Egypt FM: Issue of Gaza demilitarization should be put off until permanent peace deal
Sameh Shukri says ridding Gaza of weapons must come as part of larger, final settlement between Palestinians and Israelis.
By ARIEL BEN SOLOMONMembers of the Popular Front for the Liberation of Palestinian (PFLP) take part in a military show in Gaza City September 2, 2014. (photo credit: REUTERS)
Egyptian Foreign Minister Sameh Shukri said that the demilitarization of Gaza should not occur now, “because it is within the scope of the final settlement between Israel and the Palestinians.”Shukri also told the London-based daily Al-Hayat that his country “succeeded in implementing the cease-fire during the negotiations” and “we hope to continue our efforts to reach an agreement that would ensure” that such violence would not recur.President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi’s regime is hostile to Hamas, which it accuses of aiding its own Muslim Brotherhood movement and the ongoing Islamist insurgency in Sinai.The Egyptian army has destroyed many of the tunnels used to smuggle goods and weapons into Gaza and during the recent Gaza war, it kept the border crossing at Rafah closed most of the time, allowing limited access for humanitarian needs.
