EU Gaza mission in trouble as militants cross border

By Andrew Beatty

Date: 08/12/05

The credibility of the EU's mission to monitor the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip suffered a damaging blow in its first week, when up to 15 members of the militant group Hamas were allowed across the border.

The Israeli authorities, who regard Hamas as a terrorist organisation, have lodged a protest. Israeli officials said this week that a group which crossed from Egypt into Gaza included Fadel Zahar who has lived in exile since 1991 and is the brother of the Hamas leader Mahmoud Zahar.

The EU mission began on 25 November, with around 70 experts deployed to oversee the work of Palestinian border guards. It is the first EU mission of its kind in the Middle East.

It is also one of the more dangerous missions the EU has undertaken. Israel had been reluctant to renounce its oversight of the crossing that it says is a major smuggling route and the deal was only reached after the high-profile intervention of US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.

The EU has staked its reputation on this highly sensitive mission, hoping success will bring it a bigger role in the Middle East peace process and improve its standing in the eyes of the hawkish Israeli defence establishment.

An EU spokesperson refused to confirm the exact number of suspected Hamas militants who crossed the border. She said that as holders of Palestinian identity cards, they were allowed to cross. Their names did not appear on a blacklist held by the Palestinian border guards.

But there were, she admitted, differences between lists held by the Israeli and Palestinian authorities.

"There was a problem of discrepancy in the lists," she said.

Under a deal paving the way for the EU mission, the Palestinian Authority agreed to consider information on "persons of concern" provided by the Israeli government. But it was left to the EU and the Palestinian Authority to take a final decision as to whether particular individuals should be prevented from crossing.

EU diplomats this week sought to play down the incidents. They said that the matter was now subject to a Palestinian investigation, ordered by Mohammed Dahlan, the Palestinian minister for civil affairs. Dahlan is seen by many as the rising star of Palestinian politics.

They also dismissed suggestion that a decision by the US government to send a State Department envoy to the region following the apparent breach was a vote of no confidence in the EU's ability to monitor the border.

"We don't see it like that," said one diplomat. "We interpret it as [US Secretary of State] Rice showing ownership."

Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has threatened to exclude Gaza from a customs union with Israel if further breaches occur, a move that would spell economic disaster for the Palestinians.

EU foreign ministers who will meet in Brussels on Monday (12 December) are expected to discuss a controversial report from their embassies in the region that is highly critical of Israel's continued settlement expansion in east Jerusalem.

Israeli diplomats have warned that relations may be soured if the report is published.

Article reports that the credibility of the EU's mission to monitor the border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip suffered a damaging blow in its first week, when up to 15 members of the militant group Hamas were allowed across the border. The EU mission had been launched on 25 November 2005, with around 70 experts deployed to oversee the work of Palestinian border guards. It was the first EU mission of its kind in the Middle East.

Council of the EU: Policies: Security and Defence: EU operations: EU Border Assistance Mission at Rafah Crossing Point in the Palestinian Territories (EU BAM Rafah) http://consilium.europa.eu/cms3_fo/showPage.asp?id=979&lang=en

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