Rafah Border Crossing

Rafah Border Crossing

Subject : IR

Section: Places in news

Context: Egypt is keeping the Gaza Rafah border shut.

Where is the Rafah crossing and who controls it

• It is crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt and is the sole route for aid to enter Gaza directly outside Israel.
• It is the only exit that does not lead to Israeli territory.
• The crossing is at the south of the Gaza Strip and wedged between Israel, Egypt and the Mediterranean Sea.
• The crossing is controlled by Egypt.
• There are only two other border crossings i.e. Erez, a border crossing with Israel in north Gaza, and Kerem Shalom, a commercial crossing between Israel and Southern Gaza.

Why is history Of Rafah Crossing

• 1906 Ottoman-British Agreement: Established the border between Ottoman-ruled Palestine and British-ruled Egypt, running from Taba to Rafah.
• 1979 Egyptian-Israeli Peace Treaty: Restored the 1906 border, giving Egypt control of Sinai and Israel control of Gaza. Rafah Crossing became an international border.
• 1982 Gaza-Egypt Border: Opened after the Camp David Accords, but Israel-controlled border crossings remained a concern.
• 1994 Gaza-Jericho Agreement: Gave Palestinian Authority (PA) limited control over Rafah Crossing, but Israel maintained overall security control.
• 2000 Ariel Sharon Incident: Sharon’s visit to Al-Aqsa Mosque triggered the Second Intifada, affecting Rafah Crossing’s complexities.
• 2001 Israeli Ban on Palestinian Workers: Israel excluded Palestinian personnel from working at Rafah Crossing due to the Second Intifada.
• 2005 Agreement on Movement and Access (AMA): Brought the crossing under Palestinian control but allowed Israel to close it at will.
• 2006 Closure after Gilad Shalit’s Capture: Israel closed Rafah Crossing in response to Shalit’s capture, remaining closed for a year.
• 2011 Arab Spring: Mubarak’s exit in Egypt led to regular reopening of Rafah Crossing. However, Sisi’s coup in 2013 closed it again.
• COVID-19: In 2020, Hamas closed the crossing due to the pandemic.
• 2021 Reopening: After international borders eased, Hamas and Egypt held talks and reopened Rafah Crossing.