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Gaza Border Opening Sows Frustration
Egypt's opening of its border with the Gaza Strip initially appeared to be a boon to residents of the blockaded Palestinian territory, a major offense to Israel, and a political win for the transitional government in Cairo.Amid several days of only modest traffic across the frontier, those expectations have been upended. Palestinians hoping for easier transit and increased trade have been frustrated by bureaucratic hurdles and Egypt's refusal to open the border to trade. Egypt, which was pressed to open the border by a pro-Palestinian population eager for a break from the policies of the old Mubarak regime, now faces greater pressure to allow commercial trafficraising its security and political burden. And in Israel, some officials now say the opening could yield political dividends by bolstering a claim there is no more blockade of Gaza. Egypt's border opening "illustrates to the world that Gaza is not under an Israeli siege," Israeli cabinet minister Dan Meridor argued in an interview with Israel Radio. "Gaza is not under closure, because it is open to Egypt." A full opening at Egypt's Rafah border, analysts say, could allow Israel to separate itself more definitively from Gaza, foisting humanitarian and security responsibilities for the enclave onto Egypt. Posted by: tipper 2011-06-01 |
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