Conflicting signals from Hamas on border crossings

As Egyptian forces, in cooperation with Hamas, successfully sealed the Rafah border with the Gaza Strip on 3 February, there were conflicting signals from the Islamic group over the extent of future Israeli control over the flow of people and goods into the Strip.

Hamas officials on 2-3 February indicated they wanted to disconnect the area they control economically (Gaza) from Israel, including bringing all goods and electricity into the enclave from Egypt.

However, in a near about-face, on the night of 3 February, Ahmed Yousef, a Hamas political leader, told Israeli Channel 10 the desire to connect more to the Arab and Islamic world, via an open Rafah border, was in parallel to their wish to keep the crossings with Israel open.

Speaking in Cairo on 3 February, a spokesman for Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak said the best option for the Rafah border was for the rival Fatah and Hamas factions to jointly control it, based on a previous agreement with the Europeans who acted as monitors.

However, that agreement included a certain veto power for Israel as to who could exit and enter the Strip, and Hamas, which has controlled the enclave since it ousted forces loyal to Fatah last June, has indicated it did not want any Israeli involvement in the crossing point.

With Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas of Fatah not talking to Hamas, any cooperation would require fundamental changes, and most likely involve heavy Egyptian mediation. Last week, both factions met Egyptian leaders and officials but not each other, Hamas and Fatah officials told IRIN.

EU role?

Javier Solana of the European Union (EU) has indicated he would support bringing his observers back to the border, but it remains unclear how deeply the EU can be involved if Hamas has significant control. Egypt was not a party to that agreement.

Hamas does not recognise Israel, and it is boycotted by the West. Its rule in Gaza is not recognised by most of the Arab world either.

In recent weeks, some Israeli leaders, such as Deputy Defence Minister Matan Vilnai, have said they would like to transfer the burden of providing Gaza with supplies to Egypt.

"We want to stop supplying electricity to them, stop supplying them with water and medicine," he told Army Radio after Rafah was breached.

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