Updated on: 4/1/2024
Up till now, there has been no official Egyptian
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu stated on Saturday that the border area known as the "Philadelphi Corridor" or as known in Egypt “Salahudin Corridor” between Gaza and Egypt should be under Israeli control.
"The Philadelphi Corridor, or more precisely, the southern checkpoint (in Gaza), must be under our control. It must be closed. Any other alternative arrangement will not ensure the disarmament we are seeking." Netanyahu emphasized this in his weekly press conference following his cabinet meeting.
Expressing his belief that Israel's ongoing conflict in Gaza and other regions would persist for several more months, Bibi with a face botched with a makeup that failed to hide the impact of the war he launched on his health spoke about his plan concerning the Philadelphia Corridor despite Egypt’s warnings.
In October, Egypt issued a warning to Israel against conducting any military operations within the 100-metre-wide corridor, a region governed by the Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty of 1979.
Last week the Egyptian informed sources denied that the Israeli army was operating in the Philadelphia Corridor according to Israeli media reports.
The week before, Israeli TV channel KAN reported that Egypt rejected a suggestion from Israel to deploy a joint security a joint Egyptian Israeli force on the Philadelphi axis near the border with the Gaza Strip. The Egyptian state is not stupid to be dragged to the fight.
The Israeli officials insist that tunnels are under the Philadelphi corridor, but the Egyptian officials deny it. Officially all the tunnels between Egypt and Gaza are closed in Rafah.
Now what is the Philadephi Corridor or as known in Egypt Salaheddin Corridor?
First, it has nothing to do with Philadelphia. I tried to find its name’s origin but failed.
The Philadelphi Corridor is a narrow strip of land, 14 km in length, situated along the entire border between Egypt and Gaza. Established as a buffer zone between Egypt and Israel under the 1979 Peace Treaty, any military actions in this area by either country require prior permission from the other.
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| Philadelphi corridor or route on the map |
Originally, Israeli forces controlled the corridor until the unilateral Israeli disengagement in 2005. Subsequently, Egypt and Israel signed the Philadelphi Accord, which serves as an annexe to the Peace Agreement.
Under these accords, Egypt deployed 750 border guards to patrol the border on its side, while the Palestinian Authority assumed control over the Palestinian side. This arrangement has remained in place even after the Hamas takeover in 2007 and the subsequent siege.
Now what makes me really worry is not that Israel will take over the Phildaphli corridor, it is already occupying Gaza and it controls the crossings and corridors. What makes me really worry is why the Israeli government wants to control it and what they will use it for.
The Israeli government wants to take over unilaterally the corridor which is operated by Egyptian forces to force displace the Palestinians from Gaza to Sinai in a nutshell.
For days now, the Israeli army has been intensifying the attacks on Rafah and South Gaza to force the displaced Palestinians to go south more.
I have not written anything about the Egyptian Presidential elections or their results so far, but I know the Israeli war on Gaza and the threats to Egypt’s Sinai to be a substitute home to over 1.5 million Palestinians in this critical time are the main challenges facing President Abdel Fattah El-Sisi right now.
El-Sisi’s third term will officially start in June and yet his plate is truly full of two wars six months earlier: one in the South aka Sudan’s war of the generals and another in the East in addition to an even more challenging economic crisis.
Again, neither the Palestinians nor Egyptians welcome this suggestion or scenario of replacing Gaza with Sinai. It is not because Egypt or Egyptians hate Palestinians, or the Palestinians are troublemakers as portrayed by pro-Israel media.
Since the 1950s, Palestinians have resisted displacement, determined not to repeat the actions of their ancestors who left their towns and villages in the North to Zionist groups. They have resolved to stay in Gaza, a decision that the world, including Israel, must respect per the right to self-determination.
Egyptians do not wish to host Palestinians, not out of hostility, but because they believe in the concept of Palestine, the right to a Palestinian state, and Palestinian self-determination. They understand that once Palestinians cross the borders into Sinai, they will not be allowed to return.
The fact that Israeli officials and public figures have been openly discussing for the past weeks the invasion of Gaza and its transformation into settlements serves as evidence of this. There has been some real development in Israeli settlements, with promotions appearing on social media about an upcoming settlement compound on the northern beaches of Gaza.
Anyhow, I am waiting for the Egyptian official comments on Bibi’s statements.
I read that the IDF used a computer to randomly generate an operational code word for this corridor and it came up with "Philadelphi." This might be in Wikipedia.
ReplyDeleteI think Egypt is correct not to allow Gazans to be displaced into its territory. I also saw a report a few weeks into the war that in the days after October 7, Israel's PM asked Biden, Macron and Sunak to persuade Egypt to give refuge to Gazans. The told him "No way! President al Sissi won't stand for it and neither will we."