Deal of the Century could include Israeli jetty in Cyprus

Israel wants to build a jetty in Cyprus where it can inspect humanitarian aid to Gaza, with sources pointing to serious interest on the part of the Israelis but no deal as of yet.

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The Jerusalem Post wrote on Monday that a port plan for Cyprus was in the works which would allow Israelis to monitor humanitarian aid going into Gaza and put in place mechanisms to search for smuggled weapons.

The defence ministers of the two friendly nations agreed on the principles of the plan, according to the report.

But according to Kathimerini Cyprus, Nicosia did not confirm that Cyprus and Israel had reached an agreement on the issue.

“There is no deal, just interest on the part of Israel,” a source told Kathimerini’s Apostolos Tomaras and Nikos Stelgias.

But they also cited sources familiar with the issue saying this is not the first time the topic has come up, adding that no decisions were made in the past.

And more recently, in early June, Cyprus Defence Minister Savas Angelides visited Israel where he met his counterpart, Avigdor Lieberman. Part of the talks between the two men included bilateral relations in the area of military cooperation, according to local media.

Some reports cited ex Israeli intelligence official Ram Ben-Barak suggesting a deal helping Palestinians in Gaza enclaves would be doable in such a way not to pose security threats to Israel. 

A possible deal on humanitarian aid could take place with the backdrop dubbed “the deal of the century” spearheaded by Jared Kushner, US President Donald Trump’s senior advisor.

Last week, Kushner signaled he would be ready for meetings with the Palestinians, following talks he and US peace envoy Jason Greenblatt held in Egypt, Saudi Arabia, Jordan, Qatar.

KNEWS understands that Israel would not move forward with the jetty deal if Hamas fails to release two Israeli soldiers.