What’s the skinny?
The Egyptian government is continuing its movement to create a 1km buffer zone in the Gaza Strip. Reaching its two-year anniversary as of July, the operation has been an effort to restrict opposition jihadist groups from transferring goods through underground tunnels within the region. This has required the forceful removal of residence in the area and further, destroying their homes. The movement began to accelerate last October.
Give me the rundown:
- In a report issued, Tuesday, by international organization, Human Rights Watch (HRW), the Egyptian security operation in Gaza has been under critical observation for its hardline tactics.
- Within the HRC report, there are reason to believe that the Egyptian government is possibly in violation of international law for its security measures. The forceful removal of residences disregarding their protections as seen in the Gaza Strip goes against the United Nations and other African conventions, according to HRC.
- Many residence have been forced out of the region without any guarantee of alternative housing or other means of support.
- The Egyptian government has been under scrutiny for its activities with regards to demolishing homes, because the United States had previously supplied Egypt with the proper technology to discover these tunnels without having to destroy infrastructure.
What is the bottom line?
If Egypt is indeed in violation of international law, the question lies on what measures will be taken to secure the right of its people who have been forcibly removed from the area and how the government will further its operation to secure the border without demolishing future homes and infrastructure. In addition, the government has been in question as to why it has taken these measures, given that the United States had provided the necessary tools to located underground tunnels, halting their traffic, with minimal damage. The HRC report has included recommendations for the Egyptian government, the United States and the United Nations regarding the matter.
