In just six days since Israeli forces retreated from Gaza, it is estimated that hundreds of rifles have been brought through the border, as well as bullets and rockets of all types: anti-tank, anti-aircraft, and Katyushas. The weapons increase the danger facing southern Israeli cities from terrorist intentions.
Terrorists of Hamas and Islamic Jihad have also made their way across the border in recent days. IDF Southern Command sources fear that over the coming weeks, increasing numbers of terrorists will try to cross the Gaza border into mainland Israel and carry out terror attacks. Three Arabs who crossed the northern Gaza border were arrested by Israeli forces over the weekend, and shots were fired at an IDF jeep from northern Gaza today.
Meir Indor, of the Almagor Terror Victims Assocation, sent a telegram to Prime Minister Sharon in New York, saying, "Years of security work in preventing arms-smuggling to southern Gaza have gone down the drain. Hundreds of soldiers, including some who gave their lives, worked to prevent arms-smuggling, and this was all erased by the irresponsible order to retreat from the Philadelphi Route, relying on a quickly-collapsed agreement with an enemy - as we warned would occur."
Despite promises by PA chief Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) to stabilize the border situation, the PA has made little efforts to do so, until today. Free passage for Arabs between Gaza and Egypt has been the rule since last Monday, and thousands of Arabs have traversed the border in both directions. PA police officers fired into the air yesterday in a half-hearted attempt to control the area.
This morning, the PA announced that it had stationed 2,000 policemen along the route, and that it had stopped up the breaks in the wall across the border. PA sources have admitted that many weapons were smuggled across the border over the past few days.
At the same time, it was learned that Egypt plans to violate the newly-signed agreement with Israel regarding its forces in Sinai. Israel allowed Egypt to deploy 750 armed men along the Philadelphi Route between Gaza and Egypt, in violation of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty of 1979. However, Egypt now has plans to negotiate border changes with the Palestinian Authority, over the heads of the Israelis.
The London-based Al-Kuds Al-Arabiye newspaper reports that Egypt and the PA are conducting talks to unite the city of Rafiah and move the border south of the city.
MK Yuval Shteinitz, Chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, says he was right all along in warning against allowing the Egyptians to control the Philadelphi Route. "We warned the government that the Egyptians' real intention is not to fight the smuggling into Gaza," he said today, "but to get a military foothold in the Sinai - but Sharon and Mofaz preferred to fall for [Egyptian President] Mubarak's promises. Now the Palestinians and the Egyptians are creating 'controlled anarchy' and are allowing the terrorist organizations to smuggle weapons and turn Gaza into southern Lebanon."
Left-wing MKs Matan Vilnai (Labor) and Chemi Doron (Shinui) also criticized the Egyptians for their behavior in southern Gaza. "Egypt must wake up quickly, prevent violations of diplomatic agreements, and stabilize their control," Vilnai said. Doron said that Egypt is violating the agreement even before its ink has dried.
Terrorists of Hamas and Islamic Jihad have also made their way across the border in recent days. IDF Southern Command sources fear that over the coming weeks, increasing numbers of terrorists will try to cross the Gaza border into mainland Israel and carry out terror attacks. Three Arabs who crossed the northern Gaza border were arrested by Israeli forces over the weekend, and shots were fired at an IDF jeep from northern Gaza today.
Meir Indor, of the Almagor Terror Victims Assocation, sent a telegram to Prime Minister Sharon in New York, saying, "Years of security work in preventing arms-smuggling to southern Gaza have gone down the drain. Hundreds of soldiers, including some who gave their lives, worked to prevent arms-smuggling, and this was all erased by the irresponsible order to retreat from the Philadelphi Route, relying on a quickly-collapsed agreement with an enemy - as we warned would occur."
Despite promises by PA chief Mahmoud Abbas (Abu Mazen) to stabilize the border situation, the PA has made little efforts to do so, until today. Free passage for Arabs between Gaza and Egypt has been the rule since last Monday, and thousands of Arabs have traversed the border in both directions. PA police officers fired into the air yesterday in a half-hearted attempt to control the area.
This morning, the PA announced that it had stationed 2,000 policemen along the route, and that it had stopped up the breaks in the wall across the border. PA sources have admitted that many weapons were smuggled across the border over the past few days.
At the same time, it was learned that Egypt plans to violate the newly-signed agreement with Israel regarding its forces in Sinai. Israel allowed Egypt to deploy 750 armed men along the Philadelphi Route between Gaza and Egypt, in violation of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty of 1979. However, Egypt now has plans to negotiate border changes with the Palestinian Authority, over the heads of the Israelis.
The London-based Al-Kuds Al-Arabiye newspaper reports that Egypt and the PA are conducting talks to unite the city of Rafiah and move the border south of the city.
MK Yuval Shteinitz, Chairman of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee, says he was right all along in warning against allowing the Egyptians to control the Philadelphi Route. "We warned the government that the Egyptians' real intention is not to fight the smuggling into Gaza," he said today, "but to get a military foothold in the Sinai - but Sharon and Mofaz preferred to fall for [Egyptian President] Mubarak's promises. Now the Palestinians and the Egyptians are creating 'controlled anarchy' and are allowing the terrorist organizations to smuggle weapons and turn Gaza into southern Lebanon."
Left-wing MKs Matan Vilnai (Labor) and Chemi Doron (Shinui) also criticized the Egyptians for their behavior in southern Gaza. "Egypt must wake up quickly, prevent violations of diplomatic agreements, and stabilize their control," Vilnai said. Doron said that Egypt is violating the agreement even before its ink has dried.