The Dutch contribution to European Union Border Assistance Mission in Rafah (EUBAM – Rafah)
The Dutch government provided 3 members of the Royal Marechaussee for the mission. The Marechaussee personnel arrived at their base in the Israeli town of Asqhelon on 21 February 2006.
In February 2006, the PNA organised parliamentary elections in the Palestinian areas, which were won by Hamas. Hamas was founded in 1987 because of dissatisfaction with the policies of the PLO.
Israel and Hamas
The United States and the EU boycotted the Hamas-formed Palestinian government, which refused to recognise the state of Israel and to honour the agreements made in the peace process. The Hamas government was to be short-lived, but the party did manage to consolidate its position of power in the Gaza Strip. Hamas did not, however, prove capable of maintaining law and order. Dissident factions and radical elements from its own ranks regularly fired missiles at Israel, whereupon Israeli forces returned fire.
Personnel not replaced
In the end Israel hermetically sealed off the Gaza Strip from the outside world. The border crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt was only open sporadically in 2007. At the EU's request, 2 of the 3 Dutch observers remained on call-up in the Netherlands from November 2007 and the third stayed in Asqhelon. The latter was also withdrawn at the end of May 2008 and kept on call-up in the Netherlands.