While elder statesmen call for more diplomatic efforts to end the Palestinian-Israeli conflict, Dina Ezzat finds tension persisting in Egypt's relation to Gaza under Hamas Gaza is not an issue that Egyptian officials talk much about. But this week it was very much on the table, due to political, security and humanitarian developments. "The blockade is one of the most serious human rights violations on earth and it must be lifted fully," said former US president Jimmy Carter on Tuesday, referring to the siege imposed by Israel on Gaza for over four years and which cost the impoverished and densely populated Strip dearly on an economic and social level. Carter was speaking in Damascus following talks with Syrian officials and Hamas leaders exiled in the Syrian capital. Carter conducted the talks along with three other former politicians who are on a Middle East tour to promote prompt diplomatic action to reach a peaceful settlement to the Palestinian-Israeli struggle. Joining Carter from the group known as "the Elders" -- an independent advisory board formed three years ago by South Africa's historic leader Nelson Mandela -- are Mary Robinson, former president of Ireland and UN high commissioner for human rights, Lakhdar Brahimi, veteran UN envoy and former Algerian foreign minister, and Ela Bhatt, a leading social activist from India. The Elders' visit to Syria came as the third leg of a tour that started in Egypt, where they met with Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit, Arab League Secretary-General Amr Moussa and a group of representatives of civil society. The Elders' mission will also take them to Jordan, Ramallah and Israel in search for "a just and secure peace for all", Robinson said in Cairo. In Cairo, Robinson underlined that a priority issue for the Elders is an immediate end to the blockade on Gaza. As such, the Elders discussed with Egyptian officials the operation of the Rafah Crossing, the only non-Israeli controlled link between Gaza and the rest of the world. "Our position remains unchanged. We have been allowing the daily operation of Rafah for a few months now for individuals who can prove that they have an urgent need to pass through Gaza and who have the right documents. Others cannot be just passing in and out through Egypt unchecked," said one Egyptian official. The same official said that Egypt is allowing humanitarian aid to pass into Gaza "through Egyptian territories, according to the rules and restrictions seen fit by the Egyptian authorities". This, he explained, means that shipments should be unloaded in Arish, checked by the Egyptian authorities, and then passed through the "cargo crossings that are supervised by Israel". These rules, he said, would apply to Lifeline 5, a humanitarian aid convoy, if its organisers wish to see the aid delivered to Gaza. The convoy was expected to load its material as Al-Ahram Weekly went to press. "We cannot take responsibility for alleged smuggling of arms into Gaza and then have Israel complain that these arms were used to launch attacks on Israeli targets. This is out of the question for us," the same official stated. If Hamas, which is in control of Gaza, wishes to see more flexibility on the operation of Rafah Crossing it needs to allow the Palestinian Authority (PA) back into the Strip, affirm Egyptian officials in an unequivocal terms. Hamas continues to refuse to sign the reconciliation agreement drafted by Cairo that would allow for the reinstatement of the PA in Gaza on the basis that it is biased towards Fatah, which controls the PA. Egypt, for its part, refuses Hamas's demands that the proposed deal be amended. "I am not sure that a change of position is expected in the near future, unless Hamas is willing to make some serious gestures," said an Egyptian diplomat. Such gestures, according to the same official, should include flexibility on the long-pending prisoner swap deal that would allow for the release of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit in return for a few hundred Palestinian prisoners, and that it should stop using illicit tunnels in Rafah for the smuggling of arms and individuals in and out of the Strip. One security official in Rafah said that the Egyptian authorities are still catching arms being smuggled along with individuals. For Egypt, this is an unacceptable sign of defiance on the part of Hamas. Egyptian authorities have refused to respond to Hamas appeals that those arrested be released. According to some informed Egyptian sources, the number of Hamas activists arrested by Egypt is close to 40. Cairo has refused mediation on their release until Hamas commits to suspend the activities Egypt finds concerning.
