GAZA CITY — Egypt is taking effective control of the Palestinian Authority, according to PA officials.
The sources said that over the last few months leading up to the Israeli withdrawal from the Gaza Strip, Egypt has dominated
several key areas of Palestinian government, particularly those affected by the pullout.
They said Egypt approves PA decisions regarding the deployment and training
of Palestinian security forces, security operations and policy, development
projects and senior appointments, Middle East Newsline reported.
"They are in every facet of the [Palestinian] Authority in Gaza," a PA
source said. "It is correct to say that major decisions are not taken
without Egypt's approval."
PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, the sources said, consults with Egypt on
virtually every issue. They said Abbas relies on Egypt to restrain Hamas and
Islamic Jihad, as well as protect him from rivals in the ruling Fatah
movement.
The sources said Egypt's control over the PA increased significantly in
wake of the Israeli pullout from the Gaza Strip on Sept. 12. They said Egypt
now controls both sides of the 14-kilometer border with the Gaza Strip.
Egypt has been given control of both the PA airport and sea port,
the sources said. They said Egyptian personnel would supervise and operate
the PA airport at Dahaniya in the southern Gaza Strip as well as the sea
port south of Gaza City.
"There's an understanding between President Mubarak and President Abbas
to jointly operate the international airport," PA Information Minister Nabil
Shaath said.
Cairo has also sent government personnel to man critical facilities in
the Gaza Strip. Egyptian officers have been directing PA security
operations.
"Abbas cannot use the security forces against Hamas or Jihad without
Egyptian permission," another source said. "He could threaten, but everybody
knows that the authority remains with Egypt."
At one point in September, Abbas threatened to obtain Egyptian
permission to launch an offensive against Hamas, which was firing scores of
missiles into Israel. But the sources said Egypt rejected a major PA
operation against Hamas, and instead, ordered the Islamic insurgency group
to suspend missile strikes against the Jewish state.
The sources said Egypt has used a carrot-and-stick approach to maintain
the submission of Palestinian insurgency groups. They said the regime of
President Hosni Mubarak has allowed Hamas and Jihad leaders to travel freely
to Cairo. Hamas was also permitted to establish an unofficial presence in
the Egyptian capital.
