Egypt seeks border security support from US amid Gaza negotiations

POLITICO:  Egyptian officials have put forward a slew of requests from the U.S. in negotiations with Israel over Gaza, including security funding and equipment, according to five officials from Egypt, the U.S. and Israel.

Cairo in recent months has asked for the U.S. to consider helping supply additional tranches of funding and new military gear — such as security and radar systems — to secure the border with Gaza in preparation for an Israeli ground invasion of Rafah, the five officials said, all of whom were granted anonymity to speak about sensitive discussions.

The Egyptian requests come as American officials deliberate with their counterparts in Qatar, Egypt and Israel to iron out a roadmap that will eventually lead to a pause in fighting to allow for the release of all remaining hostages held by Hamas in Gaza. As part of those talks, Israel has said it will attempt to clear Hamas militants out of the southern portion of the enclave by conducting a ground operation in Rafah. Egyptian and American officials increasingly believe that the Rafah invasion will eventually happen.

Egyptian officials have pushed back hard against that idea, saying the invasion will inevitably force hundreds of thousands of Gazans to flee south to the border where they will likely attempt to pass through. Officials are particularly worried about Hamas militants passing into Sinai — a region that has for years harbored extremists who have carried out multiple deadly terrorist attacks.

The additional funding and equipment Egypt requested will help its military deal with a potential influx of Gazans on its border, officials said. But the Egyptian petitions — while typical, especially in the midst of an intense international negotiation — have added an additional layer of complexity to the talks and have slowed them down, the two American officials said.

“In order for Israel to move ahead with the Rafah invasion, we really need the approval of Egypt,” the Israeli official said. “It’s their border they’re worried about. They don’t want to house all of the Gazans in Rafah.”

The Egyptian Foreign Ministry declined to comment. The U.S. State Department also declined to comment.

A third U.S. official said the administration has accelerated conversations with the Egyptians in recent weeks amid growing concerns about its border, adding that Washington also wants to shut off all potential routes of smuggling for Hamas.

Some 1.5 million people have fled to Rafah from other parts of Gaza to escape the war. They have no place else to go besides the border region, the Egyptians argue, as Israel has largely prevented them from moving north.

It is possible that Cairo will end up getting the help from elsewhere — potentially from Arab states. Earlier this month, American officials were preparing to pitch Israel a plan to help secure the border in lieu of a Rafah invasion.

In recent years, the U.S. has withheld hundreds of millions of dollars over Egypt’s human rights record. In September it approved $235 million in aid for Egypt but withheld an additional $85 million for the same reason. Egypt has asked the U.S. to rethink its stance and consider providing additional funds it says it needs to manage the fallout from the Rafah invasion.