Israel tries to curb inbound infiltrations, trafficking from Egypt

Recent years have seen increasing infiltrations and trafficking across the 240-km Israeli- Egyptian border, which runs from the southeastern tip of the Gaza Strip to the Israeli Red Sea port city of Eilat and is largely open, relying only on the harsh desert environment to keep it safe.

On Sunday, the Israeli cabinet approved an initial 364 million U.S. dollars for the construction of a barrier along the porous frontier.

While much of Israel's concern is with the possible entry of terrorists and drugs, there is also growing consternation regarding the increasing numbers of illegal immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers who are making the perilous journeys from Africa in search of a safe haven and employment in Israel.

PHYSICAL FENCE

Initially, most of the border will not have a physical fence but rather warning signs and some surveillance. In time though, a barrier may run the full length of the frontier.

"The quantity of infiltrators will only increase, also given the economic attractiveness of the State of Israel. This has security and demographic consequences vis-a-vis illegal entry into the labor market, drug trafficking, human trafficking, etc.," said Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in explaining the perceived need for the barrier.

"Building a fence is a great and important national necessity, as we look forward toward the future of the State of Israel," he told his ministerial colleagues.

The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) estimates that "1.3 tons of hashish and 130 kg of heroin were seized at the border last year."

As many as 5,000 may have crossed into Israel in 2009, according to an IDF ballpark figure.

EGYPTIAN WOES

That passage to Israel requires the crossing of Egypt, a country that has acted harshly to refugees entering its territory.

There are occasional reports by human rights organizations alleging that some of the Africans were arrested, beaten and even killed as they made their way through Egypt.

A recent media report suggested that as many as 80 Africans were shot dead by Egyptian forces as they attempted to enter Israel during the course of last year.

That criticism from rights organizations must be put into context, according to Israel's former ambassador to Cairo Zvi Mazel. He said there are as many as 2 million Africans, many from Sudan, currently in Egypt and that many of them are determined to head for Israel, which they perceive as a better destination.

For its part, Israel is loath to condemn the Egyptians, preferring to point out Cairo's seeming agreement to the barrier.

"The Egyptian side is doing what it can, but we cannot completely rely on it. Egypt does not oppose the establishment of the barrier and it is in the framework of the peace agreement," Netanyahu said when he travelled along the open border in January.

SECURITY THREAT

Not only do African refugees choose to cross the border, but also human traffickers are trying to smuggle women into the country from Egypt. According to a parliamentary investigation, as many as 5,000 women enter Israel each year, a large proportion of them via the Egyptian border.

While Israel wants to cut out the mass immigration of refugees and asylum seekers and to stop the inflow of sex slaves and drugs, it is of course predominantly focused on the fight against terrorism when it comes to its borders.

Citing the recent arrests of what Israel described as terror cells trying to enter the country from Egypt, Mazel said that armed Palestinian teams are leaving the Gaza Strip via underground tunnels for Egypt before they make their way south through the Sinai Peninsula and then turn left and head for Israel.

"The border runs for hundreds of kilometers. It is more or less open and is very dangerous. I guess the Israelis want to put in some form of obstacle that will make it very difficult to get through," said the retired diplomat.

However, it appears at this stage that the barrier will be far from being as secure as those separating Israel from the Palestinian areas, Lebanon and Jordan.

For that reason, in the Egyptian case, it seems that Israel is more concerned with smuggling and trafficking than with terror, said Yoram Meital, who heads the Chaim Herzog Center for Middle East Studies and Diplomacy at Ben-Gurion University of Negev in southern Israel.

"If someone wants to carry out an attack, it would appear as though this is not the fence that will prevent it," he said on Monday.

For the asylum seekers and those looking for employment though, the barrier could be a major impediment.

The Tel Aviv-based African Refugee Development Center has argued that Israel has the right to defend itself, but it cannot simply ignore the plights of those whose lives are at risk.

"This is not the solution to prevent people from entering. It's been tried in many other countries and it doesn't work. People do whatever it takes to save their lives," said Yohanes Bayu, director of the center.

"The solution is to have a proper policy in Israel for the refugees and even the foreign workers, which also protects Israel and its population, not this ad hoc solution," he said.

Source: Xinhua