of a plan being considered by Israel to move the Rafah Border Crossing to the border triangle in the Karam Abu Salem area on the Egyptian-Israeli border, Al-Qahera News channel claimed. The Israeli Broadcasting Authority Kan 11, meanwhile, reported that Israel is studying the possibility of evacuating the Palestinians in Rafah to the north of the Gaza Strip, in preparation for an Israeli army operation on the Palestinian side of the border with Egypt.

The Egyptian official also denied reports that Israel targeted an Egyptian aid truck belonging to UNRWA in northern Gaza. According to the agency’s Commissioner-General, Philippe Lazzarini, Israel opened fire on a food convoy in Gaza.

Regarding the Rafah area and the Philadelphi Corridor (aka Salah Al-Din Corridor) from which the occupation forces withdrew in 2005 as part of the unilateral disengagement plan from the Gaza Strip and settlements in the northern occupied West Bank, Kan 11 said that during talks with the Egyptians, Israeli security officials mentioned the possibility of carrying out a military operation on the Gaza side of the border. Egyptian officials apparently expressed their concern to the Israelis about widespread “infiltration” operations into Egypt if such an operation takes place, because there are around 1.2 million displaced Palestinians in the area.

Kan 11 said that the Israelis tried to provide “reassurances” to the Egyptians that “the [Palestinian] refugees will be evacuated from the Rafah area before the start of military operations in the area. The report also referred to Israeli “ideas” about allowing Palestinians to move from the south of the Gaza Strip to the north, beginning with women and children.

“The other path being considered by Israel is to evacuate [Palestinians] to other areas within the Gaza Strip with the aim of relieving crowding near the border area with Egypt, in a way that reduces [Cairo’s] fears,” reported the channel. It confirmed that in the past few days, Israel has held talks with Egypt regarding what is known in Israeli discourse as “the day after” the war in Gaza.

According to the report, the head of Israel’s Shin Bet internal security agency, Ronen Bar, and the Head of the Unit for Coordination of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Ghasan Alyan represented the Israelis in these talks. The channel stressed that Israel sees Egypt as the most important party regarding “the day after the war” because it is the only ground route out of Gaza that doesn’t pass through the occupation state, and an influential and important player in the Arab world.

READ: UNRWA: About 100,000 dead, wounded or missing in Gaza