Egypt and Hamas reopen Rafah crossing with Gaza
Less than two weeks after Egypt opened the border crossing with Gaza, Hamas and the Egyptians closed the gateway over the weekend for unspecified reasons.
By Reuters Tags: Palestinians Gaza Strip Hamas EgyptThe Gaza Strip's border crossing with Egypt reopened on Wednesday after a four-day closure caused by a dispute between Cairo and Gaza's Hamas rulers over travel arrangements, officials said.
Witnesses said a bus carrying 60 Palestinians crossed into Egypt from Gaza at the Rafah border point, Gaza's only opening to the outside world. Palestinians waiting to make the same journey cheered when they heard the news.
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A Palestinian boy waiting to cross at Rafah border. |
| Photo by: Reuters |
"It was good news the crossing reopened and I hope things get easier and every passenger will get to his end destination," said Jamal Al-Dahshan, 48, who had been waiting to enter Egypt since Saturday.
To great fanfare, Egypt eased border access on May 28, extending opening hours and scrapping visa requirements for many Palestinians.
Egyptian protesters who toppled President Hosni Mubarak in an uprising earlier this year have pressed the country's interim rulers to improve relations with the Palestinians.
Some Hamas officials said Egyptian authorities later appeared to have second thoughts and tried to slow the flow of Palestinians leaving the tiny coastal enclave.
On Saturday, they said the Egyptians unexpectedly shut the crossing altogether for previously unannounced maintenance work, sparking a small riot at the border.
"Egypt's decision (on May 28) was a brave one and we want our brothers to keep the arrangement in place. The crossing is open," Hatem Oweida, the Hamas-appointed director of Gaza crossings, told Reuters.
An Egyptian border official denied Egypt had ever closed the crossing, saying Hamas was responsible for shutting its side.
"The Rafah border is operating based on the mechanism that Egypt previously announced and had started using on May 28," said the official.
Under the new Egyptian travel guidelines, the crossing operates six days a week instead of five and for longer hours. Women, minors and men over 40 years of age are no longer
required to obtain a visa to enter Egypt.
Israeli officials had expressed anger because Egypt had not coordinated the opening of the crossing with them.
Israel says Cairo must not heed Hamas demands to allow commercial goods to pass through Rafah, a move that would undermine a four-year blockade of the territory Hamas seized in 2007 from forces loyal to Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.
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Yes, yes it's reopened. Sorry, it's now reclosed. When will it be reopened? Well, tomorrow if it's not reclosed. How Will I know. Tomorrow ,wait on line for five hours in the blazing sun. And then it will be open?. Yes, if it's not reclosed.
The Egyptians have opened the Rafah crossing to PEOPLE only, not to GOODS. They are not foolish, and are not willing to take upon themselves the burden of Gaza; they prefer to leave it to Israel. The Gazans are still unable to import raw materials and export finished goods to the world. As long as this situation continues, the Gaza economy will remain in a very poor state and the flotilla problem, intended to call attention to the Gaza suffering, will remain. Of course, Israel should lift the economic blockade which has failed to achieve any intended goal. (The original intent was to get the Gazans to overthrow Hamas...) But the military threat from Gaza remains real. The air and sea blockade will have to remain in place. An economic recovery will take the wind out of the sails of future flotillas.
humanity.
That's right Vlad. You have several other issues to deal with : occupation, settlements, fanatism, recognizing a palestinian state, borders, right of return, compensations, East Jerusalem....go and do some homework Vlad and please come back with a plan instead of paternizing the palestinians and being arrogant. That'd be great !
Good Luck.
When the muslim brotherhood take over Egypt, the Egyptian women, gays, lesbians, christians, hindus and secular Egyptians are going to need to get out. They won't be welcome in Jordan or Syria, so they will need to run to Gaza.
It is time for the Israeli government to reverse the self-defeating policy of the Gaza blockade. The human suffering caused by the blockade has had an incredible negative impact on Israel's standing in the world with few real benefits. Israel's enemies - as well as many of its friends- continued to be able to successfully make the claim that Gaza was still under occupation. Gaza's tunnel economy allowed Hamas to effectively increase its control over all economic activities while being able to bring in any goods/weapons it needed through the tunnels. If the opening of the crossing weakens the tunnel economy and brings about some economic prosperity and reconstruction in Gaza that can be only good for Israel as it will help moderate the politics there and shake off Hamas' hold on power.
smuggling weapons will become easier due to several reasons, that eventually will effect israel and its citizens which will mean operation cast lead 2 will get a green light, which will result with many more Palestinian casualties. But some people only see the the short term result.....
who ever thinks this war is about land is ignorant
Why do you think the opening of the crossing will allow Hamas to bring in more weapons? The fact is the impact of the opening of the crossing on weapns smuggling will be either neutral (i.e. weapons will continue to be smuggled through the tunnels as before) or negative (there will be less smuggling due to the general weakening of the tunnel economy. The only tunnels that will remain open are those that smuggle weapons or contraband). I think any rational analysis will conclude that opening the Gaza borders and normalizing the situation there is in Israel's interest. Cast Lead 2 would be a terrible mistake as it would bring Israel's standing in the world to an even lower point while achieving nothing (toppling Hamas, even if it were possible, would probably bring in a more extreme regime).
Why do you think the opening of the crossing will allow Hamas to bring in more weapons? The fact is the impact of the opening of the crossing on weapns smuggling will be either neutral (i.e. weapons will continue to be smuggled through the tunnels as before) or negative (there will be less smuggling due to the general weakening of the tunnel economy. The only tunnels that will remain open are those that smuggle weapons or contraband). I think any rational analysis will conclude that opening the Gaza borders and normalizing the situation there is in Israel's interest. Cast Lead 2 would be a terrible mistake as it would bring Israel's standing in the world to an even lower point while achieving nothing (toppling Hamas, even if it were possible, would probably bring in a more extreme regime).
But somehow I don't expect the talkbackers to be delighted - which will say a lot about them, and their attitude to human suffering.
Oppressed people? They shoot missiles to Israel every day and you call them oppressed people? If what the Hamas are doing was done to European country or even to an other arab country, I think it was nothing left from Gaza !!!
How many missiles have been shot into Israel in the last couple of months? It's not necessary because there is a light at the end of the tunnel now. You'll have to find something else to whine about, as that argument doesn't hold water anymore.
This is an opportunity for Israel and Egypt to show that there are alternatives for Gaza other than blockade running flotillas. An opportunity to show that the people are not the target of the Israeli siege, that Hamas really is.
Siege is not appropriate when Israel supplies 80 semi trucks of food and other goods daily, electricity, water, fuel. All that Israel is filtering out is weapons, and dual use items.
Gaza's population is 1.6 million..the Milwaukee–Racine–Waukesha Metropolitan Area has a population of 1.7 million. Suppose for a minute...that the greater-Milwaukee area was limited to 80 "semi trucks of food and other goods daily, electricity, water, fuel"...wouldn't be a good quality of life scenario for you...nor is it a good QOL scenario for Gazans!!!
80 semis/day carrying food is way more than is needed. Have you ever seen what amount of food can get into a 53 ft truck. I am in the trucking biz and 80/day is more than enough. Guarantee you 1.5 million people do not buy 80 trucks worth daily.