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Israel 'to reopen Gaza border'
Israel is to reopen the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza on Friday after a 19-day closure that has stranded Palestinians, reports say. Israeli, Palestinian and Egyptian sources said that there was a "very high chance" the border would reopen.

The Israeli army has said the border has been closed for security reasons. Many of the estimated 2,000 people stranded have been relying on tents and humanitarian supplies from the Egyptian Red Sword of Islam Crescent. "There have been security assessments and there is a very high chance that it will reopen tomorrow," an Israeli military source told AFP news agency.

Reuters quoted an Egyptian official as saying: "Israel told the Egyptian side that they will reopen it from 8.30am [0530 GMT] and for eight hours straight." And a Palestinian security source told AFP that "the Israelis have informed us that they will reopen it tomorrow".

Earlier, Egypt had urged the United Nations to intervene to help those suffering at the border. Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit had "sent an urgent message to Kofi Annan", officials said. The official also said that the minister had spoken to the Israeli ambassador to strongly demand that Israel "abide by its responsibilities" regarding the stranded Palestinians.
No mention of whether the minister demanded the Paleos to abide by their responsibilities.
Israel said the Palestinian Authority had exacerbated the problem by rejecting its offer to use a small alternative route via Israeli territory.
Posted by: Steve White 2004-08-05
http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=39797