| Another report, similar to others we've seen the last couple days, from the Jerusalem Post. But some interesting nuggets of data tucked inside. |
 Egypt's attempts to reseal its border with the Gaza Strip have failed, as tens of thousands of Palestinians continued to pour into Sinai for the fourth consecutive day on Saturday.
At least 38 Egyptian border policemen have been hospitalized, some in critical condition, Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said.
| The Paleos can't help it: they have to bite the hand that feeds them, it's their nature. |
Egyptian security officials expressed fear over the weekend that Hamas and other radical Islamist organizations would take advantage of the chaos to try to destabilize President Hosni Mubarak's regime.
Cairo was now caught between the hammer and the anvil, the officials said. On the one hand, they said, Egypt did not want to use force against the Palestinians for fear of being accused by the Arabs of taking part in the blockade on the Gaza Strip; on the other hand, the Egyptians were very worried that Hamas and its allies would "occupy" the northern Sinai, turning it into a center for Islamist terrorist organizations, including al-Qaida.
The Egyptian authorities are now focusing their efforts on preventing Gazans from heading toward Cairo and other cities. Authorities also warned Egyptians not to allow Palestinians to stay with them.
| "Don't let 'em in yer house! They're ucky!" |
According to Egyptian sources, many Palestinians are planning to travel to Cairo for various reasons, including for medical treatment, enrolling in universities and using Cairo International Airport to fly out of the country.
| To Britain, Dubai, Italy, anywhere ... |
Some Egyptians were also worried that Israel would exploit the situation to try to "drag" Egypt back into the Gaza Strip. Husam Sweilem, a retired Egyptian army general, voiced concern that Israel was planning to push Egypt to annex the Strip and to hand the West Bank over to Jordanian control, thus "ending the dream of establishing a Palestinian state."
| Now that you mention it, it's not a bad idea. Israel gives up the idea of an 'Eratz Israel', and the Paleos go live with their brother Arabs. |
Egyptian border guards were forced to pull back from the Gaza border on Saturday morning, less than 24 hours after they were dispatched to the area to block the Palestinians. Ignoring warning shots fired into the air by the border guards, Gazans used bulldozers to open new passages into Egypt, enabling hundreds of vehicles from the Strip to cross the border.
| Where did the Paleos get bulldozers? |
Deeper into northern Sinai, Egyptian authorities also failed to stop Palestinians from entering el-Arish, where dozens of cars with Gaza license plates were seen lining up at gas stations. Shopkeepers were ordered to close their businesses. "The Egyptian authorities have decided to keep the border open to allow Palestinians from the Gaza Strip to stock up on supplies," said a top government official in Cairo.
The minister accused the Palestinians of "provocations" at the border and warned that his country would not tolerate attacks on its troops.
| So says the man with 38 of his border policemen in the hospital ... |
|