Deal over Gaza borders

US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced a crucial deal on Gaza border crossings yesterday after brokering marathon talks with Israeli and Palestinian negotiators. Following are some facts about the deal:

¤ The Gaza-Egypt land border at Rafah, the strip's gateway to the outside world, should open on November 25 with the presence of European Union security monitors.

¤ No Israelis will be present at Rafah. But 57 foreign security experts will be at the border, supervised by an Italian general. Palestinians objected to any Israeli presence at the border as an infringement of sovereignty following Israel's withdrawal in September after 38 years of occupation.

¤ Security cameras will be placed at the crossing, and Israeli and Palestinian security officers will monitor the surveillance feed from a control room a few kilometres away. Israel wants the surveillance to be sure Palestinian militants do not smuggle in weapons to armed groups in Gaza.

¤ Use of the Rafah border will be generally restricted to Palestinian identity card holders, although diplomats, aid workers and foreign investors may be allowed to cross.

¤ Rafah will also be used to export goods to Egypt. The Palestinian Authority will act to prevent weapons and explosives from moving through the crossing.

¤ Israel will allow bus convoys to pass between Gaza and the occupied West Bank starting on December 15. Truck convoys will begin a month later. There was no immediate word on whether the convoys would be escorted through Israel by Israeli security forces. Construction on a Palestinian seaport can also begin.

¤ Israel will allow the export of Palestinian produce from Gaza for the 2005 harvest. Israel will also allow 150 commerical trucks to pass daily through Gaza's Karni crossing with Israel by the end of 2005 after a new security scanner is installed, and that number will rise to 400 by the end of 2006.