Once again, following the start of the academic year at many institutions of higher education around the world, some 838 Palestinian students are still waiting to leave Gaza to study abroad.The students cannot leave due to the Israeli-imposed closure of the Gaza Strip and the rigid criteria for exit via the Erez and Rafah border crossings.
According to figures provided to Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement – by the Palestinian Interior Ministry in Gaza, 1,983 students who have been accepted into educational institutions abroad have registered for permits to exit via the Rafah crossing since the start of the year, but only 1,145 students have managed to pass through the crossing. 69 additional students have left via Erez crossing.
“We make millions, but we are not educated,” said Imad, 29, [tunnel investor]…
“What’s the point of having so much money when you are not able to travel?” said Hazim, 23, another partner who started out digging tunnels. He said he wanted to go to Egypt, study business administration and then invest in Cairo.
“They have never seen beyond Gaza,” said Imad’s father-in-law, Abu Mohammed, 57, of the younger generation. “They think like they are in a tunnel,” he continued. “They have never seen malls or real supermarkets like I saw in Dubai.”
One of the requirements imposed by Israel on students leaving Gaza through the Rafah exit to Egypt is that they be escorted by an official representative of the country they are going to be studying in.
Why does Egypt accept such Israeli-imposed restrictions? Egypt has a hate on for Hamas, but it is still Egypt’s call when and how to open this crossing on its own borders. Egypt could, if it wished, tell Israel to go pound sand – Israel needs Egypt a hell of a lot more than Egypt needs Israel, as long as the US money keeps flowing.
Egypt does a lot to advance a real peace – more than the US has ever done – but still, they could do more to help the people of Gaza than they do.
Simple. First, as you say, Hamas — as an ally of the Muslim Brotherhood — is an enemy to Mubarak’s police state.
Second, Camp David Accords. See, while Israel can violate the accords left, right and center and pretty much be guaranteed the billion-dollar payoff, Egypt risks having their paycheck cut if they even complain about Israel’s violations of the Accords, let alone if Egypt does something bold like violate the Accords or any other agreements with Israel on which they are founded, like the one that covers Rafah and continues to give Israel the option to deny any traffic through Rafah.
I think Egypt’s paycheck is pretty well guaranteed. I’m not letting them evade their responsibility with that excuse. When they want to open the crossing, they open it. When they want to close it, they do that.
Right now, they’ve closed the crossing to Hamas reps unless they come through to sign the reconciliation agreement with Fatah.
Now, supposing they accomplish this, get Hamas to let Abbas’s goons into the Strip, then we’ll see if Egypt opens Rafah like they’ve claimed the would, or keeps bending over for Israel.
Mubarak has been in power for 26 years. He is corrupt and is a client of the US. The US helps keep him in power and he helps the US implement its policies in the region. I wonder where all the billions he gets annually from foreign aid go.
While the average Egyptian is barely getting by, struggling to make ends meet, Mubarak sells natural gas to Israel at about half the market price. For example, while Egypt sells gas to Israel for $1.25 per BTU, it sells gas to Syria for $5.25 per BTU.
Mubarak is setting up his son to take over. The 2 billion dollars Egypt gets every year
to kiss Israel’s tukas? The Mubarak regime buys that amount of US military equipment with it, e.g.,
Abrams tanks and F-16s–of course in each case not up to the calibur of the same military equipment we give to Israel–e.g., the attack helicopters sold to Egypt do not have the advance detection systems as the helicopters we gave Israel. To live in Egypt is to live in a police state. HAMAS is viewed by the regime as an enemy, same as the Muslim Brotherhood. The rule of thumb in the Middle East always applies: All power politics relate to Israel because the only super power has a special relationship with Israel. The Arab Street over there has no power at all, same as
Main Street in the USA in comparison to Wall Street.
Its a great tragedy when civilians bear the consequences of fanatics’ zealous warring.
Last time I checked, Witty, only one side had gun boats parked on the shores of the other. Would you like to go for a two-fer and give the residents of the Warsaw Ghetto an equal share of the blame for what happened to them?
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