Egypt, Israel and Gaza - flashpoint for future confrontation

Philadelphi Corridor - Flashpoint for potential conflict

After Israel’s disengagement from Gaza in August 2005 this crossing was closed for three months until the signing of  two documents on 15 November 2005 by Israel and the Palestinian Authority

• Agreement on Movement and Access and
• Agreed Principles for Rafah Crossing

which had resulted from negotiations facilitated by

• US Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice,
• European Union High Representative for the Common Foreign and Security Policy Javier Solana and
• the international community’s envoy for the Israeli Disengagement from Gaza - James Wolfensohn.

For seven months, the crossing operated in an orderly manner, and some 1,320 persons crossed daily.

On 25 June 2006, following the abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit Israel closed the crossing for security reasons allowing it to be opened only in isolated cases, and without giving advance notice. From then until June 2007, the crossing was closed for 265 days.

After Hamas took control of the Gaza Strip in June 2007, Israel announced the freezing of the two Agreements. The Palestinian Authority was unable to have its control personnel reach the crossing due to Hamas' control of the Gaza Strip. Israel objected to opening the crossing on the grounds that the Palestinian Authority was unable to monitor the persons and goods passing through it. The European force also stopped its monitoring activities due to the European Union's refusal to cooperate with Hamas.

Egypt - which was not a party to the 2005 Agreements - generally refrained from opening its side of the crossing due to its own national interest in preventing

• the movement of terrorists, arms and equipment into and out of Gaza and
• contacts between Hamas and the Moslem Brotherhood representatives

which threatened to undermine the decades long rule of Hosni Mubarak.

Article 2 of the Hamas Charter states that Hamas :