Saturday, May 28, 2011

Report: Egypt working with Israel on Rafah policy http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=391429

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.

What opening Rafah means and doesn't mean / Yousef Munayyer http://blog.thejerusalemfund.org/2011/05/what-opening-rafah-means-doesnt-mean.html

There will undoubtedly be those trying to proclaim that life is on the up and up in Gaza now and that the siege is over. But Gaza and the siege that entraps it is immensely complicated. Ignoring the nuances of this policy and thinking that Gaza is equivalent to a solid black box that just had its lid opened is entirely misleading ... What the Opening of Rafah Does Not Mean: The siege is over ... By retaining total control over the other crossings, Israel is still able to maintain its siege policy to practically the same exact extent as before the opening of Rafah.

Unless Egypt and Palestine completely revamp the Rafah crossing and the infrastructure around it on both sides of the border, this is unlikely to change ... Electricity and Water: ...Gaza is overwhelmingly dependent on Israel when it comes to electricity ... The Blockade: ...Israel enforces its illegal naval blockade at the 3-nautical mile mark (most of the fish native to Gaza's territorial waters are beyond this mark) and when Gaza's fishermen get too close, they get shot...

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