WASHINGTON — Egypt is falling short in its efforts to stop Palestinians from allegedly trafficking weapons to the Gaza Strip through tunnels from Egypt, US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said Wednesday.
"I think it is fair to say that we have not been satisfied with Egypt's efforts on the tunnels, but that in fact those tunnels have been there for a long time and it has been hard to stop smuggling," Rice said.
"We are in conversations with the Egyptians and the Israelis about how that might be done better," Rice told the House Committee on Foreign Affairs during a hearing on US foreign policy.
On January 14, a security source said Egyptian authorities discovered explosives in a new tunnel near the border with the Gaza Strip.
Israel has often accused Egypt of doing too little to counter alleged arms smuggling via tunnels dug from Gaza into Egyptian territory. Cairo has denied this.
Rice last month urged Egypt to do more to stop arms smuggling.
In December, Egyptian security forces announced the arrest of "one of the most dangerous arms smugglers to Gaza," and seized half a ton of explosives from his house.