For the first time in 38 years Palestinians and Egyptians poured across their shared border freely by the thousands, carrying cheese, clothing, and various gifts, eager to reunite with family members, and for many, it was their first trip to the other side.
Israel completed its unilateral military withdrawal from the Gaza Strip on Monday, bringing all 21 settlements under Palestinian Authority control. Immediately Gazans rushed into the settlements to celebrate their first taste of freedom, ushering in what the PA has termed “jubilation week,” as life without barriers and checkpoints unfolds across the Strip.
A young Gazan, Mahmoud, crossed the border into Egypt from Rafah, on his way to Al Areesh, a popular destination point for the upsurge of Gaza travelers. Israel denied Palestinian males between the ages of 16 to 30 travel permits, and at 25, Mahmoud left Gaza for the very first time.
In an outpour of emotion, Palestinians and Egyptians scaled walls and barriers, at points burrowing their way through, in an effort to reach the other side. Parents passed children over walls, some left with as much as they could carry, and others hired drivers to take them to the border to avoid the colossal traffic jam. An estimated 100,000 Palestinians crossed, although fewer Egyptians opted to visit Gaza.
An Egyptian driver, Oda Gimni, brought his mother to visit her two brothers in Gaza, and the family was reunited for the first time since 1982. Many of the Egyptians came to show their support for their Palestinian brethren, such as the Swarqa family that came to Gaza from Sinai to “share the happiness with the Palestinians.”
A Hamas leader from the al Qassam Brigades, Abu Amr, was making his way to Egypt. As he swung his leg over the wall he reiterated, “The Israeli withdrawal came from [our] military resistance.”
Walking for hours in the sand, under the sun, Palestinians and neighboring Egyptians moved swiftly, knowing in a matter of hours the Rafah crossing would soon be sealed once again by Israeli forces.
On September 7th Israel announced the closure and continued occupation of the Rafah crossing -- the only Palestinian access point to Egypt and to the outside world -- for another six months in order to satisfy their economic and security concerns, reported Diana Buttu, legal adviser to Mohamed Dahlan, PA Minister of Civil Affairs.
Palestinians have been pushing for the presence of a third party at the crossing, which Israel has refused. Israel is now pressuring the Palestinians to accept moving the crossing to a new location, where Gaza, Egypt, and Israel meet, at Kerem Shalom. Palestinian and Egyptian sides have rejected Israel’s proposal and negotiations are still underway.
A Palestinian woman clutching her 18 month old daughter Marah, traveled to Egypt seeking medical treatment unavailable in Gaza for her daughter’s brain condition. “I am taking my chance now,” she asserted, knowing the only window, to what has been described as a ‘large prison,’ is again about to come slamming shut.
Palestinian and Egyptian security commanders decided to officially close the Gaza-Egypt border by Wednesday evening, and according to Jamal Kaed, the Palestinian commander of southern Gaza, Palestinian security forces will prevent Palestinians from crossing.
Egyptian police officers and border patrol kept a watchful eye, making an effort to thwart smuggling. One officer stated, “The Palestinians are not allowed to come into Egypt, but we understand the feelings of these people…They do not have enough food and we know they need Egyptian products.”
Egypt deployed 750 security officers along the border after Israel agreed to the handover of security control of the Philadelphi route to the Egyptian government. An additional 300 police officers were stationed after people began flooding the border.
Freedom of movement is a startling change to the Palestinian landscape, peppered with barriers, barbed wire, and checkpoints since the occupation of Gaza in 1967. Abu Holi checkpoint, centrally located on the main north-south thoroughfare, has been opened, as families and friends hopped in the car and took off for all corners of the Strip. Only 365 square km, Israeli checkpoints separated many Gazans from family members for years.
Egyptian authorities have taken a seat at the negotiating table between Palestinians and Israelis, and between the Palestinian factions themselves, to maintain the ceasefire and negotiate a complete Israeli withdrawal, principally from their shared border.
An estimated 1.4 million Palestinians, more than half of them refugees, live in Gaza, making it one of the most densely populated places on earth. Unemployment hovers at 38 percent and 60 percent of the population lives below the poverty line.
The Israeli cabinet announced that Gaza is no longer occupied, to which Minister Dahlan responded, “By reserving itself the ability to invade the Gaza Strip and by maintaining control over Palestinian airspace, territorial waters, and most importantly its borders, Israel will continue its military rule over the Palestinians.”
In a national address on Tuesday night, President Mahmoud Abbas stated, “Our joy will not be complete without having all the elements of national sovereignty. The redeployment of the Israeli occupation army and settlers from Gaza Strip as a unilateral step does not mean, in any way, that the occupation has come to an end.”
--Erica Silverman
Erica Silverman is a freelance journalist in Gaza City, she can be reached at Erica_Silverman@Mideastcurrent.com
