Posted on 06/17/2004 7:20:22 AM PDT by areafiftyone
JERUSALEM, June 17 (Reuters) - Israel set in motion a plan on Thursday to dig a moat along the Gaza-Egypt border, inviting contractor bids for the project meant to prevent arms reaching Palestinian militants through tunnels.
The Defence Ministry published the bid notice 11 days after the cabinet approved in principle a Gaza withdrawal plan, under which Israel would keep a narrow corridor on the Egyptian frontier pending possible security arrangements with Cairo.
Inviting bids by July 12, the ministry said the southern Gaza Strip "canal" would be 15 metres (50 ft) to 25 metres (80 ft) deep and stretch four kilometres (2.5 miles).
The notice, in Israeli newspapers, did not give the width of the canal -- a figure crucial to determining whether any Palestinian homes along the "Philadelphi Corridor" buffer zone adjacent to Rafah refugee camp would need to be demolished.
It was not clear whether the moat would be filled with water, as Israeli military sources had suggested last month, or would be a dry moat.
The ministry invited contractors to tour the project site and said one-year contracts would be issued, renewable for an additional 12 months.
Israel's Defence Ministry and the army declined to elaborate on the project. But Israel radio's military affairs corrrespondent quoted defence sources as saying the moat would be built along the Philadelphi strip.
The multi-million dollar plan was floated last month by the Israeli military as a way to reduce weapons smuggling into southern Gaza after 13 soldiers were killed in three ambushes.
Palestinian officials have said such a project would lead to more houses being bulldozed in the Rafah camp, the scene of a six-day Israeli army operation in May which the U.N. relief agency UNRWA said made 575 people homeless.
The army has said it found and destroyed more than 80 tunnels used by militants in the past three years and commanders have voiced fears the Palestinians could seek to bring in longer-range weapons to fire at Israeli cities.
Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's plan to "disengage" from the Palestinians envisages the removal by the end of 2005 of all 21 Jewish settlements in occupied Gaza and four of the 120 Israel has built in the West Bank.
In a compromise with right-wing hardliners in his cabinet, Sharon agreed to put off any evacuations until a further ministerial vote in nine months' time.
These guys know how to defend a border. What about a big moat in southern Texas, New Mexico and Arizona?
"Moats are fashionable....again!"
I have often thought about this for the southern border, all the way from the gulf to the coast. If it's wide enough, no more need for the Panama Canal, either. Very stategic.
I like moats especially with Catapults! :-)
That much fresh water is worth more than Gaza. Sea water, certainly. The Gaza canal... to nowhere.
Crocs don't much care, I believe, either way, salt or fresh. Piranha, on the other hand, do require fresh. Barracuda, some sharks species and some poison lion fish, rock fish etc. can be substituted.......
Dr. Evil : You know, I have one simple request and that is to have sharks with freakin' laser beams attached to their heads!
"the scene of a six-day Israeli army operation .."
Now why does that ring a bell??? ;p
I'd assume it's only being considered in the Rafah area, where there are numerous building for the Gaza tunnel terminations. If they can build it 2.5, they can build it 12 without much more effort though.
Either skip the jellyfish or ban export of the Israeli sunscreen keeps the jellyfish away
LOL - I especially like catapulting various animals over (pigs specifically) ala Monty Python. Ooops better watch what I say PETA may be watching! ;-)
"Water AND alligators".....how about sharks with laser beams!!!!
Enough of the circus act, kick their behinds already. They want to declare war, have done so, so finish it.
Why build moats, kill them.
The question is, why isnt this choice on the table?
filler suggestion: a slurry/emulsion containing LD50 concentrations of Strontium90 and Cobalt60
"The question is, why isn't this choice on the table?"
Who says that choice isn't on the table? Timing is everything!
touche
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