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Egypt to 'Permanently' Open Gaza Border Crossing
Egypt's foreign minister says Cairo will permanently open the Rafah border crossing to ease Israel's blockade on Gaza.
Egypt is to permanently open the Rafah border crossing to ease the Israeli blockade on Gaza, Nabil al-Arabi, the country's foreign minister, has said.
Israel imposed its blockade on Gaza in 2006. For its part, Egypt is to permanently open the Rafah border crossing to ease the Israeli blockade on Gaza, Nabil al-Arabi, the country's foreign minister, has said. (AFP) Arabi said Egypt would take "important steps to help ease the blockade on Gaza in the few days to come".
Speaking to Al Jazeera on Friday, the minister said Egypt would no longer accept that the Rafah border, Gaza's only crossing that bypasses Israel, remain blocked, describing the decision to seal it off as "shameful".
The announcement came days after Hamas, which controls Gaza, and their secular West Bank rivals Fatah, which controls the Palestinian Authority (PA), agreed to end their rift and form an interim government to prepare for elections.
In talks before the deal, the two sides had discussed reopening the crossing after positioning PA representatives at the border, a condition in a US-brokered 2005 border crossing agreement between Israel and the PA.
Mahmud Zahar, a senior Hamas official, told the AFP news agency that it was understood that the crossing, which under the 2005 agreement was to be monitored by European Union delegates, would be opened after a unity deal.
Israeli concerns
A senior official in Jerusalem said Israel was "very concerned" about the implications of the Rafah crossing being open.
Speaking on condition of anonymity, the official said Hamas had already built up a "dangerous military machine" in northern Sinai which could be further strengthened by opening Rafah.
"What power could they amass if Egypt was no longer acting to prevent that build-up?" the official said.
Earlier this week, unknown assailants in northern Sinai blew up a gas pipeline supplying Israel and Jordan, the second time it has been sabotaged in 10 weeks.
"We are troubled by the developments in Egypt, by the voices calling to annul the peace treaty, by the rapprochement between Egypt and Iran, and by the upgrading of relations between Egypt and Hamas," the Israeli source said.
"These developments potentially have strategic implications for Israel's national security."
Palestinian officials welcomed the Egyptian move, with Saeb Erakat, the PA's chief negotiator, saying it was one step towards loosening the siege on the Gaza Strip.
"We welcome this step by Egypt. We have been pressing them all the time to end the suffering of the people in Gaza, but the real siege is caused by Israel because there are many border crossing with Israel but only one with Egypt," he said.
"We ask Israel to open all the borders to end this crime against the Palestinian people in the Gaza Strip," he said.
Hatem Ewidah, the Hamas official in charge of border crossings in Gaza, also welcomed the move, but stressed it was "important to open the commercial crossing with Egypt" to reduce the impact of the blockade.
Shift in power
In a reminder of the border tensions, which is honeycombed with tunnels that supply Gaza with everything from cars and cattle to guns, police announced hours after Arabi's comments that smugglers had shot dead an Egyptian soldier on Thursday.
The border has remained largely shut since June 2006 when Israel imposed a tight blockade on Gaza after fighters snatched Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who is still being held.
The blockade was tightened a year later when Hamas seized control of the territory, ousting forces loyal to the Western-backed PA.
The UN has called the blockade illegal and repeatedly demanded it be lifted.
24 Comments so far
Show AllWonderful news!
Indeed! I only wondered how long the world could blind itself to the situation which has been building in Gaza for years now. A situation funded with American tax dollars, I might add.
Mammon is angry
"The announcement came days after Hamas, which controls Gaza, and their secular West Bank rivals Fatah, which controls the Palestinian Authority (PA), agreed to end their rift and form an interim government to prepare for elections."
The PA and Hamas "control" nothing, since they are both controlled by the occupying power--Israel. Soon, the controlers will close the crossing from the Gaza side, having re-invaded it again.
I hope (as I'm sure you do) that your prediction proves wrong...despite the threatening noises coming out of Israel. Obama (if not Congress) couldn't
easily support another Cast Lead.
I think you underestimate their willingness to 'bend over for Jezzzus and Israel'. It's not just AIPAC that has an inordinate influence in the US govt, it's also the fundies who can still be counted on to support the most horrible acts if they think it'll bring about the return of their mythical superman. Oh, and the profits that can be made if another Cast Lead goes forward, mustn't forget the profits of war.
Well done Egypt! About time.
That is the best news I've read this week.
NEWS FLASH!
Mussolini's Fascist government, backed by Hitler's Nazis, has announced the conquering and annexation of Ethiopia. Ethiopia's leader, Emperor Haile Selassie, is to plead the case for his country to the League of Nations.
Oops, sorry, wrong century.
I guess now it is Israel's fascist government, backed by Obama's fascists is trying to take over the once sovereign state of Palestine. Palestine continually pleads its case to the UN. (So far with about the same result Selassie had with the League.)
Ummm, in which century was Palestine ever a sovereign state? That's one of the problems here, Palestine went from being part of the Ottoman Empire, to being part of the British Empire, to being an occupied territory; with no sovereignty along the way.
Unfortunately you are quite right about the effectiveness of both the LoN and the UN... For different, as well as similar, reasons both organizations failed, or are failing, and the end result will be a repeat of what happened the last times the so-called international order broke down.
Which century was Palestine a sovereign jewish state? Are the rights of the Palestinians to be forever defined by tyrants?
When do the Kurds get to have their own sovereign state? Or the Basques, or the Quebecois, or the many other remaining groups of humans who claim a unique heritage?
How many nation states do you want? I'd prefer none, but I'm whacky.
The Quebecois are quite welcome to leave Canadian Confederation.
WIth EXACTLY what they entered with.
Unfortunately they want to take all of Canada with them... I think that might be a problem. grin.
Force the bullies in Israel to act right. It's about time they stopped treating the Palestinians the same way the Nazi's treated them.
Remember that the main purpose of Israel closing the borders was to control the flow of diesel fuel into Gaza; in so doing, Israel can control the amount of electricity generated, and thus inflict misery at its whimsy.
Equally interesting, with an open Egyptian Border, will fresh water now be imported into Gaza, by aqueduct? That would make for a major change in living standards in Gaza, otherwise nothing more than a gigantic jail.
This is very good news. Now maybe the Palestinians can get some food and medicine.
Let's just hope that Israel doesn't use it as an opportunity to pull another 'USS Liberty'...
Hope this works the way it should. However, no one should be surprised to hear that pipelines serving Israel and Jordan are blown up more frequently by those terrorists who threaten Israel with their home-made bombs and do not desire peace. Especially since they will be given the chance to obtain dangerous goods such as water and food and materials to rebuild the monstrous damage caused by the poorly armed Israeli army, which was only reacting to threats caused by civilians sheltering armed fighters.
As usual news about any conflict involving Israel elicits little response or comment. It is lamentable that most Americans still fail to see the true state of Zionist policy, one of the reasons for the 9/ll attacks.
Yes yes yes!!!
For once -- some great news.
Yes it is. Here's hoping it won't be short lived, and a first step in getting Palestine officially recognized as a sovereign nation.
But I have a nagging feeling that the bullies on the block won't let this transpire.
It's a good idea to open the crossing, well it's the humane thing to do which is why Israel and the USA will oppose it as strongly as they can. Israel was rather opposed to allowing the end of the old regime in Egypt, and I doubt that the new regime is going to be that much different in Egypt. (but I'm a cynic) I think Israel will respond by trying to occupy the Sinai again.
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