EU monitors to stay away from Rafah

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"European monitors will not return to the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Sinai while Hamas is in control there, but only if Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas's Force 17 "Presidential Guard" regains authority over the crossing, the deputy head of the monitoring force said on Wednesday.

Patrick Delval, the deputy head of EU BAM-Rafah, said at a press briefing that the border crossing had been closed since June 9, four days before the Hamas-Fatah fighting intensified.

He said the crossing, with an estimated €5 million worth of equipment, was now in Hamas's hands, but that he had not heard any reports of damage there.

The EU's ambassador to Israel, Ramiro Cibrian, said that the legal basis for the deployment of the EU force to Rafah was the agreement on movement and access from November 2005, which clearly stipulated that the Presidential Guard would control the crossing.

Now that Force 17 is no longer there, the terms of the agreement are not being met, making it impossible for the EU force to take up their positions.

The 70-man force is in Ashkelon, waiting for further orders."

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Rafah has been closed since June 9th.

Hamas gained control of Gaza on Thursday June 14th.

And Hamas closed Rafah?

*snort*

And what's this here 'agreement on movement and access from November 2005' they're referring to?

I heard a rumor on the internets that it's no longer in effect.

*snort*snort*

Hamas gained control of Gaza on Thursday June 14th.

that means they can do what they want with rafah....they can keep it closed or they can open it up...depending upon the Egyptians

and heres an update

Capt. Mohammed Hussein Ashour, of Hamas' militia, oversees 30 men in charge of the empty terminal. But Egyptian officials, still trying to figure out how to deal with the new situation in Rafah, will not talk to him, even though he has tried to talk to them over the border, he said "It all depends on Egyptian approval. They will eliminate all problems," he said. The crossing was opened briefly Monday to allow about 150 Palestinians to return to Gaza.

In addition, the EU monitoring mission that operates at Rafah under an agreement between the Palestinians and Israel pulled out June 9 because of the security situation "and that will remain until the situation becomes clear," said Maria Telleria, spokeswoman for the monitors.


http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/06/18/africa/ME-GEN-Gaza-Sealed-Borders.php
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lets analyse this for a moment:
the agreement says: PA presence, israeli monitoring, EU observers: To date, none of that exists yet the egyptian and hama opened the border "on their own"....and the Hamas officer has made it clear that from their point of view it can be opened, but its the egyptians that want it closed.

Hamas. They are basically saying we don't have to deal with Hamas (which we don't recognize) and we'll open that border when we feel like it, if we feel like it.

Are you trying to portray the fighting as going on for a few hours on June 14 and no other time?
Ys, the Hamas "coup" and fighting going on for several days resulted in closed borders.

snip
In addition, the EU monitoring mission that operates at Rafah under an agreement between the Palestinians and Israel pulled out June 9 because of the security situation "and that will remain until the situation becomes clear," said Maria Telleria, spokeswoman for the monitors.
snip
http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/06/18/africa/ME-GEN-Gaza-Sealed-Borders.php?page=2

"On 15 November 2005, Israel and the Palestinian Authority concluded an "Agreement on Movement and Access", including agreed principles for Rafah crossing (Gaza). On 21 November 2005, the Council of the EU welcomed the Agreement and agreed that the EU should undertake the Third Party role proposed in the Agreement. It therefore decided to launch the EU Border Assistance Mission at Rafah crossing point, code-named EU BAM Rafah, to monitor the operations of this border crossing point. The operational phase of the Mission began on 30 November 2005 and will have a duration of 12 months.

On 24 May 2007 the Council adopted, by written procedure, a joint action extending for a year, until 24 May 2008, the mandate of the mission.

http://www.consilium.eu.int/cms3_fo/showPage.asp?id=979&lang=EN


EU BAM Rafah extended until May 2008?

Didn't y'all hear, the Rafah agreement has been declared no longer applicable.

On 24 May 2007 the Council adopted, by written procedure....

hamas took over june 14, 2007 removing the principle signers of the agreement: israel, PA and the EU.....that leaves just the egyptians left as the signers...and the egyptians and hamas have already open and closed the border without the EU/israel/PAs agreement

shall we call that "cheating'?

The failing of Gaza

JUNE 27, 2007
On the Egyptian side of the Rafah border thousands of Palestinians are once again living in tents in refugee camps like they did in 1948. Wednesday morning Egypt declared it would not open the border,


http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article7065.shtml
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note Egypt decided to close the border.....a unilateral decision...nothing to do with the agreement.....i havent read where the observers are protesting...or the PA or israel...or hamas.....kind of strange if the agreement is still 'on".....