Hamas prevents Muslim pilgrims from leaving Gaza

[oberliner]

GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip – Hamas police set up checkpoints across Gaza on Saturday to prevent pilgrims from leaving for a holy Muslim ritual in Saudi Arabia, beating some who tried to dodge barriers, witnesses said.

The Islamic militants who rule Gaza were upset that the pilgrims coordinated their journey with Hamas' rival, the Palestinian Authority. The authority, based in the West Bank, is run by Hamas' bitter rival, the Fatah movement. The crackdown on the pilgrims highlights the depth of the bitterness between the two groups.

Egypt criticized Hamas' actions as unbecoming of an Islamic movement.

http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20081130/ap_on_re_mi_ea/ml_palestinians_pilgrim_politics_1

[bemildred]

1. I thought reporters were not allowed in Gaza. nt

[oberliner]

2. Reuters has a Gaza bureau, and AP has reporters there as well

Those reporters who were already in Gaza are still reporting from there.

From one AP story:

In the past two weeks, coverage in Gaza has been largely left to local Palestinian staffers and a handful of foreign journalists who entered before the closure went into effect, including two AP reporters.

From one Reuters story:

Reuters, along with other international news agencies, is less affected by the ban because we maintain a fully-staffed bureau in Gaza covering events as they unfold

[pelsar]

3. egypt opens the border?

so lets clarify the events: Egypt opens the border to gazans..Hamas sets up checkpoints to prevent gazans from leavings?

sounds pretty weird but i guess hamas is helping keep the gazans within gaza..i guess they too are part of the blockade (ghetto gaza)

[pelsar]

4. i just thought this should be a bit more publicized...

and in fact every time the seige/concentration camp/blockade/ghetto is brought up.....so too should this link:

Hamas is preventing gazans from leaving gaza via egypt....

as should some of the comments that i have read recently which basically said that egypt should not get involved...its is better for the gazans to starve or be hungry than to have supplies brought in via Egypt....that attitude, the one of using the Palestinians as pawns i though was reserved for the arab govts......i hadnt realized how naive i was.