EU Considers 2005 Agreement a Reference to Open Rafah Crossing Border

 An Egyptian soldier keeps watch at the closed Rafah border crossing, between southern Gaza Strip and Egypt. Reuters
An Egyptian soldier keeps watch at the closed Rafah border crossing, between southern Gaza Strip and Egypt. Reuters
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EU Considers 2005 Agreement a Reference to Open Rafah Crossing Border

 An Egyptian soldier keeps watch at the closed Rafah border crossing, between southern Gaza Strip and Egypt. Reuters
An Egyptian soldier keeps watch at the closed Rafah border crossing, between southern Gaza Strip and Egypt. Reuters

An official in the European Union said that the redeployment of Rafah crossing border in Gaza Strip between Palestine and Egypt will take place within the framework of the 2005 agreement, with a permanent presence of an EU delegation there.

EU Media Representative in Palestine Shadi Othman told Asharq Al-Awsat that the EU mission to the Rafah crossing is ready for redeployment within the framework of the 2005 agreement if the Palestinian and Israeli sides agree.

Othman’s comments were made after an inspection visit by a 12-person European delegation on Wednesday to Rafah crossing border.

The delegation arrived in Gaza Strip through Erez/Beit Hanoun crossing with Israel to check up Rafah border crossing with Egypt.

The EU delegation visit is coordinated with the consensus Palestinian government, which assumed its administrative responsibilities in the Gaza Strip following a reconciliation agreement between rival Fatah and Hamas parties under Egyptian auspices in Cairo, in October, Othman explained.

According to the agreement, Hamas, who has been controlling the Rafah border since it took over the Strip in 2007, will hand over the border to the consensus government by October 31.

It also agreed to hand over the Rafah crossing, the main exit port for Gaza’s two million population, to the Palestinian government, which will run it along with Egypt and under European Union (EU) supervision. EU personnel are expected to monitor movement of Palestinians at the crossing.

Egypt opens the crossing for few days every three or four months, making travel of Gazans almost impossible. However, once the government takes it over and the EU monitors are present there, the crossing is expected to be open continuously.

During his current visit, EU Civilian Operations Commander Kenneth Deane met with PA officials, including General Director of Palestinian Crossing and Borders Authority Nazmi Muhanna and Israeli officials to discuss the future of the crossing border and its mechanism of action.

There is no specific time to hand over and redeploy the Rafah crossing, Othman said, stressing that logistical arrangements are needed.

The EU delegation said it is assigned to provide border assistance by being available at the Rafah crossing border as a third party to help build trust between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority in several ways, including developing Palestinian capabilities in all aspects of border management in Rafah.



Palestine Action Wins Bid to Challenge UK Ban Under Anti-terrorism Laws

A Palestinian flag is seen, outside London's High Court as judges decide whether the co-founder of Palestine Action can challenge the UK government's ban on the group, in London, Britain, July 30, 2025. REUTERS/Toby Melville
A Palestinian flag is seen, outside London's High Court as judges decide whether the co-founder of Palestine Action can challenge the UK government's ban on the group, in London, Britain, July 30, 2025. REUTERS/Toby Melville
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Palestine Action Wins Bid to Challenge UK Ban Under Anti-terrorism Laws

A Palestinian flag is seen, outside London's High Court as judges decide whether the co-founder of Palestine Action can challenge the UK government's ban on the group, in London, Britain, July 30, 2025. REUTERS/Toby Melville
A Palestinian flag is seen, outside London's High Court as judges decide whether the co-founder of Palestine Action can challenge the UK government's ban on the group, in London, Britain, July 30, 2025. REUTERS/Toby Melville

The co-founder of a pro-Palestinian campaign group on Wednesday won her bid to bring a legal challenge against the British government's decision to ban the group under anti-terrorism laws.

Huda Ammori, who helped found Palestine Action in 2020, asked London's High Court to give the go-ahead for a full challenge to the group's proscription, which was made on the grounds it committed or participated in acts of terrorism.

Palestine Action has increasingly targeted Israel-linked companies in Britain, often spraying red paint, blocking entrances or damaging equipment. It accuses Britain's government of complicity in what it says are Israeli war crimes in Gaza.

Earlier this month, the High Court refused Ammori's application to pause the ban and, following an unsuccessful last-ditch appeal, Palestine Action's proscription came into effect just after midnight on July 5, Reuters reported.

Proscription makes it a crime to be a member of the group, carrying a maximum sentence of 14 years in prison.

Judge Martin Chamberlain granted permission for Ammori to bring a judicial review, saying her case that proscription amounted to a disproportionate interference with her and others' right to freedom of expression was "reasonably arguable".

Dozens of people have been arrested for holding placards purportedly supporting the group since the ban, and Ammori's lawyers say people expressing support for the Palestinian cause have also been subject to increased scrutiny from police.

However, Britain's interior minister Yvette Cooper has said violence and criminal damage have no place in legitimate protest and that Palestine Action's activities – including breaking into a military base and damaging two planes – justify proscription.

Israel has repeatedly denied committing abuses in its war in Gaza, which began after Palestinian militant group Hamas attacked Israel from Gaza on October 7, 2023.