Hamas shuts Egyptian border crossing

[oberliner]

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip -- The ruling Hamas militant group has closed the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt to protest what it says are repeated delays at the crossing since Egypt permanently opened it last week.

Ayoub Abu Shaer, director of the Rafah terminal, says the Palestinians are upset over what he calls the Egyptian "mechanism" at the crossing.

With great fanfare, Egypt last week said it was permanently opening the crossing, Gaza's main gateway to the outside world. But the number of travelers has been limited, and on Saturday, Egypt closed the crossing without notice.

Egypt's new government has promised to reopen the crossing since the ouster of longtime President Hosni Mubarak in February. Mubarak cooperated with Israel during a four-year blockade of Gaza meant to weaken Hamas.

http://www.forbes.com/feeds/ap/2011/06/05/general-ml-palestinians-egypt_8500755.html

[bemildred]

1. Not the brightest move. nt

[azurnoir]

6. actually it may not have been so stupid Gazans had stormed the crossings over delays

Palestinian officials closed the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip on Sunday, the terminal's director Ayyoub Abu Sha'ar said.

Closed out of frustration, Abu Sha'ar said the Egyptian authority's 'mechanism' at the terminal was unclear, citing Egypt's decision to close the crossing on Saturday without coordinating with Palestinian officials.

Egypt opened the terminal several hours later than scheduled Saturday without informing Palestinian officials. Several buses of Palestinians were left waiting at the Egyptian gate, and dozens of Palestinians tried to storm the border.

Egyptian security sources said the delay was due to maintenance works underway at the crossing. Egyptian authorities opened the crossing on Saturday afternoon, but only for passengers on foot.

The director of border crossings in Gaza, Salameh Barakeh, said the decision was difficult to implement due to the number of patients, elderly people and children who were traveling among others across the sole Egyptian exit from Gaza.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=393821

the story from Maan is much the same as the op which leaves out some details

[bemildred]

10. That could all be so, but I would not be getting adversarial with Egypt about it. nt

[azurnoir]

11. IMO it is being presented in this manner for political reasons all around

Hamas and Egypt are according to this and other articles trying to work out 'difficulties'


The crossing will remain closed for the rest of the day, Barakeh said. He urged residents to follow up with the Ministry of the Interior in Gaza while both sides try to come to an agreement to end the crisis.

According to a security source in Egypt, the opening of the crossing was delayed for works which were to have been completed Friday.

Several buses queued at the Egyptian gate, and dozens of Palestinians tried to break through the crossing into Egypt, witnesses said.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=393608

[bemildred]

12. Certainly a good deal of that going on.

Sometimes making a lot of noise and creating distractions is the entire strategy.

Nevertheless, I would be careful not to annoy Egypt.

[azurnoir]

13. I think Egypt has problems of its own in Sinai which may be exacerbating the situation

Security sources: Sinai on verge of clan war

Egyptian security sources warned Sunday that a crisis was looming in the Sinai Peninsula as clashes between two families escalated.

Egyptian security forces said they found a decomposed corpse buried in the desert on Sunday. The body was identified as Salam Brake, a member of the Tayaha tribe described by security officials as the "most wanted fugitive" in the Sinai Peninsula.

The victim's relatives accused the Fawakhriyya family from El-Arish of abducting Brake, and kidnapped 10 members of the family in retaliation.

Members of the Fawakhriyya family told a Ma'an correspondent that they were not involved in Brake's abduction. They blocked the main road between cities Rafah and El-Arish in protest over the abduction of their relatives.

http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=393850

[azurnoir]

14. Needed to add I don't think your wrong but I do think there is more here than

meets the eye so to speak Egypt seems pretty 'annoyed' all around these days but most of it is internal to Egypt

[bemildred]

15. Certainly, "failed state" is always out there on the table these days. nt

[Never Stop Dancin]

2. thank you Jesus

one path for potential WMD to enter is now closed; now all Israel has to do is stop the flotilla

[King_David]

3. That will teach those Egyptians

Oh well , back to the tunnels.

[pelsar]

4. sureal.....

i don't think hamas gets it....
they dont get enough of what they want from israel, so they launch missiles and attack the border points. Israel inturn shuts down the borders.

now they don't get what they want from egypt so now they shut down the border themselves.

---------

hmmm i guess now hamas can assert that they are under the israeli occupation again

[shira]

5. Yes and Israel will somehow be blamed for this, as always. n/t

[azurnoir]

7. oh dear feeling ignored? none of the stories I have read

about this mention Israel being blamed for this but I bet you can find something that does who will it be Barry Rubin,Camera, a youtube vid can hardly wait to see

[shira]

8. Are you finished blaming Israel for every Gaza woe? n/t

[azurnoir]

16. It depends on the exact situation in this case it is not Israel

in other cases it is Israel

[Kurska]

9. Exactly what I said when I heard Egypt was opening the border.

"Great news for Israel, Gaza and Hamas are Egypt's problem now."