Former advisor for the Palestinian prime minister, Ismail Haniya of Hamas, said Sunday that having the Egypt-Gaza border line reopened by what he termed ‘ the Palestinian people’s will’ can be repeated at the Gaza-Israel border line at Eritz checkpoint.
‘ In case our demands to reopen the crossings are not met, we will likely take action’, Yousesf told Maan News Agency.
He also warned of what he called ‘ a third uprising of crossings’, revealing that Hamas has received congratulations from some European parties for reopening of the Rafah crossing on southern Gaza border line.
Yousef disclosed that a Hamas delegation will head for Cairo this week, in order to discuss possibility of installing an Egyptian-Palestinian administration for the Rafah crossing terminal.
‘ the Hamas delegation will seek a compromise between the Hamas-domintaed government in Gaza and the Ramallah-based government of President Mahmoud Abbas, regarding any crossing arrangements’.
He maintained that the terminal border crossing of Rafah should remain a Palestinian-Egyptian one, with no intervention from any other parties.
He also added that there will be separate meetings between Hamas and Fatah to discuss views and perspectives of each party towards possible agreement.
Tens of thousands of Palestinians have been crossing in and out of Gaza, through the Gaza-Egypt border line, after the fence-off iron wall, Israel had erected before its withdrawal from the Strip in 2005, has been knocked down by besieged crowds.
The border line with Egypt has been closed by Israel since June2007, when the Islamist Hamas party took control over Gaza, amidst a power struggle with the Fatah party of President Abbas.
Palestinians’ movement in and out of Gaza used to be organized by the Rafah crossing terminal prior to the Hamas takeover of the coastal region. The terminal used to be administered by Egyptians and Palestinians, with the help of about 70 European observers.
Since June of last year, Israel has sealed off all Gaza’s travel and commercial crossings, leaving the 1.5-million-strong population under a crippling siege, with patients unable to get treatment abroad, high rate of poverty and lack of essential supplies.
