Middle East nations support Egypt in row with Israel over Salah Al Din corridor

Gaza-Egypt border strip is key to ceasefire negotiations, but Israeli leader Benjamin Netanyahu says removing his troops would 'kill us'

Egyptian army soldiers guard their side of the Rafah crossing, part of the Salah Al Din corridor, closed since early May. AFP

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Countries across the Middle East are backing Cairo in its dispute with Israel over the Salah Al Din corridor along the border between Gaza and Egypt.

Its status would form a key part of any ceasefire deal between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, but Israeli Prime Minister has repeatedly said he will not consider removing an Israeli military presence from the area.

In a sign of US and Israeli positions diverging, the US said on Tuesday said any deal must include a full withdrawal from the area, which was occupied by Israel in May.

The Salah Al Din corridor – also known as the Philadelphi Corridor – was intended to be a demilitarised zone after Israel's peace agreement with Egypt in 1979. Egypt has said it will not accept any Israeli presence in the corridor and is insisting on a return to the status quo before the Israel-Gaza war began. This involved Egypt operating the Rafah crossing, which is on the corridor, under Palestinian supervision.

Mr Netanyahu on Wednesday told briefing to foreign journalists in Tel Aviv that withdrawing from Salah Al Din was a “red line”. He repeated accusations that Salah Al Din was being used to bring weapons into Gaza, having earlier criticised Egypt for a “failure to secure” the corridor.

The Israeli leader said a ceasefire deal which included Israel leaving the corridor would “kill us”.

“There won't be a deal that way,” said Mr Netanyahu.

Countries including the UAE, Saudi Arabia, Qatar and Oman have criticised Netanyahu’s stance on the 14-kilometer long corridor, expressing solidarity with Egypt.

The UAE's Foreign Ministry said it “condemned and denounced in the strongest terms the offensive Israeli statements” regarding the corridor.

“The Ministry called on Israeli authorities to de-escalate and avoid exacerbating tensions and instability in the region, affirming the UAE's rejection of all practices that violate resolutions on international legitimacy and threaten further escalation,” a statement read.

Oman's foreign ministry also offered solidarity with Egypt over the corridor, “rejecting and condemning the statements of the Israeli occupation government regarding the Philadelphi Corridor in the Gaza Strip”.

Saudi Arabia also joined in warning Israel that its insistence on keeping control of Salah Al Din, and making other provocative statements, could derail mediation efforts to bring the conflict to a ceasefire.

The Jordanian Foreign Ministry also rejected Israel's statements, saying they were “baseless allegations aimed at obstructing the mediation efforts” and expressed solidarity with Egypt.