Netanyahu says Israel must control Egypt-Gaza border zone
Israel’s prime minister has said a narrow strip of land between Egypt and Gaza must be retaken by Israel.
“The Philadelphi Corridor – or to put it more correctly, the southern stoppage point [of Gaza] – must be in our hands,” Benjamin Netanyahu said in a press conference on Saturday.
“It must be shut. It is clear that any other arrangement would not ensure the demilitarisation that we seek,” he added.
The Philadelphi Corridor is a 14km-long and 100-metre-wide zone that runs along Gaza’s border with Egypt.
Following the Israeli military withdrawal from Gaza in 2005, the route fell under the security control of Egypt and the Palestinian Authority.
A return of Israeli control to the corridor would require Egyptian approval.
Netanyahu did not elaborate on how Israeli forces planned to retake it. [Continue reading…]