Are Israel, Egypt inching closer to deal on Gaza’s Philadelphi Corridor?

While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu demands that armed militants be prevented from traveling from the south to the north of the Gaza Strip, there is some hope the issue of control over the Philadelphi Corridor along Egypt’s border with Gaza could be solved more easily.

The corridor, which is about 100 yards wide and runs nearly nine miles from the Mediterranean Sea to the Israel-Egypt border, is supposed to remain under Egypt's control as part of the Camp David Accords. However, this past May, Israeli forces took control of the Rafah crossing and stationed troops in the corridor.

Netanyahu's office said in mid-July that Israel will insist on maintaining physical control over the border, but military officials say that from the security standpoint, Israel could make do with an underground barrier along the corridor or even just a surveillance system to prevent the use of existing smuggling tunnels or the digging of new ones. It could mean Netanyahu will back down on his condition of physical control, though his far-right coalition partners are likely to strongly oppose the move.

Speaking on condition of anonymity, an Israeli diplomatic source told Al-Monitor, "Now that he’s in Washington, Netanyahu will surely hear from his American interlocutors that he must be more flexible on his demands so that a hostage deal could be reached quickly. This is not only about Gaza, but also about Israel’s security ties with Egypt, which are one of our most important strategic assets."