Blinken 'proposes international force' on Gaza-Egypt border amid Egyptian rejection

US Secretary of State Antony Blinken has proposed to Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi the stationing of international forces on the Philadelphi corridor between the Gaza Strip and Egypt, in exchange for an Israeli withdrawal from the corridor and the Netzarim Junction in the centre of the strip, the New Arab’s Arabic-language sister site Al-Araby Al-Jadeed has reported.

The proposal was apparently poorly received in Egypt, which rejects any changes to previous agreements with Israel regarding the border area.

Blinken has recently concluded a trip to the Middle East which took him to Israel and Qatar as well as Egypt, in an effort to revive negotiations over a ceasefire which have stalled due to Israel’s demands that its troops remain on the Philadelphi Corridor and at Netzarim.

In Egypt he met intelligence chief Abbas Kamel and Foreign Minister Badr Abdelatty in addition to Sisi.

Egypt has rejected any Israeli presence on the Philadelphi Corridor, while Hamas has demanded a full Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip including the Netzarim Junction.

Al-Araby Al-Jadeed said that Blinken had earlier discussed his proposal for international forces with Israeli leaders before arriving in Cairo, which would reportedly give Israel oversight of the forces, which would be stationed on both sides of the Gaza-Egypt border.

Egypt has strongly rejected any proposal to change the status quo which existed before the outbreak of the Israel-Gaza war on 7 October.

The 2005 Philadelphi agreement between Egypt and Israel stipulates that Egyptian troops be stationed on the border with Gaza in order to combat "terrorism" and infiltration from the Palestinian enclave.

The troops are not allowed to build fortifications or weapons depots and are subject to monitoring by the multinational force already present in Egypt’s Sinai Peninsula under the 1979 Camp David agreement.

Commenting on Blinken’s reported proposal Jihad Taha, a spokesman for Hamas, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: "Any future arrangements concerning the future of the Gaza Strip should be purely Palestinian without the interference of anyone else.

"Foreign forces on Gaza’s territory are unacceptable and the Palestinian factions are unanimous on this."

Abdullah Al-Ashaal, a former Egyptian diplomat, told Al-Araby Al-Jadeed: "It's impossible for any peacekeeping forces to enter the Gaza Strip because neither the Palestinian resistance nor Egypt accept that."

"The presence of foreign forces on Gaza’s territory is a threat to Egyptian national security," he added.