United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced on Tuesday an Israeli-Palestinian deal to open critical border crossings in the Gaza Strip, capping a tense, round-the-clock burst of personal diplomacy.
Flanked by European Union foreign policy chief Javier Solana and special international envoy James Wolfensohn, Rice said the two sides have resolved outstanding issues, particularly on the key Rafah terminal between Gaza and Egypt.
”I am pleased to be able to announce today that Israel and the Palestinian Authority have an agreement on access and freedom of movement,” she told reporters travelling with her.
Palestinians have accused Israel of making Gaza a prison by controlling all access since it pulled out of the impoverished territory in September.
The accord targets November 25 for the opening of the Rafah terminal, one of the key issues left over after Israel’s landmark withdrawal.
It also provides for the continuous operation of Gaza crossing points and says Israel will permit the export of all agricultural products from the territory during the 2005 harvest season.
Israel agreed to allow the passage of convoys to facilitate the movement of goods and people between Gaza and the West Bank, according to a text released by the US State Department.
It said Israel will speed up work on removing checkpoints to allow greater freedom of movement on the West Bank ”to the maximum extent possible”, with work on measures to be completed by December 31.
It said construction of a seaport can begin but discussions on the airport for Gaza will continue.
The announcement came after Rice postponed her departure for a regional conference in Asia to throw her personal prestige into an effort to win a much-needed victory for the moribund Middle East peace process.
She spent the early hours of Tuesday conferring separately with senior Palestinian and Israeli officials to iron out some of the thorniest issues left over from the Israeli withdrawal from Gaza.
Earlier this month, the Israeli security cabinet approved a decision to reopen the Rafah terminal under joint Egyptian and Palestinian control, with EU observers monitoring the crossing.
But negotiations stalled over Israel’s insistence on having access to real-time surveillance feeds from the terminal, a requirement the Palestinians rejected as infringement on their sovereignty. — Sapa-AFP