US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice announced a crucial deal on Gaza border crossings today after brokering marathon talks with Israeli and Palestinian negotiators.
Ms Rice had postponed her departure to Asia for an APEC meeting, staying in Jerusalem an extra day until she secured an agreement on opening the Gaza-Egypt border.
Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon sits beside US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice during a memorial ceremony marking the 10th anniversary of late Israeli prime minister Yitzhak Rabin's assassination at the Mount Hertzl Military cemetery in Jerusalem yesterday
Access to Gaza is key to strengthening the impoverished strip's economy and giving a boost to chances for peacemaking following Israel's withdrawal from Gaza in September.
"I am pleased to be able to announce today that Israel and the Palestinian authorities have approved an agreement on access," Ms Rice told a news conference, revealing the rare breakthrough in Middle East diplomacy.
"This agreement is a good step forward."
She said the Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt, the strip's gateway to the outside world, was targeted for reopening on November 25th, and the deal also called for Palestinian convoys to start travelling between Gaza and the West Bank within a month.
Ms Rice said construction on a Gaza seaport could also begin. Israel had conditioned the opening of Rafah on its ability to monitor goods and people passing through, saying it feared arms smuggling across the border to Palestinian militants.
Palestinians had insisted that Israelis not be at Rafah. An Israeli Defence Ministry source said a compromise was reached whereby Israeli and Palestinian security officers will man a control room a few kilometres from Rafah monitoring remote-control cameras at the border crossing.
Ms Rice made clear that she understood Israel's security concerns and suggested the onus was on the Palestinians. "Our commitment to security is strong as always," she said. "Progress like today's agreement cannot continue unless there is progress in fighting terror."
Israel, which has kept control of Gaza's borders, air space and sea lanes since its withdrawal, has been under US pressure to reopen the Rafah crossing, largely closed since Israel withdrew.
US officials had voiced frustration with what they viewed as the failure of both sides to capitalise on the Gaza pullout, the first removal of settlements by Israel from land Palestinians want for a state.