IMRA Newsletter
Background: Israel not concerned that Egyptian Soldiers acting as Civil Police on Border
21 November 2004
An official Israeli diplomatic sourse told IMRA today that Israel is not disturbed that Egypt has deployed soldiers as civil police on the border.
Subparagraph 1.c.2. of Article II of Annex I, Protocol Concerning Israeli Withdrawal and Security Agreements, of the March 26, 1979 Peace Treaty Between Israel and Egypt states that "Egyptian civil police will be stationed in Zone C" (the area adjacent to the border) without setting any limit on the size of the force.
Subparagraph 1.c.3. states that they will be "armed with light weapons".
Assault rifles qualify as "light weapons".
Last week three Egyptian soldiers deployed as civil police were killed by mistake on the border adjacent to the Philadelphi Corridor.
It should be noted that there have been frequent reports that Egypt claimed it was unable to effectively patrol the border to prevent smuggling because the treaty limited the quality of the force to "civil police" and that Egypt wanted to deploy better trained troops.
The incident highlights the fact that Egypt today does not face any true limitation on the type of troops they may deploy as long as they call themselves "civil police" while serving in the border area.