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Friday, May 27, 2011     GET REAL

Post-Mubarak Egyptian regime opens border
with Gaza permanently

CAIRO — Egypt has pledged to keep its border with the Gaza Strip open on a permanent basis.

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The new military regime said it would begin operating the Rafah border terminal with the Gaza Strip on a permanent basis. Officials said the new arrangement would begin on May 28 and enable Palestinians to cross the border every day from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. except for Fridays and holidays.

"Palestinian women of all ages will be exempted from visas as will men under 18 or over 40," Egypt's state-owned Middle East News Agency said.


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MENA said Palestinians would require passports to cross the Rafah terminal. Both Jordan and the Palestinian Authority have provided passports to Palestinians from the West Bank and Gaza Strip.

This marked the first time since 2007 that Egypt would maintain permanent operations at Rafah. Until the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak in February, Egypt had kept Rafah closed except for special occasions.

Over the last two months, however, Rafah was opened five days a week. Israel said Rafah's expanded operations were accompanied by a sharp rise in Palestinian weapons and other smuggling from Egypt's Sinai Peninsula to the Gaza Strip.

The Rafah opening was said to mark improved relations between the Hamas regime in the Gaza Strip and Egypt. Hamas has long insisted on open borders with Egypt as part of a reconciliation agreement with the rival Palestinian movement Fatah.

"This reflects the deep relations between us and Egypt and will contribute to easing the lives of the Palestinians in the Gaza Strip," Hamas Foreign Minister Mohammed Awad said.




Comments


U.S. ultimatum to Egypt: Either immediately allow U.S. and international inspectors at Rafah to prevent arms smuggling plus have Egyptian army aggressively shut down weapons smuggling tunnels, or U.S. immediately ends all $2 billion annual aid to Egypt. Does Hillary have the cajones to present such an ultimatum? Would Obama have the will to follow through?

John Darren      8:29 p.m. / Tuesday, May 31, 2011


The new result of the open border is going to be dead Arabs and dead Jews. Hamas will now rearm. With those weopons Hamas will launch terror attacks. The IDF will be forced to defend her citizens.

joshua schewitz      5:28 p.m. / Friday, May 27, 2011

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