The European Union monitors who so enthusiastically took up positions on the Gaza-Egypt border in 2005 to help make sure Israel could not close it for security reasons no longer want to be there.
The monitors have raised concerns for their safety following a number of threats to their lives over the past few weeks. An Israeli defense official reportedly told The Jerusalem Post that a bomb was found on a road frequented by the monitors in Gaza several weeks ago.
"They are genuinely concerned for their lives," a senior defense official said of the EU monitors.
The head of the 80-man EU team, Italian Maj.-Gen. Pietro Pistolese, met last week with IDF Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi to plot an escape route should the Palestinians decide to attack them.
The meeting came before the scheduled signing of an agreement to extent the group's permission to monitor in Gaza for another year. The agreement was first signed following Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in 2005.
"They want to know that we will help them escape if the need arises," the Israeli defense official said, according to The Jerusalem Post. He added, "Their concerns are understandable if you take into account the large number of threats they face."
The escape proposal that was reportedly accepted would have the Europeans make a dash for the security fence that separates Gaza from southern Israel, where the much-maligned IDF would then rescue them from the oncoming hordes of peace-loving Palestinians.
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