Rafah border crossing
Photo: AFP
EU examines possible return of observer force to Rafah crossing
European ambassador meets with IDF, Foreign Ministry officials in Israel, as well as PA and Egyptian officials to see what it would take to return the EU's observer force to the Rafah border crossing, which connects Gaza and Sinai.
In the light of the Palestinian reconciliation, the European Union is examining the possibility of returning its Border Assistance Mission (EUBAM) to the Rafah Border Crossing, Ynet learned on Sunday.
The European observers were at the crossing, connecting the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula, until 2007, when Hamas seized control of Gaza.
At present, the Rafah crossing remains closed most of the time, with the Egyptians opening it intermittently.
The Rafah border crossing (Photo: AFP)
As part of the reconciliation agreement Hamas signed with Fatah, the Palestinian Authority is meant to receive control of Gaza's border crossings on November 1, this coming Wednesday. However, the Rafah crossing will not be included, as its opening requires logistic preparations.
The EU Ambassador to Israel, Emanuele Giaufret, met with the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai, to learn what it would take for the EUBAM to return to the Rafah crossing, if the PA does indeed receive control over it.
COGAT told the EU ambassador and other officials that the conditions in the area have changed since Hamas took power in the strip, and that necessary adjustments should be made.
The Rafah border crossing (Photo: EPA)
The Europeans also met with representatives of the PA, Egyptian officials, and Israeli Foreign Ministry officials.
The EUBAM was deployed in Rafah in November 2005, numbering 70 unarmed observers at its peak. The force was tasked with supervising the crossing in accordance with an agreement signed between Israel and the PA. It was made up of police, border police and European customs officials.
During the EU force's time in Rafah, some 450,000 Palestinians went through the crossing—an average of 1,500 a day.
The Rafah border crossing (Photo: EPA)
When Hamas took over Gaza in June 2007, the EUBAM force left the strip, and for several years the observers lived at a hotel in Ashdod, waiting for the green light to return to Rafah.
As time passed, the force dwindled in numbers, and it currently has only 16 members, who have since moved to Tel Aviv.
If a decision is made to return the observer force to Rafah, the EU would have to reinforce it with additional observers.
Elior Levy contributed to this report.
