Rice Brokers Gaza Crossings Deal
Israel and the Palestinians have reached a deal on Gaza border crossings after all-night bargaining personally overseen by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice.
That will give Palestinians a gateway to the world and boost the impoverished Gaza economy, reports CBS News correspondent Robert Berger. Responding to Israel's concerns, European inspectors will prevent the smuggling of terrorists and weapons.
The long-delayed agreement gives a boost to the peace process, two months after Israel pulled out of Gaza.
Hailing the deal as a "big step forward," Rice says the two sides are learning to establish "patterns of cooperation." She adds that it's a major step toward independence for the Palestinians.
"As Palestinians move back and forth to the outside world, as they trade with their Israeli neighbors, the lives of ordinary people on both sides will change for the better," Rice said.
The agreement gives the Palestinians control over a border for the first time. It also strengthens Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas ahead of January 25th parliament elections, where the militant group Hamas is making a strong challenge.
"With the international community, Israel and the Palestinian Authority must keep working hard to make these measures work in practice," Rice said.
Under the deal, the Gaza-Egypt border would open November 25th. Within a month, Palestinians would also be able to move between the West Bank and Gaza, traveling through Israel in bus convoys. A Gaza seaport could also be built.
In other developments:
It took all-night negotiations and a strong diplomatic shove from Rice to get a deal whose basic elements had been in the works for weeks.
"I have to say as a football fan, sometimes the last yard is the hardest, and I think we experienced that today," Rice told a news conference where she announced the agreement.
Rice oversaw the marathon negotiations in a Jerusalem hotel, huddling alternately with Israeli and Palestinian negotiators in her suite. She had postponed a planned departure for Asia by a day to shepherd the deal to a conclusion.
On Tuesday morning, she met with Israeli Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz to finalize the details.
Rice and international Mideast envoy James Wolfensohn badly wanted Israel and the Palestinian leadership to use Israel's unilateral withdrawal from the Gaza Strip last summer as traction for tougher peace negotiations down the road.
Cooperation flagged in recent weeks, and Rice's two days of meetings in Jerusalem and the West Bank were meant to push the two sides to settle nitty-gritty disputes over Palestinian movement in and out of the territory they now control. "Underneath what may seem like very small details there are hard issues," Rice told reporter.
She said she had about two hours of sleep.
Wolfensohn said the deal cleared the way for the international community to assist the Palestinians and help revive Gaza's economy. Donor countries have pledged hundreds of millions of dollars, but they money was held up by the lack of a border deal.
Under the agreement, the Gaza-Egypt border would tentatively open Nov. 25, under the supervision of European monitors. Israel had demanded veto powers, but in the ended conceded on the issue, said Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat. Israel will receive live transmissions via closed circuit TV from the crossing there, and can raise objections concerning travelers, but the Palestinians have the final say.
The European group will be headed by an Italian general, said Palestinian Information Minister Nabil Shaath.
Construction of a Gaza seaport is to begin soon, and Palestinians will be able to travel between the West Bank and Gaza in bus convoys, starting Dec. 15.
The deal came amid political upheaval in Israel that could topple Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's shaky coalition government. Sharon's junior partner, the Labor Party, chose a new leader last week who said he would pull the party out of the coalition.
Sharon's Likud Party is still deeply divided following the Gaza pullout. Several lawmakers in the traditionally hard-line party are still furious over what they regard as a tactical mistake and an emotional blow. Without Labor's support, it will be difficult for Sharon to maintain a parliamentary majority.
The Knesset, Israel's parliament, is scheduled on Wednesday to vote on a bill to dissolve parliament and force new elections. That could force elections within three months. The scheduled vote is November 2006.
The Palestinians have elections scheduled for January that the United States views as a test of the new leadership's democratic resolve.