Israel requests Camp David amendment to keep control of Philadelphi Corridor

Israel has reportedly requested that the 2005 Philadelphi Accord between Israel and Egypt be abolished so that it can maintain a military presence on the Gaza-Egypt border, Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, The New Arab's Arabic-language sister edition, has learned.

Sources said that Israel was pushing for the 2005 agreement to be scrapped with amendments to be made to the 1979 Camp David Accords which would allow for Israeli soldiers to continue to occupy the Philadelphi Corridor - the border area between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, which includes the Rafah Crossing.

However, Egypt rejected the proposal, emphasising its categorical opposition to Israeli forces maintaining any presence in the Philadelphi Corridor.

The discussions reportedly took place during Monday's negotiations in Cairo, as part of broader talks concerning a ceasefire and hostage exchange deal between Israel and Hamas.

The sources said the Israeli delegation had submitted an official request during Monday's meeting to review the Camp David Accords and had introduced a written amendment that would legitimise its occupation of the border region.

The area was under Israeli control before the Philadelphi Accord was signed in 2005, which coincided with Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in 2005 under the terms of the disengagement plan.

The amendment pushed by Israel would allow it to "supervise the security situation on the border area of the Palestinian side", ensuring its ability to act in cases it perceived a threat to its security without needing prior permission from any party.

According to the sources, Egyptian officials said that even discussing amendments to the treaty could lead to a major crisis in the country due to the Egyptian public's strong opposition to Israel's assault on Gaza.

Egyptian officials emphasised their "commitment to rejecting the permanent presence of Israeli forces or personnel in the border area with the Gaza Strip while assuring Cairo's commitment to guaranteeing the area will not be used for resistance purposes".

According to information obtained by Al-Araby Al-Jadeed, discussions regarding the US and Israeli demands relating to the border area "saw significant tensions between the relevant military and security circles within the General Intelligence Service which is overseeing the negotiations, before a unified position was reached which firmly rejected any Israeli presence in the Philadelphi Corridor or any plans to relocate the Rafah crossing from its current location".

What is the Philadelphi Agreement?

The Philadelphi Corridor is a 14-kilometre ( around 8.69-miles) demilitarised buffer zone along the Egypt-Gaza border.

The Philadelphi Agreement was signed between Israel and Egypt in September 2005, which Israel claims is a security annexe to the Camp David Accords.

It stipulated the deployment of Egyptian forces along the corridor, whose sole mission is to combat "terrorism", infiltration across the border to Gaza, smuggling, and to detect tunnels.

The agreement prohibits Egyptian forces from installing fortifications and weapons depots or using military-style intelligence-gathering equipment.

Egyptian forces are subject to the monitoring of multinational forces present in Sinai. The agreement also requires periodic meetings between the Egyptian and Israeli sides, the exchange of intelligence information, and an annual assessment of the agreement's implementation.

This article is based on an article which appeared in our Arabic edition on 20 August 2024. To read the original article click here.