Welcome Change In Gaza?
Islam Online: Hundreds of Thousands of Gazans crossed into Egypt after Hamas blew the walled border open almost two weeks ago to stock up on goods.
“The previous situation in Gaza is over. The downfall of the border fence has created a new reality on the ground between Gaza and brothers in Egypt,” Hamas president Haniyeh told IslamOnline.net in an interview.”
He claims that Egypt also wants a new border control strategy and Hamas leader Mahmud al-Zahar told reporters on Saturday his movement will work with Cairo to gradually seal the border between the Gaza Strip and Egypt.
“We will work towards controlling the border between us and Egypt… this has to be done gradually,” Zahar told reporters as he crossed back into Gaza after two days of talks with officials in Cairo. He added that the border would be under control by Sunday.
Cairo has not yet commented on the talks, which followed a meeting between Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas, who wants to take control of the border crossing. Hamas has demanded that the Rafah crossing be operated through a strictly Palestinian-Egyptian agreement to replace a 2005 arrangement that included European Union observers and Israeli electronic surveillance.
Haniyeh called for establishing a free trade zone between Gaza and Egypt. “We want to ‘disengage’ economically from the occupation,” he said. “The Palestinians pay $2.3 billion annually in buying Israeli goods. Why should not these funds be channeled to Egypt and the Egyptian people instead?” He said Egypt has the potentials to meet Gaza needs from electricity, fuel and raw materials to run Palestinian factories.
This could prove to be a boon for Israel. If the Palestinians buy all their food, fuel, power and other needs from Egypt, there will be no need for any of them to cross over into Israel. If they no longer enter Israel, the suicide bombing will cease. Not only that but Israel has carried the burden of being Gazas’ suppliers of all their needs. If Gaza becomes dependent on Egypt instead, no one can point a finger of blame at Israel for all the things that are always going wrong in Gaza.
There’s one more point that may prove to be the most important of all. If Gaza transfers its dependence onto Egypt, that border town will grow, and grow, and grow. Egypt will find it economically desirable to let more Gazans in, and it won’t be long before much of the Gazan population has moved out of that rathole as they do what the Mexicans are doing here, which is to flood Egypt with illegal alien immigrants.
Neither Egypt nor Jordan or any other Arab country has been willing to open its doors to the Palestinians, much preferring to keep them an Israeli problem and blame their poverty and misery on Israel. This is why they keep pumping money into Gaza and Palestine, so things don’t get so bad that the Palestinians flood in anyway. They can’t very well be seen shooting down hundreds of thousands of muslims. But things are changing and the Palestinians are showing that they have economic clout of their own that could benefit Egypt.
If the population pressure of Gaza is diminished and the quality of life is improved, resistance will rise against those who are pushing their terror agenda. Israel may well be able to create a no mans land along their border with Gaza where they can freely blow up the rocketeers because the civilians have moved out.
Right now, Hamas is crowing over knocking down a section of border fence as if they’d just conquered Israel. It may prove out that they’ve just conquered themselves, instead.
Right Truth has the Geert Wilder interview video up and good further commentary and links on this subject.
Always open trackbacks. Just click on the title for the URL.
February 3rd, 2008 at 3:30 am
All the Gazoo residents willing to cross the line were given a handout by Hamas of anything between $150, - $300.
And there were millions that crossed the line.
Figures like that speak of long term planning, and state sponsored planning.
Take your pick, Iran, or Saudi.
Such a development does not look good for Israel.
Longer range rockets are arriving in Gazoo hands.
If they are fired from Egyptian territories, what will Israel do?
I can’t see the Egyptians lifting a finger to help the Israelis.
The presence of Hamas/Palestinians in Egyptian Sinai gives Iran a superb/semi legitimate foothold in Egypt.
Egypt can’t really do much at all. She risks political turmoil, - President is on his last legs, and his children are weak.
AND, Egypt is the home and HQ of the Muslim brotherhood, the guys who are ultimately pulling the strings!!!
February 3rd, 2008 at 3:39 am
In the same way that hezbullah funded by Iran is seeking to control Lebanon, this could well be an orchestrated push by Iran to control Egypt via Hamas.
This would absolutely be in accordance with Muslim Brotherhood designs.
I can see Iran behind this, but I don’t see Saud having the brains to think like this, despite their extensive links to the Muslim Brotherhood.
Who can tell in this despotic ocean of internecine combatant goo?
Yesterdays ally becomes todays enemy.
Time will tell
February 13th, 2008 at 9:12 pm
What do you think of this samsonblinded.org/blog/israel-cannot-blockade-gaza.htm ? Shoher is arguably the most right Israeli today, but he argues Israel should talk to Hamas as Egypt will not maintain the blockade of Gaza.