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Egypt Opens Rafah Crossing: This Is What Democracy Looks Like
There was a slogan on the streets of Seattle: "This is what democracy looks like." You can't love democracy and denigrate protest, because protest is part of democracy. It's a package deal.
Likewise, you can't claim solidarity with Egyptian protesters when they take down a dictator, but act horrified that the resulting government in Egypt, more accountable to Egyptian public opinion, is more engaged in supporting Palestinian rights. It's a package deal.
On Saturday, at long last, the Egyptian government "permanently opened" the Egypt-Gaza passenger crossing at Rafah. A big part of the credit for this long-awaited development belongs to Tahrir. It was the Tahrir uprising that brought about an Egyptian government more accountable to public opinion, and it was inevitable that an Egyptian government more accountable to public opinion would open Rafah, because public opinion in Egypt bitterly opposed Egyptian participation in the blockade on Gaza.
In addition, opening Rafah was a provision of the Fatah-Hamas reconciliation accord brokered by the Egyptian government - an achievement facilitated by the fact that the post-Tahrir Egyptian government was more flexible in the negotiations with Hamas that led to the accord.
Mubarak had a deal with the U.S. government: I obey all your commands on the Israel-Palestine issue, and in exchange, you shut your mouth about human rights and democracy. Tahrir destroyed this bargain, because it forced the U.S. to open its mouth about human rights and democracy in Egypt, regardless of Egypt's stance on Israel-Palestine. When it became clear to Egypt's rulers that subservience to the U.S. on Israel-Palestine would no longer purchase carte blanche on human rights and democracy, there was no reason to slavishly toe the U.S. line on Israel-Palestine anymore.
The Mubarak regime also had a domestic motivation for enforcing the blockade: it saw Hamas as a sister organization of Egypt's then semi-illegal opposition Muslim Brotherhood, and it saw enforcing the blockade as a means of denying Hamas "legitimacy," figuring that more "legitimacy" for Hamas would mean more "legitimacy" for Egypt's Muslim Brotherhood, thereby threatening Mubarak's iron grip on Egypt's politics.
But of course post-Tahrir developments in Egypt threw that calculation out the window: the post-Mubarak government in Egypt has reconciled with the Muslim Brotherhood, which is a de facto partner in the present interim government, and is expected to do well in September's parliamentary elections. It would be absurd for the Egyptian government to try to isolate the Muslim Brotherhood by trying to isolate its sister Hamas, when the Muslim Brotherhood is de facto part of the Egyptian government and the role of the Brotherhood in running Egypt is likely to increase.
There are other considerations. Egypt's government has seen how Turkey's influence in the region has grown dramatically as a result of its "no problems with neighbors" policy. Now Egypt is saying: "I'll have what she's having," and moving to normalize relationships in the region, just as Turkey has done.
The opening of the Rafah passenger crossing will mean that women, children, and the elderly from Gaza will be able to travel freely to Egypt and, through Egypt, almost anywhere else in the Arab world. Adult men will have to get Egyptian visas, a process that currently can take months.
But - although it is virtually certain that some will try to claim otherwise - the opening of Rafah does not mean that the siege of Gaza is over.
Rafah is a passenger crossing, not a cargo crossing, as AP noted in reporting on the opening of Rafah. Gaza's cargo crossings are still controlled by the Israeli government.
The Israeli human rights group Gisha reports that since 2005, "goods have not been permitted to pass via Rafah, except for humanitarian assistance which Egypt occasionally permits through Rafah."
In general, the Israeli government does not allow construction materials (cement, steel, and gravel) into Gaza. Since January, about 7% of what entered monthly prior to June 2007 has been allowed in for specific projects.
The Israeli government prevents regular travel for Palestinians between Gaza and the West Bank, even though according to the two-state solution which is the official policy of the U.S., Gaza and the West Bank are supposed to be one entity. Exports from Gaza are generally prohibited by the Israeli authorities.
Palestinians in Gaza cannot farm their lands in Israel's self-declared "buffer zone" along the northern and eastern borders with Israel, estimated to contain nearly a third of Gaza's arable land.
The Israeli government does not allow Palestinian fishermen to fish beyond three nautical miles from Gaza, although under the Oslo Accord, they are supposed to be able to fish for 20 nautical miles from Gaza.
Thus, more pressure is needed on the Israeli government - and the U.S. government, which enables Israeli policies in Gaza - to lift the blockade.
And that's why it's so important that another international flotilla is sailing to Gaza in the third week of June, to protest the blockade. It's time to open all the crossings, not just Rafah.
14 Comments so far
Show Allthe spectacle of the psychopathic, war mongering liar poopoo netanpoopooo at the congress was a true measure of the state of the congress itself and an ominous one at that
the zionist writer uri avnery wrote:
"It was all rather disgusting.
There they were, the members of the highest legislative bodies of the world’s only superpower, flying up and down like so many yo-yos, applauding wildly, every few minutes or seconds, the most outrageous lies and distortions of Binyamin Netanyahu.
It was worse than the Syrian parliament during a speech by Bashar Assad, where anyone not applauding could find himself in prison. Or Stalin’s Supreme Soviet, when showing less than sufficient respect could have meant death.
What the American Senators and Congressmen feared was a fate worse than death. Anyone remaining seated or not applauding wildly enough could have been caught on camera – and that amounts to political suicide. It was enough for one single congressman to rise and applaud, and all the others had to follow suit. Who would dare not to?"
http://www.counterpunch.org/avnery05262011.html
we are fighting wars for israel in iraq afghanisatan, pakistan and soon to be in iran
obummer said so in an interview on israeli tv while he was pissing on about the "special relationship" between the two countries - he said it was his highest priority
here in the real world - i don't think most amerikans don't give one sweet fuck about israel one way or the other
israel also has these special relationship with the uk, france, germany and other eu countries where i would guess the citizens there couldn't give a shit about israel either
i think this is a demonstration of the amount of control zion has over the elites of the west - control that supersedes their own internal issues
now that's control
the g20 now has 20 billion dollars to buy the new leaders of the arab spring - funds that will soon be sitting in tax free offshore accounts no doubt
http://www.g20-g8.com/g8-g20/g8/english/live/news/declaration-of-the-g8-on-the-arab-springs.1316.html
the libyan "rebels" now have a central bank - the kiss of death for the masses
http://www.cnbc.com/id/42308613/Libyan_Rebels_Form_Their_Own_Central_Bank
the rothschilds bank/debt machine is determined to get these arabs back under control to return them to the slave state they are trying to break out of
chomsky says: ""Across the [Middle East], an overwhelming majority of the population regards the United States as the main threat to their interests," Chomsky says. "The reason is very simple... Plainly, the U.S. and its allies are not going to want governments which are responsive to the will of the people. If that happens, not only will the U.S. not control the region, but it will be thrown out."
here's a speech he gave about this:
http://www.democracynow.org/2011/5/11/noam_chomsky_the_us_and_its
i hope the jail break in the middle east will be joined by the medicated masses of amerika because we could sure use some freedom and democracy right here in this god forsaken country
medmedude,
Well said. Uri has their number, for sure.
We are ruled by power mad pigs.
"Rafah is a passenger crossing, not a cargo crossing, as AP noted in reporting on the opening of Rafah. Gaza's cargo crossings are still controlled by the Israeli government."
Why is Rafah a passenger crossing and not a cargo crossing? Are the gates too narrow to allow the passage of cargo? Is there some kind of an anti-cargo force field in place? Rafah is not a cargo crossing because Israel and the US dictate that it not be a cargo crossing, and whatever Israel and the US want, the ever-obliging
"transitional" army government will give them because (1, old habits are hard to break, and (2, that's the side their bread is buttered on.
Now Israel is not happy about Rafah being a passenger crossing, either. Which, after all that Egyptian bravado about opening the crossing, and all that Israeli consternation about the Egyptians opening it...well, just look at how that's going:
http://mondoweiss.net/2011/05/egypt-working-with-israel-on-rafah-policy.html#more-43627
The Malaysian relief ship, Spirit of Rachel Corrie (FINCH), carrying PVC pipe for Gaza's devastated sewerage system, after being fired on by an Israeli vessel in international waters, has been stranded outside Rafah harbor for ten days under brutal quarantine conditions while the Egyptians promise and renege repeatedly, dithering in accordance with then Israeli script, while all this passes unnoticed, at least here.
http://www.globalresearch.ca/index.php?context=va&aid=25024
I wish Naiman and his relief convoy well. But the prospects are grim.
no its pretty big
here's avid of rafah http://english.cntv.cn/program/newsupdate/20110529/102153.shtml
IMO - The June flotilla should be accompanied by a Turkish naval convoy with explicit directions to protect the aid workers from massacre by Jewish terrorists.
NOT OPEN YET.....
JERUSALEM (Ma’an) -- Egypt has explained to Israel that the Rafah crossing will not be used to transfer goods, and restrictions will be imposed on the movement of individuals, Israel radio reported Thursday. According to political sources quoted in the report, Egyptian authorities are aware of the risk that "terrorist elements" could pass through Rafah, the sole non-Israeli entrance point, and Cairo will act accordingly.
http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=391429
guernica,
Exactly right. Males 18 - 40 can't even use the Rafah crossing.
That is definitely not what democracy looks like.
This Rafah thing sounds more like a PR move from the Egyptian goons in cahoots with Israel and the US to take the heat off of the Egyptian government.
"This is what democracy looks like" may be true beyond the sense intended by Naiman. The 1999 Seattle protests succeeded to derailing (for a time) the globalization intentions of the WTO. In a world ruled by global corporate forces, there is the appearance only of a democracy in which the voices of the "people"
are given passing nods as decision-makers make temporary or marginal adjustments in their plans in order to contain public disorder and make it possible to return to their "business as usual." The business of Israel is still the seige of Gaza, and to deny the movement of products as well as people across the border is hardly a lifting of that siege, but perhaps only an expedient action to reduce the pressure against the starvation of the people there. Apparently this is, indeed, the way democracy "looks" in the Middle East.
Shocking to think that, in 2011, the Israelis can get away with publicly treating several million Palestinians like so much cattle, and the two big promoters of "democracy"--Europe and America--cheer them on. It doesn't matter whether we have a Republican or a Democrat in the WH, the system itself is rotten.
It doesn't get much coverage here, but the rocket attacks from Gaza into Israel continue at a low level.
It's my guess that the prohibition against the transfer of goods from Egypt into Gaza is an Israeli attempt to prevent a surge of rocket attacks using new Iranian weaponry.
If this, in turn, prevents a massive Israeli destructive response, then maybe both sides are better off.
fifty fifty...usually the sign of a troll....
Oh boy! It sounds like 50-50 is unacceptable here. Usually the sign of an ideologue who much prefers continued conflict, death and destruction, so long as it happens to somebody else, far away.
here we go trolliing, trolling, trolling,.. here we go trolling, trolling i in may.
racism, ethnic cleansing, settler imperialism, the gaza massacre all, all, illegal occupation.... here we go trolling in may...