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The Head of EUBAM Rafah Guenther Freisleben and Nazmi Mhanna the General Director of General Administration of Borders and Crossings (GABC) signed a Donation Agreement on 16 January 2019 in Jericho.

This week, members of the Integrated Strategic Planning Division of the European Union Crisis Management and Planning Directorate visited the occupied Palestinian territory and Tel Aviv to conduct an interim strategic review of EUBAM Rafah.

The purpose of this type of strategic reviews is not to examine the performance or progress of the Mission, but to evaluate the relevance of the Mission’s mandate on a backdrop of the current operational and political situation, and to get a clear idea of the challenges of the Mission in this perspective.

This week, the two EU Missions in the Occupied Palestinian Territory, EUBAM Rafah and EUPOL COPPS, co-organized a two-day training on effective investigation and prosecution of border related crimes.

Two experts from The European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF)  delivered a training on fighting cross-border irregularities and frauds for 24 participants from the General Administration of Borders and Crossings (GABC), border agencies and the Anti-Corruption Commission in Jericho. 

This week, the Mission welcomed two delegations from the EU in Brussels. Both visits aimed at familiarizing the Brussels-based staff with the situation on the ground and to establish a real-time picture of the operational environment in the occupied Palestinian territories.

Sustainable peace, development and security are possible only when grounded upon respect for human rights, democracy and rule of law. 

As part of the EU family, EU Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing Point (EUBAM Rafah) is committed to promoting and protecting human rights throughout our actions; and our Mission Members take human rights into account in all engagement with the Palestinian Civil Police and the Palestinian Justice Institutions.

On 08 October 2018, Mr. Azzam Al Ahmad, Palestinian Authority  official in charge of reconciliation talks, met with Mr. Guenther Freisleben, the Head of the European Union Border Assistance Mission, in his office in Ramallah to discuss the recent updates in the West Bank in general and in Gaza in particular.

EUBAM Rafah, in close cooperation with the General Administration of Borders and Crossings (GABC), facilitated a two-day training held by the Palestinian Anti-Corruption Commission (PACC) on the role of GABC in encountering the specter of corruption.

The training aimed at preparing Palestinian officers operating at the crossings to identify the different forms of corruption and to handle corruption cases according to the procedures adopted by GABC.

The Council of the European Union has extended the Mandate of the EU Border Assistance Mission for the Rafah Crossing Point (EUBAM Rafah), as well as the Mandate of the EU Coordinating Office for Palestinian Police Support (EUPOL COPPS) in Ramallah, until 30 June 2019.

Both missions forms part of the wider EU efforts in support of Palestinian state building in the context of working towards a comprehensive resolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict based on a two-state solution.

In its efforts to increase the capacities of the General Administration for Border and Crossings (GABC), the Mission conducted a three day ‘train-the-trainer’ course for Palestinian border officers.