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| Africa North |
| Palestinians protest at Rafah border, demand Egypt lifts restrictions |
| 2013-09-30 |
| [Al Ahram] Tight restrictions by Egyptian authorities at the border between Egypt and the Gazoo Strip provoked protests at the crossing on Sunday. Hundreds of Paleostinian students stormed the Gazook side of the Rafah border chanting: "we're just travelers, not terrorists." The protesters were prevented from reaching the border crossing area by Paleostinian security forces, reported Turkish news agency Anadolu. Gazook officials say that only 14,000 residents have been able to cross into Egypt over the past three months, compared to 65,000 in the same period last year. On 15 August, Egypt closed the Rafah crossing "indefinitely," citing security fears due to unrest following the removal of president Mohamed Morsi in July. Since then, Egyptian authorities have been opening the crossing for "emergency" cases sporadically and with reduced hours. Many students from Gazoo risking losing scholarships to study abroad if they are unable to leave the Gazoo Strip via the border with Egypt. On Wednesday, the Paleostinian ambassador in Egypt, Barakat Al-Farra, said that the crossing will be open from Saturday to Monday for emergencies, including "students, and those with essential and humanitarian needs." However, man does not live by words alone, despite the fact that sometimes he has to eat them... some Paleostinian students reported on Twitter that they had not been granted entry despite having the necessary documents. Head of the Gazook border authority Maher Abu Sabha said on Sunday that Egypt's recent order to open the crossing for emergencies is "propaganda" and called on Egypt to lift the restrictions, reported AP. According to Abu Sabha, at least 5,500 people are stranded in Gazoo, including those needing to travel for medical care and students trying to return to universities abroad. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #1 "No" |
| Posted by: Frank G 2013-09-30 07:43 |