On Aug. 10, Egypt and Israel are scheduled to discuss the plan to
enhance the Sinai-Gaza border wall. The Israeli delegation is scheduled to
be headed by Amos Gilad and focus on ways to halt weapons smuggling from
Sinai to the Gaza Strip.
The border system, estimated at more than $100 million, would contain a
12-meter concrete wall, designed to prevent scaling. The wall was designed
to be thick enough to withstand a bombing such as that in January 2008, when
the Egyptian border was destroyed by Hamas operatives.
The proposed concrete wall would be enhanced by an electronic fence. The
fence would contain motion detectors and infrared cameras to stop
infiltrators.
Officials said the proposed security barrier would also be able to
detect attempts to dig underneath the border. About 250 tunnels were said to
have been constructed through the Sinai-Gaza border.
Israeli military intelligence and the Israel Security Agency have been
divided in their assessments over Egyptian efforts to block weapons
smuggling to the Gaza Strip. Military intelligence has determined that Cairo
was making a genuine effort to stop the weapons flow while ISA concluded
that Egypt remains ineffective. ISA director Yuval Diskin said at least 50
anti-tank missiles have entered the Gaza Strip since June 2008.
So far, Egypt has not responded to the Israeli-U.S. offer to enhance the
Gaza wall. Officials said the regime of President Hosni Mubarak does not
want any direct Israeli involvement in the border project.
Still, Egypt has accepted U.S. military assistance to improve border
security. The U.S. Army Corps of Engineering has provided detection
equipment and training to detect and destroy weapons tunnels.
