GAZA CITY: The construction of a new underground wall and recent border clashes have frayed relations between Hamas and Egypt and could threaten the Islamist movement s main lifeline in Gaza, analysts say. Since Hamas seized power in Gaza in 2007 it has relied on smuggling tunnels under the border with Egypt to defy the Israeli blockade and its leaders have used frequent trips to Cairo to escape international isolation. But the group s refusal to sign a reconciliation agreement with its secular Fatah rivals or agree to a prisoner swap with Israel through Egyptian mediation now appear to be endangering relations. After years of largely ignoring the tunnel smuggling - which primarily brings in much-needed household goods but is also used by Hamas to import weapons and money -Egypt has begun building a massive underground wall. Egypt decided to build the steel wall in order to punish Hamas, which irritated Cairo by refusing to sign the reconciliation agreement, says Emad Gad of Cairo s Al-Ahram Centre for Political and Strategic Studies. From now on, Hamas is in a tight spot. It is under a full blockade, the tunnels used to smuggle funding from Iran will be shut down and the population will only have the bare minimum needed to survive, he adds. Until now Egypt has been Hamas primary diplomatic intermediary and key to its plan to one day permanently reopen the Rafah border crossing, the only Gaza terminal not controlled by Israel. Hamas realizes the pivotal role Egypt plays, and it wants more than just an opening of the crossing, says Naji Sharrab, a professor at Gaza s Al-Azhar University. It wants things related to direct recognition and relations, and then the opening of the crossing in an official way between the Hamas government and Egypt. Egypt has said Rafah can only be reopened after Hamas is reconciled with the Western-backed president Mahmoud Abbas s Fatah movement and has demanded it sign a reconciliation agreement already signed by the secular group. We want Palestinian reconciliation because without stopping the internal fighting there will never be a Palestinian state, says Mohamed Bassiouni, a former Egyptian ambassador to Israel who is close to Cairo s talks with Hamas and with Israel. While we are taking security measures to protect our border with the Gaza Strip and prevent arms trafficking and terrorist infiltration, we are at the same time continuing our efforts to end the blockade, he says. The diplomat warns, however, that Egypt is not willing to renegotiate the unity deal proposed last autumn. The ball is in Hamas court. If the new wall succeeds in closing off the tunnels it could pave the way for the easing of the closures and increased trade above ground. However, in the short term the construction of the barrier could backfire by spurring protests against Egypt in Gaza and the wider Arab world. Last week an Egyptian soldier was shot dead when gunfire erupted along the border after a protest against the wall in which some 200 Palestinians hurled stones. Hamas described the incident regrettable, despite having called for the protest. Sharrab doubts whether Egypt will completely shut down the tunnels and says Cairo s fear of instability in Gaza will prevent it from escalating tensions with Hamas. Egypt knows it cannot close the Rafah crossing and the border completely despite this so-called wall, he says. I think the two sides are determined to avoid tensions. The Israeli closures have largely failed to undermine Hamas because the anger they have fueled has been mainly directed at the Jewish state. Walid Mudallal, a professor at Gaza s Islamic University, believes something similar may happen to Egypt if it is seen helping to tighten the siege. I don t think Hamas will be affected (by the wall) because it has the financing and the organization to face these limitations, he says. The popular anger will be directed against Egypt, and I don t think Egypt can accept being placed among the enemies.
