What is the ‘Philadelphia Corridor’ between Egypt and Gaza and why does Israel want to control it?
Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says that the border area between Gaza and Egypt “Philadelphia Corridor” should be administered by Israel.
He has said that Israel’s war in Gaza and clashes in the region could continue for several months.
“The Philadelphia Corridor, especially the entrance to Gaza from the south, must be under our control,” Netanyahu said during a press conference. It should be closed.
“It is clear that no other arrangement can guarantee the demilitarization of the area that we want.”
Egyptian journalists have warned that the situation between the two countries may become tense due to the bombing of the border strip between Egypt and Gaza.
This region is considered a buffer zone for security reasons.
What is the Philadelphia Corridor?
There is a 14-kilometer border between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, with the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Israeli territory of Karam Abu Salem to the south.
Under the 1979 Egypt-Israel Peace Treaty, the corridor was declared a buffer zone and administered by Israel. But in 2005, Israel withdrew from here.
In the same year, Israel agreed to the ‘Philadelphia Protocol’ with Egypt. This did not abrogate or amend the peace agreement but limited the military presence of both sides.
Under the protocol, Egypt deployed 750 personnel on the Gaza border. These are not military forces but police personnel whose purpose is to deal with terrorism and prevent infiltration.
Two years later, Hamas took over the administration of the Gaza Strip and took control of the Palestinian territories along the border. With the Israeli crackdown on Gaza, Palestinian movement across the corridor to Egypt has increased.
Since then, Egypt has tightened security along the border.
Over the years, hundreds of tunnels have been built under this border belt. To the north is the sea, to the east and south is Israel, and to the west is Egypt.
For the 2.3 million population of Gaza, these tunnels are a lifeline, with the help of which people are able to move. During the ongoing war in Gaza, it has been seen that the military capability of the militant group Hamas has increased. Israel fears that weapons have been supplied to Hamas thanks to the tunnels under the road.
Over the past decade, Egypt has conducted military operations against militant elements in the Sinai Peninsula on its northeastern border. In it, the network of tunnels leading from the Gaza Strip to Egypt was destroyed. According to the Egyptian government, its purpose was to prevent the infiltration of military elements into Egypt with the help of tunnels.
Egypt has repeatedly accused Hamas of supporting militant groups that target Egyptian forces. This happened after the ouster of former Egyptian President Mohamed Morsi, who had the support of the Muslim Brotherhood and had good relations with Hamas.
Since then, the situation along the border has been changing. On the Palestinian side, Hamas has bulldozed border areas and installed barbed wire. While Egypt built a steel wall and removed houses and agricultural areas from the Egyptian city of Rafah and its towns to extend the border buffer zone to a five kilometer area in the Sinai.
The Rafah land crossing is the main crossing between the Palestinian and Egyptian territories. It is the only way for Gaza residents to reach the outside world. Israeli authorities have closed all six crossings between the Gaza Strip and southern Israel.
After keeping the border crossing closed for more than 70 days, Israel opened the Karam Abu Salem crossing on Sunday for the delivery of aid supplies.
According to Egyptian officials, Israel has bombed the Palestinian area of the Rafah crossing four times.
What objection can Egypt have?
The Egyptian administration has repeatedly warned Israel against military operations in the buffer zone. Israel had ‘accidentally’ targeted Egyptian personnel at the Karam Abu Salem crossing and Israel has apologized for the incident.
Israel’s regaining control of the Palestinian territories of the Philadelphia Corridor depends on the outcome of the ongoing war in Gaza, but Samir Ghattas, an expert on regional affairs in the Middle East, believes that this will require Israel to establish security ties with Egypt.
The Egyptians believe that for this, Israel and Egypt must agree on a new peace treaty protocol between them. It would be a protocol similar to the one issued in 2005 when Israel withdrew from the Gaza Strip.
Despite the Israeli plan, Egypt has not yet expressed its position on the matter. Egyptian analyst Khalid Okasha believes that politically the current Egyptian administration will remain conservative because supporting Israel in this matter would be like compromising on the Palestinian issue.
According to Akasha, handing over the management of the border strip to Israel would mean that Israel would control the Rafah crossing. It is the only route not currently under Israeli control and could increase pressure on the Palestinians.
According to Samir Ghattas, Egypt fears that if Israel gains control of the Philadelphia Corridor, it could worsen the situation for Gaza residents, who already live in an open prison. “Eventually the people of the Gaza Strip will be forced to leave.”