PA: Israel may not monitor our compliance

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By Ryan Jones
November 11, 2005

The Palestinian Authority objects to Israel being able to directly monitor its compliance with signed agreements to prevent the smuggling of terrorist arms into territories under its control, particularly the recently Jew-purged Gaza Strip.

Ongoing dispute over Israel's insistence on being able to watch the Rafah Crossing along the Gaza-Sinai border via live video feed is holding up a deal on reopening the crossing.

Their track record of non-compliance notwithstanding, the ?Palestinians? are adamant the cameras would be a violation of their sovereignty in Gaza, and as such are out of the question.

Israel is concerned that the flow of weapons through the Gaza-Sinai border will turn from a trickle into a flood under lax PA and Egyptian security control.

?There will be no compromise on security matters,? Defense Minister Sha'ul Mofaz told reporters Thursday after the latest round of bi-lateral talks on the issue failed to produce an agreement.

Already defense officials estimate thousands of guns, rockets, mortar shells, and even anti-aircraft missiles have made their way into Gaza since the completion of Israel's withdrawal from the area in September.

Fears in Israel that regional terror-supporting regimes will take advantage of a virtually open border to transfer advanced missile technology to terrorists in Gaza are on the rise following belligerent statements from Tehran and Damascus.

The international community, represented by Middle East Quartet envoy James Wolfensohn, has been pushing to see the border opened by the end of November, as it seeks to fully loosen Israel's grip over the ancient Jewish lands of Gaza.

Vice Premier Shimon Peres' office told Ynet, however, that the government does not expect a deal to be struck before the end of December.

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