MB Civic

Al Jazeera reports ..

Egypt is to permanently open the Rafah border crossing to ease the Israeli blockade on Gaza, Nabil al-Arabi, the country’s foreign minister, has said. Arabi said Egypt would take “important steps to help ease the blockade on Gaza in the few days to come” .. the minister said Egypt would no longer accept that the Rafah border, Gaza’s only crossing that bypasses Israel, remain blocked, describing the decision to seal it off as “shameful” .. Israel was “very concerned” about the implications of the Rafah crossing being open. .. [an Israeli] official said Hamas had already built up a “dangerous military machine” in northern Sinai which could be further strengthened by opening Rafah. “What power could they amass if Egypt was no longer acting to prevent that build-up?” the official said .. The UN has called the blockade illegal and repeatedly demanded it be lifted.

we all knew this was coming – still pretty big news with major implications for the region – mab .. read more