Rafah opening delights Gazans, worries Israel
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The Egyptian government ruled last week that the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip would be opened on a permanent basis, and that only men aged 18 to 40 were required to apply for a visa for passage.
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Palestinian border police check identity documents of travellers crossing into Egypt through the Rafah border crossing in the southern Gaza Strip on May 28, 2011 as Egypt reopened the border, allowing people to cross freely for the first time in four years. [Xinhua/AFP Photo] |
When the new rules came into effect on Saturday morning, some 450 people reportedly crossed the border.
The crossing, which is the only land passage out of Gaza not controlled by Israel, will now be open six days a week, and seven hours a day.
In 2005, When Israel withdrew its troops and evacuated settlements from Gaza under former Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's disengagement plan, the European Union took over responsibility for overseeing the crossing, under an agreement between Israel and the Mideast Quartet (the United States, the United Nations, Russia, and the EU).
However, following the capture of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit by Hamas militants in a cross-border raid in 2006, Egypt imposed restrictions on entry via Rafah.
After Hamas' forceful takeover of the coastal enclave the following year, the border has remained mostly closed, except for humanitarian cases, since the Mubarak government shared Israel's position that Hamas should be contained.
But following the ousting of the former president in February and the establishment of an interim Egyptian government, the tone in Cairo towards Hamas has become more conciliatory and the border crossing rules have been relaxed.
Local analysts believe that the opening was a great victory for regular Palestinians in Gaza and for Hamas. Israeli officials, however, were greatly disturbed by the development, viewing it as a precursor to further hostile steps by its sworn foe, who has called for Israel's destruction since its founding.
Palestinian relief
While Rafah has been closed, this doesn't mean that there was no way to get from Gaza to Egypt, as numerous tunnel have been dug under the border. The tunnels, some built when Israel was in control of Gaza, are used to smuggle food and consumer goods to Gaza.
However, they are also the main entry point for weapons intended for Hamas and other Gaza militants.
Dr. Helga Baumgarten of Birzeit University on the West Bank told Xinhua that the opening is significant, and "people in Gaza are celebrating their freedom of movement."
She added that the possibility to travel back and forth is a basic need not only for ordinary people, but also for those in power. Under the former government, Egypt has frequently stopped Hamas officials from using the crossing.
"The tunnels were a tiny thing, which was necessary for people to simply survive, to have petrol, to have basic foodstuffs, and to be able to build," Baumgarten said.
Baumgarten hoped that the open crossing would help the local economy to develop.
Up until now, any export from Gaza had to go through border crossings with Israel.
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