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Israel Doubts Egyptians Will Halt Weapons Smuggling to Palestinians

(Knight Ridder/Kansas City Star) Soraya Sarhaddi Nelson - The arms smuggling from Egypt has given some Israelis pause about trusting the job to the Egyptians. Israeli media reported that Palestinian militants had received antiaircraft missiles capable of reaching planes over Israel through the tunnels. Israel refuses to leave the Egypt-Gaza border without assurances that Egyptian Rafah won't become a transit point for terrorists targeting Israel, less than an hour's drive away. Israeli officials say Egyptian forces haven't done enough to curb the steady flow of weapons to Palestinian militants through tunnels dug beneath the border. "We've seen in the past that Jihadist groups try to smuggle in weapons - high-grade explosives and rockets - through the Egyptian border, and they will continue to do that," said Israeli Foreign Ministry spokesman Mark Regev. "We want a situation where the border is sealed to prevent this smuggling. What we're asking for is not impossible. We have a long border with Jordan, and the Jordanians do a very good job of preventing the illegal smuggling of weapons."
2005-03-30 00:00:00
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