A NEW WALL ! ( 30m deep with holes in it ... )

From: imra@netvision.net.il
To: imra@imra.org.il
Subject: Egypt building iron wall on Gaza border 30 meters deep for smuggling tunnels 35 meters deep

Dr. Aaron Lerner - IMRA:

Now we all know that Egypt could stop the smuggling by declaring a band of sovereign Egyptian territory next to the Gaza Strip "sterile territory" - moving everyone out in exchange for compensation.

But that would actually work.

So now we have the idea of spending a small fortune erecting a wall 30 meters deep.

Is 30 meters going to stop the smuggling?

Consider this:

"A Palestinian man receives goods from Egypt through a tunnel, which is digged 35 meters underneath the border in Rafah."

Rafah Smuggling Tunnels - Life - Nerve For Gaza (Part 2)
8/04/2008 07:17:00 PM Posted by Editor Publisher Hiyam Noir
Author Hiyam Noir Photographer Fady Adwan
palestinefreevoice
http://palestinefreevoice.blogspot.com/2008/08/rafah-smuggling-tunnels-life-nerve-for.html


Oops.

So who benefits from the steel wall project?

#1. The contractors who build the wall.

#2. The officials who get bribes from the contractors for giving them the work.

#3. The workers employed building the wall.

#4. The smugglers - who can continue smuggling.

#5. The Egyptian Government - because it can claim it is doing something really serious this time to stop the smuggling instead of carrying out activities that close down a few tunnels at a time but don't actually put a dent in the smuggling (wink wink).

#6. The U.S. - because it can tell Israel to stop complaining about the smuggling because they are spending a fortune on the wall.

Don't expect Israeli officials to comment on the efficacy of the project.

Conclusion:  The smuggling will continue.

But more important is the policy ramification.

Once again we see that third party activity against illegal activity is a farce.

Something for all the withdrawal advocates with dreams of relying on various security schemes run by third parties to think about.]

Egypt building iron wall on Gaza border to stop smuggling

By Avi Issacharoff, Haaretz Correspondent Last update - 08:34 09/12/2009 www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/1133749.html

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 inRafah 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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