The Israeli flag flies on the Palestinian side of the crossing Rafabut the future of this crossing point between the Gaza Strip and Egypt is a puzzle for the Israel.

Prior to the arrival of Israeli tanks, Hamas controlled the Rafah crossing, including collecting taxes on cargo entering the Palestinian enclave. It is also suspected that a large part of the Palestinian organization’s arsenal passed through there.

For more than a week now, what from 2005 to 2007 was the first crossing point in the Gaza Strip controlled by the Palestinian Authority has been completely closed.

The Israeli army took control of the Palestinian side of the crossing on the morning of May 7 after announcing that it had “information that the Rafah crossing (…) was used for terrorist purposes.”

Egypt refuses to open its side of the crossing while Israeli troops control the other, as reported by the Egyptian television network al Qahera, which is close to the country’s intelligence services.

The first consequences of closing the crossing are humanitarian: Rafah was one of the main points through which aid passed to Gaza, which has been torn apart for more than seven months by war.

Rafa was the point of entry and exit for international aid workers, about 100 trucks carrying products and most importantly almost all the fuel needed to run the infrastructure in the enclave that lacks electricity, as well as humanitarian vehicles.

Caveats

Consequently, Israel is looking for a partner to reopen the Rafah crossing. A difficult quest, as there are many political and strategic stakes.

Just one day after the Israeli army took it under its control, the Israeli newspaper Haaretz reported that Israel had begun negotiations with Egypt and the US to have a private American company take over the management of the crossing.

The plan, which Washington says it is not aware of, has drawn skepticism from many analysts, who believe that armed Palestinian organizations will oppose it and target the crossing, making crossings impossible.

Already after the start of Israel’s ground operations in Rafah, Hamas has claimed responsibility for several rocket strikes against the crossing.

As reported by the media, on Wednesday Cairo refused an Israeli proposal to reopen the crossing and participate in its operation, even in the hypothetical case of the withdrawal of Israeli troops.

Israeli and Palestinian media reported another Israeli proposal, this time to the Palestinian Authority: to officially take over the keys to the crossing, but to manage its operation together with a neutral Palestinian actor, such as the International Committee of the Red Cross.

The Palestinian Authority refused, replying that it would only accept to take full control of the crossing point.

EU or UN?

After the withdrawal of the Israeli army from the Gaza Strip in 2005 and following an agreement for which Washington also worked, the management of the Rafah crossing was taken over by the Palestinian Authority with the presence of a European mission, EU-BAM (European Border Assistance Mission), with Israel having the right to monitor the activities.

Israel has also now approached EU-BAM, a European source in Jerusalem said, adding that the Europeans refuse to participate in the management of the crossing unless the Palestinian Authority is also involved, based on the 2005 mechanism.

The UN could be the ideal partner: its agency for Palestine refugees (UNRWA) has never managed the crossing, but it has played an important role in the past in managing aid passing through it.

But the Israelis do not want to entrust it with the management of the Rafah crossing, especially since they have been accusing UNRWA for months of collaborating with Hamas.