Israel eyes Egypt-Gaza border

By Jonathan Marcus BBC diplomatic correspondent

Israel is eager to remove its troops from the narrow strip of land bordering Egypt, as part of its proposed withdrawal from the Gaza Strip.

Israel keeps the border under heavy guard

A senior Israeli official has told the BBC that this would be the preferred option, providing that security arrangements can be worked out with the Egyptian authorities.

But while most attention has focussed so far on the domestic political problems facing the withdrawal plan, a senior adviser to Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has told the BBC that there are enormous practical problems as well.

It is marked as "the Philadelphi route" on Israeli military maps - a narrow strip of land bordering Egypt that Israel has long argued it will need to hold on to, even if a Gaza withdrawal goes ahead.

But a senior adviser to Mr Sharon told the BBC that Israel's preferred option would be to pull out of the Philadelphi strip as well - providing, that is, that a security understanding can be reached with Egypt.

There is already a good deal of arms smuggling into the Gaza Strip.

Israel fears that weapons will simply flood in once it withdraws.

Opening up Gaza

Egypt, too, has an interest in the stability of the area and contacts are already under way to see if a deal can be reached under which the Egyptians would step up security on their side of the border.

With Israel insisting that it will continue to control air and sea routes into the Gaza Strip, such a deal would potentially give assured access into the area.

This would be vital, not just on humanitarian grounds but also if economic regeneration is to take place.

The World Bank and other interested parties are already drawing up a plan to provide a new package of economic assistance.

Logistical headache

Senior Israeli officials say that if things go to plan, then the withdrawal could be over by next September.

That may be an optimistic view, given the political turmoil in Israel.

The pull-out also poses huge practical problems, moving thousands of people, many of whom may not want to go.

Hundreds of trucks and buses will have to be assembled and the fear is that these will prove an inviting target for more radical Palestinian groups like Hamas.

In the words of one senior Israeli general intimately involved in planning the whole thing, "The operation will be neither pleasant nor easy."