By Dr. Aaron Lerner
October 19, 2007
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It's not going to get better than this:
"The Egyptian Government is doing its utmost to control that territory. The limitation of forces in this area is a stumbling block and I think we will have to discuss the issue with the Israelis as well as with our partners, the Americans, to see what ways that would result on the increase of Egyptian forces that would ensure the discovery of such tunnels. What really displeases us, Secretary, is that some Israeli circles are raising that issue internationally, in the United Nations, claiming that there are lots and lots of weapons smuggled across Egypt. And that is something that we very much object to."
Egyptian Foreign Minister Aboul Gheit at a joint press conference with Secretary Condoleezza Rice - Cairo, Egypt October 16, 2007.
Again. It's not going to get better.
+ The arms and explosives pouring in from Egypt to Gaza aren't for the PA and its various semi-official or affiliated militias -- they are going to Hamas. So for most Palestinians -- or for that matter any Arab who supports Mahmoud Abbas over Hamas -- Egyptian anti-smuggling measures are seen in a positive light.
+ Egypt's own internal struggle against radical Moslems who are natural allies of Hamas further justifies a strong anti-smuggling stance.
+ Egypt is a sovereign state with the right to do basically anything it wants to create a manageable border area with the Gaza Strip. It can, for example, unilaterally exercise its ight of eminent domain and bulldoze a sterile zone adjacent to the border without any third party's consent.
+ Egypt can expect to be rewarded, both diplomatically and financially, if it launches a serious anti-smuggling operation.
And yet, despite this, Egypt doesn't act. Instead, it complains and seeks to exploit the situation to press Israel to permit Egypt to undermine the force limits that were the very underpinning of the Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty.
No. It won't get any better than that.
The actors involved in security arrangements for a sovereign Palestinian state would have all kind of reasons -- both domestic and international -- not to be effective.
And no photo op or well turned phrase is going to change that.
It won't get any better than that.
And since it won't get any better than that it would be sheer stupidity to embark on a path that relies on the effectiveness of arrangements that, a priori, won't work.
Secretary of State Rice, Foreign Minister Livni and all the rest can repeat the mantra that a sovereign Palestinian state could bring peace and security.
But the Egyptian performance at the border is the sign of things to come.
And that's anything but peace and security.
Views expressed by the author do not
necessarily reflect those of israelinsider.
 
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