Channel 12 Arab affairs correspondent Ohad Hemo is warning against the reopening of the Rafah Crossing without Israel controlling those passing through it, something that appears to be unrealistic at the moment.
"After Operation Protective Edge, the defense establishment promised that it would know who enters and exits and that it would know about the tunnel system. I think that in a certain sense, the government is stuck at October 6th, and so they are prepared to allow the entry and exit from Gaza without Israeli eyes monitoring it. The Egyptians said that only they would decide who goes in and out," Hemo stated.
He said that while just a few months ago the government insisted on control over the Rafah Crossing, it now appears to be seeking to allow its reopening through tacit consent. “After all, Netanyahu shaped a clear Israeli public consensus that the Rafah Crossing and the Philadelphi Corridor were indispensable, and just a few months later, quietly, Israel is allowing the Rafah Crossing to be opened," he said.
Hemo also explained why he is so concerned about the reopening. "The Rafah Crossing is what will create Hamastan, not the Philadelphi Corridor and not the tunnels. This crossing allows Gaza to become a terrible jihadist element on the southern border."
"Allowing free passage through the crossing without really reaching the second stage [of the Trump plan], without Hamas being disarmed and still governing Gaza, is a diplomatic disaster," he concludes.