CAIRO: The reactions of Palestinians stranded in Rafah and Al-Arish to suggestions of opening the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom to replace the Rafah crossing are mixed. While many of them are against the idea, many of the stranded Palestinians place the onus on Egypt to reopen the Rafah crossing, closed since fighting broke out between Fatah and Hamas in Gaza last month. There are worries, especially for those displaced Palestinians affiliated to Hamas, that they will be arrested at the crossing. Many of them talk of the Israeli lists that carry the names of wanted Palestinians. However, as their situation becomes more desperate, some of the stranded Gaza residents seem to be open to the idea of returning to Gaza through Kerem Shalom. While Fatah and Egypt support the plan to allow the them to return through the Israeli crossing, Hamas is vehemently opposed to the idea and pledged to consider the crossing as a "military target if it were to be opened. A group of Palestinians in a community center in Al-Arish reacted strongly when asked by Daily News Egypt whether they would be willing to return to their homes through the Israeli crossing. Many raised voices answered at once in vehement refusal. One man shouted, "We will not enter through the Israeli crossing. We will travel through our own Palestinian crossing. We are willing to walk to Gaza if that is the case. However, others said in quieter tones that it really didn't matter how they got home, just as long as they did. "To hell with the world, we just want to go home, said Moeen Fayez Khudeir, who had just returned empty-handed from a fruitless trip to the old Red Crescent camp where aid was being distributed. Yet another crossing has also become a cause for concern, with the UN Mideast envoy warning of the impeding economic collapse in Gaza unless its main commercial crossing, Karni, is reopened by Israel. Michael Williams told the UN Security Council in his regular monthly briefing that the closure of the Karni crossing since June had greatly contributed to the dire situation in Gaza, which is currently on the verge of economic collapse. According to World Bank estimates, 75 percent of the factories in Gaza have closed and 68,000 Palestinian workers had been laid off, the envoy said. "Unless the crossings are open for imports and exports, the downward economic spiral will lead to extensive hardship for an already impoverished Gaza Strip, Williams said. Israel has said it cannot reopen the Karni crossing without guarantees that the traffic will be tightly monitored. Currently, Israel only allows shipments of food and basic supplies into the Gaza Strip through two smaller crossings. The Karni crossing is Gaza's main commercial route. Through it, agricultural goods are exported to Israel and the West Bank amongst others and manufacturing and construction materials are imported through it.
