Egypte gaat een diepe muur bouwen langs de grens met Gaza om de smokkeltunnels tegen te gaan, een plan waar al jaren sprake van was.
Eerder vulde het land, volgens onderstaand artikel in Haaretz, de smokkeltunnels met gas, vaak als er nog mensen in de tunnels zaten. Vreemd dat we daar nooit over lazen in Nederlandse kranten. De muur komt langs de grens tussen Egypte en de Gazastrook en zal negen à tien kilometer lang worden, met stalen platen die 20 tot 30 meter in de grond worden geplaatst tegen de smokkeltunnels.
De anders zo alerte VN, de Organisatie van de Islamitische Conferentie, Amnesty International en Human Rights Watch hebben niet gereageerd op de muur en het gebruik van gas in smokkeltunnels, en ook Dries van Agt en andere antizionisten heb ik er nog niet over gehoord.
Het is natuurlijk hardstikke goed dat Egypte de wapensmokkel eindelijk lijkt te willen aanpakken, al is het de vraag in hoeverre dit zal werken. Veel tunnels liggen dieper dan 30 meter om detectie door Egypte of Israel te voorkomen, en de kans op instorten te verkleinen. Een van de problemen is dat lokale Bedoeinen aan Egyptische kant van de smokkel profiteren en bijna iedereen die in Egypte in dienst van de overheid werkt corrupt is vanwege de lage salarissen.
RP
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Egypt building iron wall on Gaza border to stop smuggling
By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent
Egypt has begun the construction of a massive iron wall along its border with the Gaza Strip, in a bid to shut down smuggling tunnels into the territory. The wall will be nine to 10 kilometers long, and will go 20 to 30 meters into the ground, Egyptian sources said. It will be impossible to cut or melt.
The new plan is the latest move by Egypt to step up its counter-smuggling efforts. Although some progress had been made, the smuggling market in Gaza still flourishes.
Egyptian forces demolish tunnels or fill them with gas almost every week, often with people still inside them, and Palestinian casualties in the tunnels have been steadily rising.
Recently, Egypt examined several possibilities of blocking the tunnels, and joint American-Egyptian patrols have been seen in Rafah attempting to detect tunnels using underground sensors.
Construction of the wall has already begun. It will be made of enormous slates of steel, reaching deep into the ground. However, it is not expected to stem smuggling completely.
Several defense sources told Haaretz they believe that once captive soldier Gilad Shalit is released, Israel will have to re-examine the benefits of closing Gaza off. The closure has been undermined by the tunnel system, which provides not only munitions but food, cars, motorcycles, drugs, medicine and fuel, much more than what Israel allows into the Strip through the official border crossing.
The tunnels also allow people to cross in and out of the Strip, including terrorists who linked up with pro-Al-Qaida groups in Gaza and tried to carry out attacks in Egypt, defense sources said.
The smuggling industry is so institutionalized that tunnel operators purchase licenses from the Rafah municipality, allowing them to connect to electricity and water. Hamas has also been ensuring no children are employed in the tunnels, and is taxing all smuggled goods.
The Egyptians often intercept munitions before they can enter the Strip and have stepped up checks at internal roadblocks and checkpoints in the Sinai. Observers say mounting American pressure is in part responsible for increasing Egyptian efforts to combat the smugglers.
The new plan is the latest move by Egypt to step up its counter-smuggling efforts. Although some progress had been made, the smuggling market in Gaza still flourishes.
Egyptian forces demolish tunnels or fill them with gas almost every week, often with people still inside them, and Palestinian casualties in the tunnels have been steadily rising.
Recently, Egypt examined several possibilities of blocking the tunnels, and joint American-Egyptian patrols have been seen in Rafah attempting to detect tunnels using underground sensors.
Construction of the wall has already begun. It will be made of enormous slates of steel, reaching deep into the ground. However, it is not expected to stem smuggling completely.
Several defense sources told Haaretz they believe that once captive soldier Gilad Shalit is released, Israel will have to re-examine the benefits of closing Gaza off. The closure has been undermined by the tunnel system, which provides not only munitions but food, cars, motorcycles, drugs, medicine and fuel, much more than what Israel allows into the Strip through the official border crossing.
The tunnels also allow people to cross in and out of the Strip, including terrorists who linked up with pro-Al-Qaida groups in Gaza and tried to carry out attacks in Egypt, defense sources said.
The smuggling industry is so institutionalized that tunnel operators purchase licenses from the Rafah municipality, allowing them to connect to electricity and water. Hamas has also been ensuring no children are employed in the tunnels, and is taxing all smuggled goods.
The Egyptians often intercept munitions before they can enter the Strip and have stepped up checks at internal roadblocks and checkpoints in the Sinai. Observers say mounting American pressure is in part responsible for increasing Egyptian efforts to combat the smugglers.
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