Israel says Egyptian army to bolster its presence in Rafah

By Abdul Raouf Arnaout
JERUSALEM (AA) – The Egyptian army will bolster its presence in the Rafah area in northeastern Egypt under an agreement with Israel, according to the Israeli military on Monday.

The joint military committee of the Israeli and Egyptian armies held a meeting Sunday to discuss bilateral issues, the army said in a statement.

An agreement “regulating the presence of guard forces in the Rafah area was signed in favor of strengthening the Egyptian security presence in this area,” the statement said.

The Israeli army said the amendment “was approved by the Israeli political echelon," without further details.

According to the statement, the Israeli military delegation was headed by the Chief of the Operations Authority in the Chief of Staff, Oded Basiok Pasiok, the head of the Strategy Authority and Third Circle Division Tal Kalman, and the Chief of the Foreign Relations Division, Brigadier General Efi Dafrin.

The statement did not disclose the members of the Egyptian delegation, who attended the meeting.

There has been no official Egyptian comment regarding the Israeli statement.

Egypt and Israel signed a peace treaty in Washington in 1979 following the Camp David Accords in 1978, which ended the military conflict between the two countries and began permanent and stable bilateral relations.

The treaty stipulated that agreed security arrangements will be established, including limited armament areas in Egyptian or Israeli territory, and United Nations forces and observers.

The agreement allows, upon the request of either of the two parties, the modification of the agreed security arrangements.

*Writing by Ibrahim Mukhtar in Ankara