An Egyptian official source said that Cairo is impartial to all Palestinian factions, and that it is not a party to the conflict between the deposed government in Gaza and the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah as regards the departure of Palestinian pilgrims from the Gaza Strip to the Holy Land to perform Hajj. The source told Al-Masry Al-Youm: “Egypt took the responsibility of opening the Rafah crossing to all the Palestinians that had visas for the pilgrimage, irrespective of their affiliations.” The source noted that the agreement of the crossings was signed by the European Union, the Palestine Liberation Organization and Israel, with Egypt being no party to it.
The source said: “It was Hamas who by force prevented the Palestinian pilgrims from crossing into the Egyptian border so as to control the sector, claiming that Egypt closed the Rafah crossing.”
Egypt yesterday kept the crossing open for the fourth consecutive day, but Hamas prevented the pilgrims from crossing. Egypt also allowed 400 Palestinians that were stranded in the sector to pass so that they spend the Bairam holidays with their families.
The source pointed out that Egypt is committed to the recommendations of the last Conference of Arab Foreign Ministers in Cairo, which focused on the importance of reconciliation between the Palestinians. “It is Hamas who is causing discord among the factions,” the source said.
