With Gaza-Egypt border closed for a month, EU scales back monitoring mission there

[barb162]

With Gaza-Egypt border closed for a month, EU scales back monitoring mission there
The Associated Press
Published: July 7, 2007


GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip: The EU is scaling back its monitoring mission at the Gaza-Egypt border, a spokeswoman said Saturday, suggesting that Gaza's only gateway to the world won't open again anytime soon.

The Rafah border terminal closed June 9, the start of the final round of bloody factional fighting that led to Hamas' takeover of the coastal strip.

Since then, about 6,000 Gazans have been stranded on the Egyptian side of the border. Three members of the West Bank-based government of moderate Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad headed to Cairo on Saturday to try to find a solution.

Israel has proposed rerouting the stranded travelers through Kerem Shalom, an Israeli-controlled crossing into Gaza, but Hamas has rejected the idea, apparently for fear of setting a precedent.

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http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2007/07/07/africa/ME-GEN-Israel-Palestinians.php

[pelsar]

1. so the truth is now leaking out...

it seems that the only ones who are actually helping the Palestinians in gaza are the israelis......hamas prefers for the Palestinians to stay in egypt, the EU is now leaving, egypt is keeping the border shut and not allowing the red cross access to the Palestinians, all those nice "human rights groups" are staying far away from the 4-6000 stranded Palestinians

can we now declare the double standard a fact?.....it never was about the health and welfare and the human rights of the palestenians.....it seems it only counts if the israelis are involved, if not, then it seems it doesnt really matter.

some of the arab/Palestinians are actually "opening their eyes to it" and have written several articles to that aspect.

[barb162]

2. Abbas has asked the various parties to keep the gates closed

according to this article:

Gazans urge reopening of Gaza-Egypt border

CAIRO, July 07
snip
"The information confirms that he (Abbas) asks the interested sides, including the international ones, to keep the gates closed to settle an account with Hamas," Abu Zuhri told the demonstrating crowds.

"Abbas tries to extort our people to stay away from Hamas and this is a dangerous step showing that the PA leadership takes part in imposing the siege," Abu Zuhri added.

Talking anonymously to the radio, one stranded man said the Egyptian authorities have told them that they are ready to run the crossing but the problem was at the Palestinian side.

The third party in the process of operating the crossing, the European Union monitors at the Rafah border, said on Saturday that their mission would be reduced as it is unclear when the crossing will be reopened, according to a mission spokeswoman. Meanwhile, a delegation from the Palestinian emergency government has arrived in Egypt to discuss the issue with officials there.
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http://news.africast.com/africastv/article.php?newsID=62379