Egypt allowing Palestinians entry without permits

[Scurrilous]

<snip>

"Airport officials say Egypt is allowing Palestinians free entry into the country, ending part of a five-year blockade on the Gaza Strip.

The decision means Palestinians can freely leave Gaza. It also applies to Palestinians in the West Bank and Jerusalem.

Gaza is ruled by Hamas, a branch of new Egyptian President Mohammed Morsi's Muslim Brotherhood. The blockade was imposed after Hamas took control of Gaza by force in 2007. It banned most Palestinians from leaving.

The officials said the decision was applied early Monday for the first time, when seven Palestinians waiting at Cairo International Airport were allowed into Egypt without the usual security clearances and visas. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief reporters.

No formal announcement was made."

http://www.woi-tv.com/story/19085386/egypt-allowing-palestinians-entry-without-permits

[osqosaoj]

1. In retrospect we should have never allowed the arab spring to succeed.

It even was not too late to intervene once we saw that the right-wing, undemocratic, misogynist, and anti-semitic muslim Brotherhood was going to come top power. But we did nothing and now Egypt is ruled by far right religious nutjobs.

But this teaches us a lesson. I see similarities between the muslim brotherhood and the teabaggers. If the teabaggers succed imagine what kind of America we will have ahead of us. Not a pretty picture.

[mitchtv]

2. should have never allowed?

not too late to intervene? I thought that the neocons were gone.

[osqosaoj]

3. I'm no neocon

But at first some people thought (wrongly) that a progressive government could be formed. It turned out that we were wrong and they exchanged a right-wing regime for another right-wing regime except the latter was more hostile to Israel.

The US should have intervened and tried to negotiate a more democratic and progressive government.

[kayecy]

5. Can you clarify your statement?.......

It turned out that we were wrong and they exchanged a right-wing regime for another right-wing regime except the latter was more hostile to Israel

.
1. Are you saying the present regime is as right-wing as Mubarak?

2. Are you saying that US foreign policy should be dictated by whether a regime is hostile to Israel?

The US should have intervened and tried to negotiate a more democratic and progressive government.

3. Are you saying that the US should have intervened to prevent the new President and Parliament from being elected democratically?

[pelsar]

6. yea...well those people were living in a fantasy world....

anybody who at the most basic knowledge of egypt, its politics and its population knew from the start that the "western liberals/progressives" didn't have a chance to create their kind of govt.

more so the US didn't have anything to "negotiate". The limited choices were clear: Mubarak and friends (army) or the muslim brotherhood, who had the only real grass roots organization and political savvy to know when and how to use it.

the US in its navitee, chose to close its eyes and chose the fantasy...having never learned anything from iran, to iraq, to gaza...same lesson, never learned

creating a situation of far worse "enduring injustice" than had existed previously. (though i'm sure you find those that defend such governments as being the "will of the people.....with their nationalistic viewpoints)

[zellie]

7. Very true.

"the US in its navitee, chose to close its eyes and chose the fantasy...having never learned anything from iran, to iraq, to gaza...same lesson, never learned "


it was sold as " we want democracy".....i guess the joke is over.

[Arctic Dave]

4. You do realize the US instigated it right?

We did use military force to propel it.

[LeftishBrit]

8. How could America have 'not allowed' it?

I too see similarities between the MB and the teabaggers, but could another country have 'not allowed' the teabagger right to take control of the House of Representatives; and, much as I hope that Romney doesn't win, could this be forbidden from outside?

Egypt is not an American territory.

Incidentally, the 'Arab spring' was in several places, and although the results in Egypt have been disappointing, those in Libya have been better so far than expectred.

[shira]

9. The blockade is over! Why aren't all the pro-Palestinians celebrating? n/t

[Scurrilous]

10. Hamas says Egypt to extend Rafah border hours

Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh says Cairo will allow traffic of up to 1,500 Palestinians a day through border crossing

http://www.ynetnews.com/articles/0,7340,L-4261454,00.html

<snip>

"Egypt has agreed to keep the Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip open for a full 12 hours every day, Hamas PM said on Saturday, signaling a further shift in Cairo's stance since the election of a Muslim Brotherhood head of state in Egypt.

Ismail Haniyeh, head of the Hamas government in the Gaza Strip, said that in addition to allowing the border to remain open an extra four hours, Egypt agreed to increase the number of Palestinians allowed to cross by about a third, to 1,500 a day.

An Egyptian official confirmed the decision, but added that it would take time before the crossing was ready to handle the increased traffic.

It will be the first time the Rafah crossing will be open for so many hours since 2005."

[oberliner]

11. This puts the lie to the previous claims of Israel controlling Gaza's borders

There has always been Rafah. And Egypt has always been responsible for it.

[pelsar]

12. its a perspective not a lie....

have held several discussions on this, both here and elsewhere over the years, the subject never was can egypt 'break the blockade/seige, occupation/warsaw ghetto type camp.

In the discussions that israel still occupies gaza, went from: israel controls the egyptian foreign policy through the senate, to israel will declare war on egypt, and even including, until somebody in the UN decides the occupation is over, its still on......

all of those where simple excuses and were from day one of the withdrawal, the actual reason and it only comes out once those excuses are exposed (as they have been one by one over the years) is "responsibility."

The narrative is this:
Since israel is responsible for gaza's situation, only israel can be allowed to "fix it." That is the key to the "gaza is still occupied" narration. Keep that in mind and it all makes sense. As we have learned that nationalism trumps civil rights, that same concept is relevant to gaza. Civil rights/freedom is not the most important aspect, its who is responsible for the injustices, that must be fixed, even if egypt opens its border all the way, and hamas does a poor job of governing, distributing its resources, Israel will still be to blame, for it is israel that is held responsible for gaza and only israel can be allowed to "fix it."

hence the "occupation" is still on, irreguardless of what egypt does or doesn't do..........just ask
____
for a better perspective think of the blacks in the US demanding reparations for the injustice done generations ago when they were slaves, the US govt is still held responsible, by many, for their current socio-economic situation and demand "justice."

That mentality of "historical" injustice" is what drives the "gaza is still occupied" claims (or so I've concluded). To relinquish the occupation is to relinquish the responsibility of israel, and that is not acceptable.

[King_David]

13. Rafah crossing closed following Sinai attack

Hamas calls move “collective punishment,” as Brotherhood suggests Israeli involvement

Following the deadly attack on an Egyptian checkpoint in Rafah, which left 16 Egyptian soldiers dead and 7 injured, the Rafah crossing into Gaza has been closed for an unspecified period of time. Meanwhile President Mohamed Morsy vowed to take full control of the Sinai in response to the attack and declared an official three-day mourning period.

“The perpetrators and their collaborators will pay a dear price,” Morsy warned on Monday. “The blood of the martyrs will not go to waste.”

The 16 soldiers were killed on Sunday evening when gunmen attacked a checkpoint in the town of Rafah near the border with Gaza. According to witnesses, the attack was carried out during sunset prayers using bladed weapons before the men managed to confiscate military weaponry and vehicles. Once they acquired vehicles, the militants made for the Egypt-Israeli Karm Abu Salem border crossing.


http://thedailynewsegypt.com/2012/08/07/rafah-crossing-closed-following-sinai-attack/

[King_David]

14. Wheres Goldstone ? nt