Overcome by continuous instability along its coastal strip bordering Gaza that is threatening a population explosion with exodus of Palestinian refugees breaching the Rafah border and growing prominence of Iranian influence in the politics of western Asia, Egypt is trying its level best to broker a peace deal between Israel and Hamas. Egypt is currently the only state that is carrying out dialogues with both Israel and the Hamas about the escalating conflict in Gaza.
A long-term solution to the current crisis in Gaza would require halting rocket attacks on Israeli settlements by Hamas, stability along the Rafah border, Hamas getting some kind of an international recognition and handing over the Palestinian Authority control over Gaza. In the current political scenario, it is unlikely that Israel would accede to the Palestinian demands. With hardly any leverage, Egypt is trying to reach a “mutual tahdiyeh”, the Arabic for “calming” between Israel and the Hamas. The Egyptian intelligence chief Omar Suleiman is overseeing the “tahdiyeh”. Two weeks back Mahmoud al-Zahar, a Hamas politician linked to its military wing had traveled to Cairo. The Israeli Defense Ministry official Amos Gilad had twice been to Cairo in the past week.
Hamas is demanding that the economic siege of Gaza be lifted by Israel. Israel is reluctant to lift the siege completely, but it might agree to reopen partially the Rafah crossing. At Egypt’s behest USA has been urging Israel to reopen Rafah that would besides easing tensions would also bring back the European monitors who abandoned it when Hamas seized control of the Strip last summer. Among the issues to be negotiated are who should be allowed to pass through Rafah and whether the monitors could resume their rights to search and confiscate large sums of money. The Hamas officials have been alleged to use Rafah in the past to move huge amounts of money to fund their activities in Gaza and Palestine.
Israel has estimated that Hamas is looking for a relatively long-term cease-fire as it has lost a large number of fighters and has nearly depleted its arsenals.
Meanwhile, US officials have urged Israel not to do anything that would undermine its relation with Egypt. Israel had earlier accused Egypt of not doing enough to stop arms smuggling across the Gaza-Egypt border.
Image credit: ny times
Source: cs monitor
