Le Monde newspaper said that Egypt and the United States did not oppose the entry of the Israeli army into the crossing point between the Gaza Strip and Sinai, and considered this a sign of secret arrangements between these two countries and Israel.

The newspaper explained - in a joint report between its correspondents in Cairo, Jerusalem and Beirut - that the images of Israeli tanks advancing to the Philadelphia axis along the border with Egypt, 19 years after Israel’s withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, did not elicit in Cairo and Washington anything but very measured reactions. .

White House spokesman John Kirby stressed that Israel informed Washington that its operation was “limited in scope, size and duration,” and was unlikely to bury the negotiations, noting his country’s insistence on refusing to carry out a broader operation in Rafah.

For its part, Cairo condemned the threat posed by the Israeli fait accompli to the fragile negotiations, and warned of the risk of a “humanitarian nightmare” if the operations were extended. Many Egyptians on social media considered this a timid response to the attack on the country’s sovereignty and the blatant violation of the Israeli peace treaty. Egypt, especially since it did not announce any retaliatory diplomatic measures.

Good friends

Although the Cairo government continued to warn Israel against any unilateral maneuver in the corridor and against any expulsion of Gaza residents towards Sinai, it contented itself with condemning the broadcast of video clips by Israeli soldiers showing the Israeli flag flying at the Rafah crossing. This is enough - according to Le Monde - to fuel the idea that Cairo tolerates this. Spread, and one Egyptian diplomat says, "Yes, there are discussions, but we are still very concerned."

The newspaper pointed out that a tripartite discussion had been held to find a security arrangement along the Philadelphia Road since last January, after the Egyptian authorities felt dissatisfied with the ambition expressed by Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu to regain control of this corridor in order to destroy the smuggling tunnels believed to be under it.

In response, Egyptian officials threatened to reconsider the peace treaty, but diplomats and soldiers behind the scenes downplayed the extent of the dispute. An Egyptian diplomat said last February, “There is successful security coordination. The Israelis have understood our message well,” and he considered that the risk of forced displacement Residents have already ruled out, pointing to a “change of view” on the part of Israel and to messages sent by the Americans “who do not want to see everything they have worked to build for 50 years jeopardized.”

Israeli General Dan Goldfus, commander of the division deployed in Khan Yunis, had indicated that an operation in Rafah could not be carried out by surprising the Egyptians or without some form of coordination with them, and said, "We are good friends."

The secret of Cairo and Tel Aviv

The secret of the security arrangements between Cairo and Tel Aviv remains closely guarded - according to Le Monde - while an Egyptian source rules out that his country will allow Israel to deploy permanently at the Rafah crossing and along the Philadelphia Road, because this would give it control over all entrances to the Gaza Strip by sea and land. It would amount to a complete occupation of the Strip under international law.

For its part, the left-wing newspaper Haaretz confirmed that Israel had pledged to Egypt and the United States to eventually withdraw from the crossing and hand over its management to a private American security company, but Osama Hamdan, an executive in the Islamic Resistance Movement (Hamas), said, “The Rafah crossing was and will remain for us.” A purely Egyptian-Palestinian crossing, and we do not accept any presence there of any occupying force.”

The main gateway for international aid remained an active combat zone on Wednesday, and the surrounding areas were regularly bombed, while Israel, under pressure from US President Joe Biden, was forced to reopen the nearby Kerem Shalom crossing. However, no aid entered Gaza through any border. , said Scott Anderson, one of the main UN coordinators in Gaza.

With their determination to prevent the extension of the operation on Rafah, Washington and Cairo, together with the Qatari mediator, are seeking to open the way for negotiations. CIA Director William Burns visited Israel on Wednesday to bridge the gap between the Israeli proposal and the document approved by Hamas on Monday.

Source: Le Monde