Signs of modest progress as Israel, Egypt discuss future of latter’s Gaza border
Israel, US officials claim progress made in ‘constructive,’ ongoing talks in Cairo; PM said to agree to Biden request for partial withdrawal from one section of Philadelphi route
Lazar Berman is The Times of Israel's diplomatic reporter
Some signs of measured optimism emerged on Friday after talks in Cairo wrapped up the night before, as negotiators work to find a compromise on the deployment of IDF troops along the Gaza-Egypt border in the event of a hostage-ceasefire deal with Hamas.
The talks in Cairo on Thursday were “constructive,” an unnamed source familiar with the issue told Army Radio after Israel’s high-level negotiating team returned from Egypt.
According to the report, progress was made in closing gaps with Cairo over the Rafah Border Crossing, which has been shuttered since Israel occupied the Palestinian side of the Gaza-Egypt border in May.
“There has been progress made,” said a White House spokesman on Friday in a briefing with reporters.
Though a deal will ultimately have to be made between Israel and Hamas, discussions this week centered on finding a formula that Jerusalem and Cairo could agree upon. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu insists that an Israeli presence on the Philadelphi Corridor — the 14-kilometer (9-mile) buffer strip that separates Egypt from Israel and Gaza Strip — is vital to preventing Hamas from re-arming, while Hamas and Egypt want to see Israeli forces withdraw entirely.
The US has offered technological alternatives to an Israeli military presence on the border.
In his phone call with Netanyahu on Wednesday, US President Joe Biden asked the premier to pull Israeli forces back from a 1- to-2-kilometer section of the border road, according to Axios. The section is adjacent to the Tel al-Sultan refugee camp near the coast, where many Gazan refugees have taken shelter.
Citing three Israeli officials, Axios said that Netanyahu agreed to pull back from one IDF position. The official said that in response, Biden backed Netanyahu’s demand that Israeli troops continue to hold the rest of the border in the first stage of a deal.
However, one of the prime minister’s advisers told Axios that Netanyahu agreed only to move that one IDF position by several hundred meters.
Israeli and Arab media reported on Thursday that Israel came to Cairo with a new proposal that would see international forces on the Philadelphi Corridor, but the Prime Minister’s Office put out a statement denying that he would agree to such an arrangement.
Anonymous sources familiar with the negotiations told Ynet that progress was made in resolving disagreements between Jerusalem and Cairo on the issue.
After refusing to firmly press Hamas to accept the bridging offer presented by the US in Doha last week, Egypt reportedly passed the amended sections regarding the Rafah crossing and the Philadelphi Corridor to the terror group on Friday.
According to an Israeli official cited by Axios, once Biden backed Netanyahu’s proposed deployment, Cairo had no choice but to present the new maps to Hamas. However, Israeli officials do not believe Hamas will accept the updated formula.
A source quoted by Army Radio added that US and Egyptian negotiators are working around the clock to get the Palestinian terror group to participate in the next round of indirect negotiations, likely on Sunday.
The Israeli team in Cairo was led by Mossad chief David Barnea and Shin Bet chief Ronen Bar and included Maj. Gen. Eliezer Toledano, head of the IDF General Staff Strategy and Third-Circle Directorate, an Israeli official told The Times of Israel.
“There has been progress made,” said National Security Council spokesperson John Kirby. “We need now for both sides to come together and work toward implementation.”
Kirby added that meetings in Cairo were continuing Friday and that CIA Director Bill Burns would participate in those discussions.
Biden later spoke by phone with the leaders of Qatar and Egypt, with the White House saying the aim of the calls was to discuss “diplomatic efforts to bring the ceasefire and hostage release deal to a conclusion.”
Blinken said earlier this week that even if Hamas accepts the US proposal, the sides will then need to hold subsequent talks to finalize the implementation of the deal, adding another step to a process that has dragged on for months.
An Israeli official stressed to The Times of Israel on Thursday that “the prime minister stands behind the principle that Israel will rule the Philadelphi Route.”
The official said that “there is a reason we agreed” to the US bridging proposal, and that it meets Israel’s security demands.
Two Arab officials from mediating countries and a third Israeli source familiar with the talks argued that the US bridging proposal went too far to cater to Israeli demands, making it less likely that Hamas would accept the offer.
Control over the Philadelphi Route is also the subject of debate within Netanyahu’s government.
His negotiators do not regard the prime minister’s insistence on an Israeli presence on the Philadelphi Corridor as essential, but rather as a “spoke in the wheels” of the talks, according to to Channel 12. The IDF only moved to capture the Philadelphi Corridor in May, eight months into the war.
Jacob Magid and agencies contributed to this report.
The Times of Israel Community.