Palestinians in Gaza breathe a sigh of collective relief as Egypt permanently opens its border at Rafah, greatly denting Israel's siege on the Strip, writes Saleh Al-Naami Mahmoud Bakr, 44, did not set his alarm clock for 5am on Sunday to wake up and go to the Rafah Crossing; that's what he always did when he had a business trip to China. This time, Bakr, a wholesaler, woke up at 9am, had breakfast with his wife and arrived at the border at exactly 10:15am. The immense changes in procedure that the Egyptian government recently established at the border crossing, easing protocol for travellers, allowed Bakr not to rush this time, confident that the departure procedures at the crossing would not take too long. The Egyptian authorities have also extended working hours at the gateway until 5:30pm. Al-Ahram Weekly visited the Palestinian side of the border crossing and witnessed that procedures were simple and there were no signs of apprehension on the faces of those heading to the border checkpoint. Gamal Hussein, 51, works in the trade sector and constantly commutes across the border between Egypt and Gaza. Hussein told the Weekly that for the first time in the 14 years he has used this border crossing he feels at ease, even confident as he heads towards the checkpoint. "Although I am not banned from travelling for any security reasons," he said, "every time I went to the border I worried they might prevent me from travelling. Waiting at the border checkpoint was like purgatory and I was always very tense." Some Palestinians are counting the days to enjoy the new easy process. Ahmed Al-Areef, 48, told the Weekly that he can't wait for his children to finish their school exams to travel to Arish to spend a week there and return to Gaza afterwards. Salim, who lives in Deir Al-Balah in the centre of the Gaza Strip, said that during the past year he tried to cross into Egypt 10 times to complete his PhD in Egypt, but every time Egyptian authorities banned him from entering. Salim said that during that time he approached many Palestinian figures and officials to help him enter Egypt as an exception, like others did sometimes, but these efforts were unsuccessful. He does not hide his joy that now he can cross the border without any special favours because he is older than 40. Jamal Zorayat, from central Gaza, is also overjoyed because he can at last accompany his brother, Ashraf, who has kidney disease and must go to Pakistan for a kidney transplant operation after his kidneys failed completely. "The Egyptian authorities would allow my brother to pass but not me," he told the Weekly. "This made it impossible for him to travel because Ashraf needs someone to help and take care of him during and after the operation." Suleiman Eissa, a resident of Nuseirat Refugee Camp in the centre of Gaza, believes that permanently opening the Rafah Crossing is a "magnificent development which in one way ends the siege". There is also a personal reason why Eissa is happy about this step, because his son Khaled is a student at an Egyptian university and now Eissa and his wife can visit their son regularly. Cairo's announcement that it will facilitate and ease procedures at Rafah has become the talk of the town in the Gaza Strip, because the livelihood of many Gazans is connected to the crossing. Ghazi Hamad, a deputy at the Foreign Ministry, told the Weekly that travelling through the Rafah gateway has dramatically changed as a result of the decision by Egypt to permanently open the checkpoint and ease procedures there for travellers. "The operation of the border crossing has changed significantly," Hamad said. "There is no longer a need to wait and register to travel, as was the case in the past." The official said that there is no longer a maximum quota of travellers who are allowed to pass, and feels the most important change has been opening the checkpoint between 9am and 5.30pm, while allowing males older than 40 years old and younger than 18, as well as females, to travel without prior notice or a visa. Cairo also now allows the passage of those with residencies abroad, investors, the sick and students, as long as they have documents to prove their circumstance, such as registration at a university. The only exception, continued Hamad, are those who are "banned" from travelling, while the Egyptians have said they will revise this list to ease restrictions. He added that Egyptian authorities will not deport citizens coming to Egypt from other countries, and will allow them to stay in Egypt until they go to the border crossing at their own will. He said that all categories of travellers must carry a passport and re-entry will require a passport and identity papers. "A problem that continues to exist until now, and has not been resolved, is the security restrictions that ban the travel of a large number of citizens," Hamad revealed. "But we have been promised that this problem will be resolved." Sources told the Weekly that "the Egyptian authorities turned back 31 travellers under the pretext that they are banned from travelling for security reasons." Israel's response to the Egyptian move was hysterical. Official Israel Radio quoted sources in Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu's office as saying that opening the Rafah Crossing daily violates agreements between Israel and Egypt. The sources feared that the gateway would be used by what they described as "terrorist" elements to enter the Gaza Strip, if passage is not monitored. The sources continued that the unilateral decision by the Egyptian authorities to open the Rafah border makes Cairo responsible for guaranteeing security and preventing any anti-Israel activities. Yediot Aharonot newspaper quoted Deputy Prime Minister Silvan Shalom as saying, "Israel should do everything at its disposal to prevent Egypt from opening the Rafah border between Gaza and Egypt without international monitoring." Shalom added: "This is a critical development which could allow weapons and explosives, as well as Al-Qaeda elements, into the Gaza Strip." Israeli Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz argued that Israel should stop providing the Gaza Strip will electricity and water, and make Egypt completely responsible for the Gaza Strip. In statements quoted on the Hebrew news website Walla, Katz said that Egypt's unilateral initiative to open the gateway without consulting Israel contradicts signed agreements with Israel. He described the move as "wrong". "We must use this opportunity to comprehensively end our connection to the Gaza Strip and let the Egyptians allow the entry of goods from Egypt into Gaza," Katz said. "There is a need for Israel to quickly declare that it has severed civic ties with the Gaza Strip, including an end to extending electricity from Israel, water and food. Egypt will have to take over this responsibility, and the Egyptians have to guarantee that weapons are not entering the Gaza Strip." Home Front Defence Minister Matan Vilnai disagrees with Katz, and does not view the unilateral decision to reopen the border crossing as a violation of agreements signed between Israel and Egypt. Meanwhile, Israel's Deputy Galilee and Negev Development Minister Ayoub Kara, who is a Druze, also adopted Katz's position calling for Egypt to reinstate its control over the Gaza Strip to ensure security and stability there. Israel Radio quoted Kara as saying: "If Israel withdraws from the Gaza Strip to the borders of 1967, Egypt must take a similar step and make arrangements going back to conditions there before that date." He said that this would guarantee Israel's safety and is the only solution. "Opening the Rafah border crossing aims to increase weapons smuggling into Gaza," asserted Knesset Member Yitzhak Herzog, who believes that the problem of the tunnels remains in place. "Opening the border proves that Israel's policies in Gaza have failed miserably," Herzog said. Deputy Foreign Minister Danny Ayalon said that Israel and Egypt have a common interest in fighting what he described as "international terrorism and hostile action by Hamas". Ayalon believes that cooperation between the two countries will continue for the benefit of all parties. The Palestinians are enthused by Egypt's decision to open the border permanently and hope that the next step will be to open the crossing for everyone without exclusion. At the same time, they dream that this step is a precursor for ending all forms of siege on Gaza.
