Egypt 'to monitor Gaza tunnels'

[Beskar]

Egypt 'to monitor Gaza tunnels'

Saturday, 31 January 2009

BBC NEWS | Middle East | Egypt 'to monitor Gaza tunnels'


Some tunnels are operating again despite the bombardment
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Egypt says it has begun to install cameras and motion sensors along the border with Gaza to try to stop weapons smuggling by Palestinian militants.

Tighter surveillance of the tunnels is one of Israel's key conditions for maintaining the ceasefire that ended its three-week offensive against Hamas.

The tunnels were used to smuggle food and medicine, as well as arms.

Israel bombed them, but when the fighting stopped some were still usable and others have been repaired.

Egyptian security sources said the authorities had begun installing the equipment in the last few days along the 14km (8-mile) border with the help of American, French and German expertise.

Reuters news agency quoted the sources as saying they hoped the equipment would detect any new tunnel-building activity in the area.

The United States has pledged $32m in detention equipment and army engineers are providing technical assistance on the ground, AFP news agency said.

The tunnels were one of Israel's main targets during its offensive.

Hamas and many Palestinians say the tunnels are a vital source of basic necessities so long as Gaza's borders with Israel and Egypt remain blocked.

 

[TruthSeeker]

So, if Egypt does this, do you think Hamas will do something to Egypt to pressure them to stop? Like kidnapping Egyptian soldiers or suicide bombs in Cairo? It's hard to imagine that Hamas will just accept this peacefully.

 

[Lockheed F-16]

Egypts are traitors

 

[Beskar]

So, if Egypt does this, do you think Hamas will do something to Egypt to pressure them to stop? Like kidnapping Egyptian soldiers or suicide bombs in Cairo? It's hard to imagine that Hamas will just accept this peacefully.

Tunnel systems are a major requirement for Palestinian aid under the table. There are tunnels that haven't even been discovered yet. I believe they won't shut down the network completely but would keep a tighter check just to make sure that arms and ammunition don't travel through.

But these statements are merely for political reasons. Arms and ammo would continue to travel through these tunnel networks.

 

[metalfalcon]

Stop the Arms for Palestinians and Bring Billions of Dollars of HIGH TECH Arms for Israel, This is what UNCLE SAM calls "Justice" and Peace full solution to the problem.

How can there be a Fair and Balanced Dialogue Between Israelis and Palestinians if Israel is in the dominating Position Every time. There can be no Dialogue if Israel feels that She can have whatever she desires by Brutal use of Power, Why they will even Bother for Palestinian Demands.

 

[metalfalcon]

As MUSHARRAF used to say " There can be dialogue only if you are at Par with the Other Party, If you are weak they will not sit with you on the round table "

 

[nomi007]

Egyptians must to stop scanning & monitoring on Gaza boarder.plz help Palestinians muslims

 

[indian_warrior]

Egyptians must to stop scanning & monitoring on Gaza boarder.plz help Palestinians muslims

Not for Christian or Jews?

 

[su-47]

has anyone ever considered that egyptian monitoring of tunnels would be good for gaza?

The average palestinian must be tired of the fighting. They would want peace, like everyone else. And then Hams goes and launches their rockets on Israel? What does it achieve, aside from more violence? Does it put Hamas in a stronger position on the negotiation table? Does it give them any advantage? Of course not. It just results in them losing support of other nations.

If the Egyptians make sure that arms and ammunition don't go through, it might bring an end to the unnecessary violence. And the palestinians can continue their fight, but this time, they can do it peacefully.

 

[Canaan]

has anyone ever considered that egyptian monitoring of tunnels would be good for gaza?

The average palestinian must be tired of the fighting. They would want peace, like everyone else. And then Hams goes and launches their rockets on Israel? What does it achieve, aside from more violence? Does it put Hamas in a stronger position on the negotiation table? Does it give them any advantage? Of course not. It just results in them losing support of other nations.

If the Egyptians make sure that arms and ammunition don't go through, it might bring an end to the unnecessary violence. And the palestinians can continue their fight, but this time, they can do it peacefully.

Let me clarify a couple of things.
Firstly, the tunnels are not only used for weapons smuggling. Yes the palestinian factions do smuggle weapons through tunnels under the egypt-gaza border, that's no secret, but the tunnels are primarely the main source of aid and food to gaza since both the egyptian and israeli borders are closed, making Gaza a de facto prison for 1.5 million inhabitants. The Israelis control the flow of aid coming into Gaza, and they deliberately only allow as much aid to enter that the gazans wouldn't starve to death, but at the same time letting the shortage drive prices to the sky and being a major inconvenience since you would have to stand in line for hours and hours to get basic things like milk and flour. All of this is to annoy the people who would then put pressure on Hamas.

Hamas is not the ones firing rockets into Israel, until this day, and as before Hamas honors the seize fire agreed upon. The rockets are being fired from various smaller factions, i.e. Islamic Jihad, and alarmingly from small Al-qaida style groups emerging from the rubble in Gaza.
In fact Hamas is asserting pressure on the small factions to honor the seize fire and not fire rockets into Israel
Haaretz - Israel News - Search Results

If Egypt succeeds in closing the tunnels, not only will Gaza be a pressure cooker, but you would have a totally new problem which is the Sinai Bedouins. The tunnels on the Egyptian side are mainly owned and operated by Bedouins. These tunnels are the primary and in fact a very lucrative income source for these Bedouins and shutting them down would deprive the Bedouins of their main income source. The Sinai Bedouins are increasingly hostile to the Egyptian government, which they feel are treating them bad and doesn't care about them, and clashes with many deaths have occurred in the last couple of years. They don't consider themselves Egyptians and are taking up arms against the Egyptian police and army.
Egypt's Bedouins Raise Tension at Israel and Gaza Border - TIME

 

[su-47]

Let me clarify a couple of things.
Firstly, the tunnels are not only used for weapons smuggling. Yes the palestinian factions do smuggle weapons through tunnels under the egypt-gaza border, that's no secret, but the tunnels are primarely the main source of aid and food to gaza since both the egyptian and israeli borders are closed, making Gaza a de facto prison for 1.5 million inhabitants. The Israelis control the flow of aid coming into Gaza, and they deliberately only allow as much aid to enter that the gazans wouldn't starve to death, but at the same time letting the shortage drive prices to the sky and being a major inconvenience since you would have to stand in line for hours and hours to get basic things like milk and flour. All of this is to annoy the people who would then put pressure on Hamas.

Hamas is not the ones firing rockets into Israel, until this day, and as before Hamas honors the seize fire agreed upon. The rockets are being fired from various smaller factions, i.e. Islamic Jihad, and alarmingly from small Al-qaida style groups emerging from the rubble in Gaza.
In fact Hamas is asserting pressure on the small factions to honor the seize fire and not fire rockets into Israel
Haaretz - Israel News - Search Results

If Egypt succeeds in closing the tunnels, not only will Gaza be a pressure cooker, but you would have a totally new problem which is the Sinai Bedouins. The tunnels on the Egyptian side are mainly owned and operated by Bedouins. These tunnels are the primary and in fact a very lucrative income source for these Bedouins and shutting them down would deprive the Bedouins of their main income source. The Sinai Bedouins are increasingly hostile to the Egyptian government, which they feel are treating them bad and doesn't care about them, and clashes with many deaths have occurred in the last couple of years. They don't consider themselves Egyptians and are taking up arms against the Egyptian police and army.
Egypt's Bedouins Raise Tension at Israel and Gaza Border - TIME

Thanks for that post bro. I know about the tunnels being the main source of food and medicine in Gaza, and I certainly don't want the Palestinians to be deprived of that. If you read my post carefully, I never said the tunnels should be closed. I was just expressing my concern over the arms smuggling. The tunnels should be monitored . Hopefully Egypt will monitor the tunnels, let vital supplies go through, instead of closing them. But maybe thats just me being optimistic.

And yes, I was wrong about Hamas. Shows my lack of knowledge about the topic. Sorry. But, my message was that the groups firing rockets should be deprived of armaments.

 

[Canaan]

Thanks for that post bro. I know about the tunnels being the main source of food and medicine in Gaza, and I certainly don't want the Palestinians to be deprived of that. If you read my post carefully, I never said the tunnels should be closed. I was just expressing my concern over the arms smuggling. The tunnels should be monitored . Hopefully Egypt will monitor the tunnels, let vital supplies go through, instead of closing them. But maybe thats just me being optimistic.

And yes, I was wrong about Hamas. Shows my lack of knowledge about the topic. Sorry. But, my message was that the groups firing rockets should be deprived of armaments.

No worries...
If you ask me, there shouldn't be any need for tunnels. Israel simply must end the siege and allow the influx of aid to the people. Regarding the arms smuggling, I understand your point, but if the Palestinians didn't arm themselves who would protect them against Israeli aggression? remember that the Palestinians learned the hard way that nobody will come to their rescue when in need, and delegating the defense of them to others (like in Lebanon, resulting in the Sabra and Shatila massacre) is useless.

You see Israel is busy screaming Hamas Hamas, when in fact Hamas is busy cracking down on Al Qaida cells in Gaza which in the future might pose a much greater threat not only for the Palestinian people but also for Israel