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Egypt and Israel strengthen border

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Egypt is building an underground barrier along its border with Gaza to prevent smuggling. And Israel says it will put up its own wall along its border with Egypt. Ursula Lindsey has the story from Cairo.

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JEB SHARP: I’m Jeb Sharp and this is The World. Another wall is going up in the Middle East. First there was the security barrier that Israel built along its border with the West Bank. More recently Egypt started building an underground barrier of its own on its border with Gaza to prevent smuggling. And now Israel says it’s building a wall on its border with Egypt. Ursula Lindsey reports from Cairo.

URSULA LINDSEY: Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced this week that Israel will build a wall on its border with Egypt to preserve “the Jewish and democratic character of Israel.” Israel is facing increasing numbers of asylum seekers and illegal immigrants from Africa. They make their way across Egypt in the Sinai desert and cross illegally into the Jewish state. In Cairo official reaction to Netanyahu’s announcement has been limited to a few terse statements.

HOSSAM ZAKI: [SPEAKING ARABIC]

LINDSEY: Egypt’s foreign ministry spokesman, Hossam Zaki, says it’s up to Israel if it wants to build a wall on its part of the border. Another official said it’s a matter that doesn’t concern Egypt. Abdullah Al Ashaal says he’s not surprised by Egypt’s apparent acquiescence to Israel’s latest plan. He’s a former ambassador and legal advisor to the Egyptian foreign ministry. Al Ashal says President Hosni Mubarak’s government is increasingly weak both in terms of domestic support and regional influence and it’s been drawing closer to Israel and the United States.

ABDULLAH AL ASHAAL: So don’t expect the Egyptian government to oppose anything on the part of Israel, anything at all.

LINDSEY: Many Egyptians like Al Ashaal are angry at Egypt’s growing cooperation with Israel. Egypt has helped maintain the blockade on Gaza that has been in place since Hamas took power there in 2007.  In fact Egypt is building a wall of its own. It’s an underground steal barrier aimed at blocking the smuggling tunnels along its border with Gaza. Many Egyptians oppose the barrier as yet another blow to the embattled population of Gaza. That controversy may be another reason Egyptians officials are hesitating Israel’s proposed wall along the Egyptian border. It’s expected to consist of two segments – one near the Egyptian town of Rafah and one near Eilat in Southern Israel. Israeli defense minister, Ehud Barak, said yesterday that a fence there would boost Israeli security.

EHUD BARAK: [SPEAKING ARABIC]

TRANSLATOR: The state of Israel needs a fence to prevent the movement of weapons, drug smuggling, labor migration, and of course to prevent terrorist activity in that region.

LINDSEY: Israel suspects that a Palestinian man who carried out an attack in Eilat in 2006 crossed the border from Egypt. And since 2006, 13,000 refugees and illegal immigrants have crossed from Egypt into Israel. For some time now Israel has been putting pressure on Egypt to do a better job of monitoring their shared border. And Egyptian police have stepped up their border patrols. Since last May they’ve shot and killed 17 people trying to cross the border illegally. But Israel’s decision to build this wall may signal that it has decided to take matters into its own hands. For The World I’m Ursula Lindsey in Cairo.

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