Egypt's decision to tighten security measures on its borders with Gaza has triggered some controversy. Egypt is making things harder for the Palestinians, some charged. Egypt is helping besiege the Hamas movement, others chimed in. The Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty is unfair to the Egyptians, others still claimed. Let's first of all agree that governments have a primary duty to protect their borders. This is especially true when the geo-political situation in the vicinity is unstable. It is also true when the other side of the border is not in the hands of a strong authority, which is unfortunately true in the case of Gaza. Last year, Egypt supplemented its forces on the Saladdin passage, which separates Egyptian Rafah from Palestinian Rafah. Egypt also modernised the overland passages at Rafah and Karm Salem so as to facilitate the movement of travellers and goods into and out of the Gaza Strip. Egypt did so in order to give the Israelis no excuse for postponing their withdrawal from Gaza. Sadly though, thousands of Palestinians stormed the borders at Rafah after Israel withdrew, and three Egyptian soldiers lost their lives as a result. Egypt is aware of the suffering of the Palestinian people. This is why it said nothing about the disturbances that took place after Israel's withdrawal. But Egypt finds it necessary to protect its citizens in Rafah and prevent any illegal border crossing by suspect elements that may have infiltrated Palestinian factions. The need for such measures will continue so long as the situation remains tense in Gaza. Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas recently warned that Al-Qaeda sympathisers may have infiltrated into Palestinian territories. The risk of weapons, ammunition, and drugs being smuggled across the borders is real. As terrorist attacks in Taba, Sharm El-Sheikh and Dahab show, Egypt cannot afford to be lax about border security. This is not only Egypt's right, but its duty to itself and also to the Palestinians. All countries in the world take whatever measures they deem suitable to protect their borders. The United States and Mexico have close relations, and yet the Americans are building a wall to protect their borders with their southern neighbour. Egypt is committed to the resolutions of the Arab summit and to all international agreements, including those signed by the Palestinians and Israelis. And yet, Egypt is not trying to pressure the Palestinians or tell them what to do. As for the 1979 Egyptian-Israeli peace treaty, one point must be reiterated. The treaty has a military addendum specifying the number of troops deployed in various areas. The arrangements defined by the military addendum were inspired by the military systems used at the time and allow both sides enough warning in the case of violations. Israel pulled out of Sinai over 25 years ago, and so far the agreement has held. But with Israel out of Gaza, a situation has developed where the Egyptian-Palestinian borders need tight security, at least until the Palestinians are in a situation to control the borders effectively. This is why Egypt has supplemented its security forces with additional border security personnel. Some people may not be aware of the significant developments that have taken place in military methods and armament. To those people, it is important to point out that the defence of the borders is no longer a matter of deploying thousands upon thousands of troops. Countries can protect their borders using early alarm systems and advanced weapon systems. Israel knows that Egypt can defend itself. So please stop suggesting that Israel is restricting Egypt's ability to defend itself.
