JERUSALEM, Dec. 1 (UPI) -- Israel has agreed to Egypt's offer to boost its troop strength on the Sinai-Gaza Strip border, Ha'aretz reported Wednesday.
Although the 1979 Camp David peace accord limits the Egyptian military presence along the border, Jerusalem has agreed to Cairo's offer to strengthen border patrols and also train Palestinian officers.
Israel's foreign minister, Silvan Shalom, said Wednesday that details on the number of troops and type of weapons the additional soldiers will carry still must be worked out.
Last month, Egypt offered to deploy 750 soldiers on the Egyptian side of the Philadelphi route in the Rafah area to reinforce security and prevent arms smuggling into the Gaza Strip. Currently, only policemen are deployed there, in keeping with the Israeli-Egyptian peace agreement.
