Dr. Mofeed Shihab, Egyptian Minister of State for Legal and Representative Councils Affairs, announced that the Rafah Border Terminal between Gaza and Egypt will remain open in order to enable the transfer of humanitarian aid to the Gaza Strip.Shihab stated that these are the orders of Egyptian President, Hosni Mubarak, and added that Egypt will not abandon the Palestinian people until they achieve their legitimate demand of an independent state.
He also said that the Palestinians will be allowed to leave Gaza and return to it through the terminal.
His statements came during a session of the Commons Council in Egypt. He said that the Egyptian stance regarding the Israeli attack on the Freedom Flotilla is clear, and that the government denounced the attack and held talks with regional and international parties to expose the Israeli violations.
Shihab further stated that he regrets the failure of the Security Council in denouncing the Israeli aggression due to American pressures even after the European Union and the European Parliament denounced it.
The Egyptian official further stated that Egypt will keep the Rafah terminal open in both directions until further notice and that Cairo is still pressuring Israel into lifting the siege.
He demanded an international investigation into the Israeli attack and to ensure persecuting all involved Israeli officials at the International Criminal Court.
Shihab added that what Israel did is an international crime punishable by the International Law, the humanitarian law and the Fourth Geneva Convention.
“Israel’s use of military power against humanitarian ships and activists is a crime that violates every law”, he said, “The crime is even bigger as it was carried out in international waters, it is considered an attack against the countries that had their flags on the ships”.
He said that Egypt demanded sending an international committee to investigate the attack and the serious violation to the International Law.
The official further called for ending the siege and stopping Israel’s ongoing attacks against civilians and nonviolent peace activists.
