On May 28, 2011 the Egypt-Gaza border, known as the Rafah border or crossing, was open again after a 4-year blockade. Despite the fact that Israel was strongly opposed to this action, Egypt has relaxed its restrictions on the border to allow Palestinians to cross freely. Any women, children, or men over the age of 40 can cross the border with easily obtained travel permits. The real struggle with the border restraints is that men from age of 18 to 40 need an Egyptian visa to cross the border, which can take several weeks to obtain. However, despite the difficulty that young- to middle-aged men have to undergo, this is still a substantial improvement from the restraints of the past.
For the past four years, only about 300 people were allowed to cross the border on any given day. This caused huge problems for the Palestinians living in Gaza. This restriction prevented many of them from getting the necessary medical aid that was available in Egypt, as well as preventing students from Gaza to broaden their knowledge. A majority of the people in Gaza felt as if they were trapped and others stated that it was like “living in a big jail” in Gaza. Furthermore, this caused an economic crisis in the densely populated Gaza region because of the limitations on what could or could not be traded.
The 4-year blockade was due to the brief but bloody civil war that occurred in Gaza between the previously ruling Fatah party and the newly-elected militant group known as Hamas. The war resulted in Hamas taking control of the territory, raising concerns for Israel’s security. There has been conflict between Israel and Palestine for years, but the rise of Hamas stimulated Israel to close the border with the help of former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak. Based around the 1979 Israel-Egypt Peace Treaty, the Egyptians were responsible for controlling the movement of people while the Israelis were in charge of cargo crossing and a naval blockade. The idea was to prevent the entering of people or items that could possibly harm Israel.
Israel’s concern for its own safety may have been the preliminary reason for opposing many of Egypt’s political moves over the past few months, as was clearly the case this time. Israel has severely criticized the border move, bringing more tension between the temporary Egyptian government and its own. However, from an Egyptian perspective, this move has many benefits. The Egyptian election is looming closer every day, and this move is something expected to be popular with the public, especially when considering the criticism that the former Egyptian president Mubarak underwent for placing the blockade. Also, the lightened border restrictions will help improve Egypt’s previously problematic relationship with the Palestinians. Finally, the new border condition will help prevent or limit a thriving smuggling business that has grown along the border in the past four years.
An estimated 900 people will cross the border from Gaza to Egypt by the end of the first day. This is three times the amount allowed previously, which then may show signs of hope to all the people in the area, who have suffered a great deal because of the many conflicts. However, the true impact of this event still remains a mystery. Questions will linger about whether the open border crossing remains as symbol of peace between Egypt and Gaza, or whether this helps contribute to more conflict in the already destructive Israel-Palestine crisis.
Leave a Reply