Israeli president gives lukewarm reception to Gaza border deal
Israeli President Moshe Katsav today gave a lukewarm reception to a compromise to open Gaza’s borders, saying that Israel would have preferred to monitor the crossing directly instead of leaving the job to European monitors.
Katsav made the remarks during a visit to Italy. He was set to hold talks with Premier Silvio Berlusconi, a strong supporter of Israel, later in the day.
“Of course we would have preferred to have an Israeli presence there to have real-time information, but this is the compromise that was reached,” Katsav said.
The US-brokered deal was struck yesterday after marathon negotiations led by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice. The Gaza-Egypt crossing was tentatively set to open on November 25 under the supervision of European monitors, giving Palestinians control over a border for the first time.
Israel had originally demanded veto power over the crossing. In the deal, Israel will receive live transmissions through closed-circuit TV from the crossing, and can raise objections concerning travellers, but the Palestinians will have the final say.
Katsav, speaking to reporters after holding talks with Rome Mayor Walter Veltroni, said that Israel remains worried that weapons and militants will be able to flow across the border.
However, he added, “I trust that, even with the new limitations, our security forces will be able to control and prevent the contraband of weapons and people.”
After talks with Berlusconi, Katsav was also scheduled to meet with opposition leaders and members of Rome’s Jewish community.
While Italy has generally been sympathetic to the Palestinians in recent decades, Berlusconi’s conservative government has emerged as one of the most friendly to Israel. The Italian premier has even raised the prospect that Israel might become part of the European Union someday.
Katsav’s three-day visit also includes a meeting tomorrow with Pope Benedict XVI, in what would be the first official visit to the Vatican by an Israeli head of state.
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