Brussels – In a few days, starting in early February, the EU will deploy the EUBAM mission at the Rafah crossing in the south of the Gaza Strip. The EU High Representative for Foreign Affairs, Kaja Kallas, made the announcement at the end of the Foreign Affairs Council held today (Jan. 27) in Brussels. The head of European diplomacy said that monitoring the border by EU forces “will enable the transfer of the wounded out of Gaza for treatment.”
The mission has been ready since last May, ever since the U.S. ally and Israel had explored with Brussels the possibility of handing back to the EU the management of the southern crossing between Gaza and Egypt once conditions allowed. With the—- albeit fragile—ceasefire reached, the EU received a formal invitation from Tel Aviv and the Palestinian Authority, with Egypt’s approval.
Italian Foreign Minister Antonio Tajani explained on the sidelines of the meeting with European counterparts that military personnel from France and Spain will participate in addition to Italy. The deputy prime minister stressed the “great importance” of the mission, which is also symbolic and certifies “a European presence” when the agreement between the conflicting parties must be implemented. Tajani hopes it is already a step towards the second phase of the ceasefire and a demonstration that Europe can contribute to the start of a new season in Palestine.
The Italian Carabinieri, along with their French and Spanish colleagues, are already training at the military base in Vicenza and “are expected to leave in days with an Italian military plane.” As reported by Agi, the number is limited to about 20 people who will operate at the Rafah crossing from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. to allow and control the passage of people, prioritising the wounded and their relatives. The primary objective is coordinating and facilitating the daily transit of up to 300 wounded and sick.
The mission had been launched in November 2005, after Israel’s disengagement from Gaza, to ensure a presence as a third party at the Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt and build trust between the government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority.
According to data recorded by EUBAM, from Nov. 25, 2005, until the last day of EU monitoring, June 9, 2007, it facilitated the crossing of 443,975 people: 229,429 from Gaza into Egyptian territory and 214,117 for the reverse route. The European personnel hurriedly packed their bags on June 13, 2007, just hours before Hamas took control of the city of Rafah and thus inaugurated its government in the Gaza Strip.
