Rafah crossing used as a bargaining chip in Gaza crisis
The economic and humanitarian interests of the people of the Gaza Strip and the Sinai Peninsula are relegated to the political game that will determine whether the Rafah crossing is reopened or not.
RAFAH, Egypt — The Rafah border crossing, which is the only link between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, has become a political tool through which the recent battles between post-Arab Spring alliances are being fought.
The crossing constitutes the only outlet and the last hope to improve the conditions of more than 1.8 million Palestinians in Gaza. However, it was transformed into a political bargaining chip, to the detriment of humanity and in favor of political interests in the region.
Ever since Abdel Fattah al-Sisi assumed the Egyptian presidency after the ousting of the Muslim Brotherhood’s Mohammed Morsi, the Egyptian media began to systematically level a series of accusations about the Rafah crossing, giving the authorities a justification to shut it down under the pretext of the “threat [it poses on] national security.” This decision was taken while turning a deaf ear to the will of the Egyptian people.
One of the accusations was that terrorists were using the crossing to enter into Egypt. In this context, Tharwat Jawda, former deputy head of Egyptian general intelligence, stated on Nov. 21, 2013, during a phone interview with Amany El Khayat’s “Sabah On” show — which airs on OnTV — that “every time the Rafah crossing was opened, a catastrophe or assassination of army and police leaderships would take place,” demanding its shutdown.
