Egypt: IDF troops behind arms smuggling to Gaza
By Shmuel Rosner Haaretz Last update - 06:34 18/10/2007
www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/914200.html

WASHINGTON - An Egyptian document distributed in Congress asserts that
Israeli soldiers cooperate with smugglers in allowing arms and military
equipment into the Gaza Strip. The document was relayed to senior Israeli
officials where it has served to intensify concerns in Jerusalem about
Egypt's willingness to stem the flow of weapons from its territory into the
Hamas-controlled Gaza Srip.

The Egyptian document was circulated among congressmen by a group of
Egyptian generals visiting Washington for meetings. The document was also
given to legislators serving in the House Appropriations Committee.
Representative Nita Lowey (D-NY), who chairs the State and Foreign
Operations Appropriations Subcommittee was the driving force behind a
freezing of $200 million worth of American aid to Egypt for reasons that
included Cairo's refusal to act more forcefully to prevent smuggling. The
official reason given for freezing the funds is Egypt's human rights record.

During briefings made to congressmen by the Egyptian delegation, it was
argued that most of the smugglings into the Gaza Strip are carried out from
the sea, not through Egyptian territory. They also maintained that Israeli
soldiers collaborate with smugglers and allow them to cross into the strip.
The Egyptians are also charging that Israel is exaggerating in its
assessment of the amount of smuggling activity.

News of the content of the document has stirred considerable ire in
Jerusalem, where the issue of smuggling and the impression that Cairo is not
doing enough to stop it has raised significant concerns in recent weeks. The
issue is of central importance to Israel and Defense Minister Ehud Barak.
Members of the Knesset Foreign Affairs and Defense Committee visiting
Washington this week, discussed the matter with their American hosts.

In the draft of foreign aid appropriations, approved by the House
Appropriations Committee chaired by David Obey (D-Wisconsin), and by
Congress, $200 million out of a total aid package of $1.7 billion to Egypt
are frozen. The draft proposal brought before the Senate does not note the
frozen sum. The final version of the appropriations bill on foreign aid will
be decided during a conference of both houses. In an effort to affect the
result in its favor, Egypt is lobbying hard to convince legislators to adopt
the Senate version of the bill.

Officially, Israel has not adopted a position regarding the frozen funds,
and has not asked U.S. legislators to carry out any cuts in the aid provided
to Egypt. However, Israel continues to argue before Congress that Egypt is
not doing enough to block smuggling into the Gaza Strip.

Two weeks ago, several dozen Hamas activists and militants were allowed to
cross into the Gaza Strip from Sinai, and senior Israeli officials stressed
in talks with their counterparts in the U.S. government that the smuggling
is not "a technical problem but a strategic threat."

Israel maintains that the Hamas militants who crossed into the strip
received advanced training in sabotage and terrorist activities in other
countries, and are now poised to create in Gaza an armed "terrorist state."
Israeli intelligence assessments say that each month, several tons of
explosives are smuggled into the Gaza Strip for the production of rockets
and explosive devices.

A source in Congress told Haaretz yesterday that "Israel's message will
carry significant weight in the final decision."

Barak, who met with Lowey this week and the members of her subcommittee,
raised this issue during their talk.

The Americans heard a uniform complaint from the Israeli MKs visiting
Washington this week, but opinions varied on the kind of pressure needed to
convince Egypt to do more. MK Yuval Steinitz took a severe stand on the
issue, while Meretz chairman, Yossi Beilin, asked that any pressure on Egypt
should not result in a derailment of cooperation.

"Egypt is not Israel's enemy," Beilin said.

The issue of smuggling was also on the agenda of Secretary of State
Condoleezza Rice during her meeting yesterday with her Egyptian counterpart
Ahmed Aboul Gheit. Following the meeting Rice said that "we do need to do
more."

However, the Egyptian foreign minister said that "the Egyptian government is
doing its utmost to control that territory."

Egypt has told Rice and Vice President Dick Cheney in the past that it will
not accept any attempt to place conditions on U.S. aid.