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Last update - 10:51 09/02/2008
Open the Rafah crossing
By Haaretz Editorial
Tags: Qassam, Palestinians 

Following a brief and sporadic hiatus, the cycle of violence recently resumed on both sides in the Gaza Strip. During the past three days, Israel killed at least 16 Palestinians, and heavy barrages of rockets slammed into Sderot and other communities bordering Gaza in response to Israel's retaliation for the suicide bombing in Dimona. The Israel Defense Forces used ground and air forces in the northern and southern Gaza Strip.

This cycle of bloodshed has already proved pointless. The Palestinians gain nothing by firing Qassam rockets, but Israel is not helping itself with its extensive operations in the Strip.

More killing in Gaza results in more Qassams launched against Sderot, and more Qassams result in more killing; an endless cycle of blood that leads nowhere.
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The short hiatus, 11 days, in the heavy Qassam strikes against the northern Negev was not coincidental. During those days the Rafah crossing was open. The Palestinians during those few days of relative liberty had something to lose.

Most of the Gaza residents took advantage of the period to stock up on basic supplies, fuel, food and medicine, following a long, oppressive blockade. It is also possible to assume that the terrorist groups took advantage of the breach in the wall to acquire weapons, ammunition and reinforcements, and apparently also tried to dispatch attackers against Israel through the southern border with Egypt.

Israel, just like Egypt, is of course unable to agree to a breached border that is open to all. On the other hand, the fact the Qassam attacks slowed to a near standstill during the days the crossing was open suggests that Israel should be interested in the orderly opening of a crossing to Egypt and in lifting the total blockade on the Strip - a siege that has so far not furthered any of Israel's goals.

This is not about repeating the recent lawlessness at the Rafah crossing. No state, and Egypt especially, would agree to having a breached border crossing at its frontier.

And Israel cannot accept the traffic of arms and terrorists in and out of the Strip. Therefore, Israel's interest should clearly be the controlled and supervised opening of the crossing at Rafah. If indeed, this happens, then perhaps the hiatus in the violence will be extended, as was the case recently. Therefore, Israel must lift its objections to the opening of the Rafah crossing, and work with Egypt, the Palestinian Authority and the European Union toward its supervised opening. Some IDF officials have already spoken in favor of opening the crossing.

An opening of the Gaza Strip could signal the start of a new chapter in the history of this poor and wretched territory.

This is not a move free of risk, and the concerns of Egypt and Israel regarding its implications are justified. It is possible to prepare for them through close supervision of the crossing. On the other hand, all the other alternatives, which only imply mutual bloodletting, are much worse.

The Qassam attacks will end only when the Palestinians have something to lose. This has so far not come about through Israeli retaliatory actions; it may occur if the blockade is lifted in the Gaza Strip, at least in the southern border.
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  1.   More of Haaretz`s Intellectually Fraudulent and Idiotic Cliches 06:06  |  Tod Zuckerman 08/02/08
  2.   PALESTINIANS RAPED BY WORLD. THEY GOT NOTHING TO LOSE. 09:04  |  ATİLLA KARAGÖZOĞLU 08/02/08
  3.   PALESTINIANS ! YOUR LEADERS END MUST BE AS THE MUSSOLINI 09:32  |  DO IT 08/02/08
  4.   as usual with haaretz a total lack of critical logic 09:33  |  v hardman 08/02/08
  5.   Israeli greed is the largest obstacle to peace 09:40  |  Natallie Durson 08/02/08
  6.   WHAT HITLER MOST AFRAID OF ? 09:40  |  ... 08/02/08
  7.   Israel Gained by the Siege 10:00  |  Walid 08/02/08
  8.   Duh Somebody please tell IDF they are failing like in 2nd Leb War 10:11  |  Yossi Cronenberg 08/02/08
  9.   from blockades to boycotts 10:18  |  flimflam 08/02/08
  10.   #1 and arabic rape 10:25  |  Oddvark 08/02/08
  11.   to : Odvark ! WHY PALESTININAS RAPING THEIR OWN ? 11:02  |  ... 08/02/08
  12.   #3 Armies don`t solve political disputes 11:04  |  Michael II 08/02/08
  13.   Flimflam, go ahead, boycott Israel 11:06  |  Oddvark 08/02/08
  14.   haaretz editor "cycle of violence" is an ancient cliche 11:34  |  harzion 08/02/08
  15.   to provide variety the very original editor in desperation 11:41  |  harzion 08/02/08
  16.   the editor pities the gazans 11:44  |  harzion 08/02/08
  17.   editor is it israel that starts the fight? 11:47  |  harzion 08/02/08
  18.   the editor of haaretz does not realise things have changed 11:52  |  harzion 08/02/08
  19.   hamas is not unique 11:57  |  harzion 08/02/08
  20.   If the EU monitors are stationed in Egypt 12:08  |  Laura Heintze 08/02/08
  21.   #6 why? 12:13  |  Oddvark 08/02/08
  22.   Oddvark 12:18  |  flimflam 08/02/08
  23.   So what is the point here? 12:19  |  Hastaroth 08/02/08
  24.   a non sequitor 12:28  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 08/02/08
  25.   the gazans are starving 12:47  |  harzion 08/02/08
  26.   millions of congolese have been killed in the last 10 years 12:49  |  harzion 08/02/08
  27.   yemen has a standard of living well below gaza 12:51  |  harzion 08/02/08
  28.   the starving gazans rushed out to egypt to buy 12:54  |  harzion 08/02/08
  29.   cnn and saddam hussein 13:00  |  harzion 08/02/08
  30.   egyptian foreign minister to gazans 13:03  |  harzion 08/02/08
  31.   flimflam your hatred is not helpful 13:08  |  captain wentworth 08/02/08
  32.   flimflam and "israeli barbarity" 13:15  |  avi 08/02/08
  33.   flimflam "israel becoming a ghetto" 13:19  |  yaheskel 08/02/08
  34.   flimflam "doors will soon be closing on israel" 13:23  |  flotsam and jetsam 08/02/08
  35.   Goebbels Medias Sorcerers At Work To Advance The "Final Solution" 13:24  |  Joseph . E 08/02/08
  36.   Why open the Rafah crossing? 13:25  |  Walter 08/02/08
  37.   Wentworth: approving cuber-terror 13:34  |  flimflam 08/02/08
  38.   avi: the cautious barbarian 13:36  |  flimflam 08/02/08
  39.   flimflam so dont purchase. 13:52  |  wentworth 08/02/08
  40.   flimflam "israel stealing land" 13:54  |  avi 08/02/08
  41.   Israel did not end its occupation of Gaza 14:20  |  El-Birawi 08/02/08
  42.   IDIOTS! RETAKE GAZA,W.BANK,STOP TERRORISM,EXPAND JEWISH HOLYLAND) 14:26  |  VOICE of MOSHIACH))) 08/02/08
  43.   It Can`t Continue This Way 14:32  |  Jane 08/02/08
  44.   Question for vhardman 14:35  |  Janice 08/02/08
  45.   Israel acts like rapist: puts the blame on the victim 14:44  |  POP 08/02/08
  46.   Why open the Rafah crossing ? 15:03  |  BenAmor 08/02/08
  47.   #44 Question for Janice 15:13  |  Hastaroth 08/02/08
  48.   Janice - Wrong Premises 15:16  |  Jane 08/02/08
  49.   Good editorial suggestion, but will last for a limited time 15:31  |  Tosefta 08/02/08
  50.   Expel Azatim to Egypt, Feiglin for PM 15:32  |  Yehuda Maccabbee 08/02/08
  51.   When Palestinians March for Peace 16:15  |  Andrew 08/02/08
  52.   pope and "serial rapists" 16:16  |  norapehere 08/02/08
  53.   pope are you referring to the poet 16:17  |  norapehere 08/02/08
  54.   No more concessions! 16:25  |  B (The other one) 08/02/08
  55.   Nothing to loose? May be something to gain? 16:26  |  17 08/02/08
  56.   hamas blunders 16:32  |  harzion 08/02/08
  57.   vilnai could not believe his luck 16:38  |  sigmund 08/02/08
  58.   respond to violence with violence -- not with "good will" gesture 16:54  |  felix 08/02/08
  59.   Haaretz Misses The True Picture - Again! 16:55  |  Norman F Birnberg 08/02/08
  60.   Egypt reinforcing its troops along the Gaza Egypt border 17:04  |  ChanahS 08/02/08
  61.   We agree --remove the border with Egypt alltogether 17:19  |  Sal 08/02/08
  62.   Naivete in the Face of Experience 17:19  |  Don 08/02/08
  63.   Israel will now continue to occupy Gaza 17:34  |  Tosefta 08/02/08
  64.   Good editorial suggestion, but will last for a limited time 17:34  |  Tosefta 08/02/08
  65.   Tosefta 18:09  |  Don 08/02/08
  66.   Stupid Israel - does not listen to Tosefta ... 18:19  |  17 08/02/08
  67.   Tosefta: 6th option 18:28  |  Victor 08/02/08
  68.   #64 Tosefta, I`m in full agreement here, once again... 18:57  |  Smadar 08/02/08
  69.   Support for my suggestion 19:07  |  Yonatan 08/02/08
  70.   Support for my suggestion 19:12  |  Yonatan 08/02/08
  71.   Missing the big Gorilla (Smadar #67) 19:31  |  Tosefta 08/02/08
  72.   #65 Don re: