Egypt on Gaza: Open Sympathy, Closed Border

Facing citizens' anger, governments may be held responsible

(NEWSER) - As Israel's Gaza offensive wears on, officials in bordering Egypt and Jordan worry that the carnage is imperiling the possibility of a two-state Israel-Palestine solution. Egypt and to a lesser extent, Jordan, fear that responsibility for the humanitarian crisis there will fall to them, and that they may be forced to absorb Palestinian refugees, reports the New York Times. More»

Four-year-old blockade ends

(AP) - After a four-year blockade, Egypt today permanently opened the Gaza Strip's main gateway to the outside world, bringing long-awaited relief to the territory's Palestinian population and a significant achievement for the area's ruling Hamas militant group. The reopening of the Rafah border crossing eases an Egyptian blockade that has prevented the vast majority of Gaza's 1.5 million people from being able to travel abroad. The closure, along with an Israeli blockade of its borders with Gaza, has fueled an economic crisis in the densely populated territory. Egypt announced the decision Wednesday. More»

Government will end Gaza blockade

(NEWSER) - As Egypt regroups after Hosni Mubarak’s exit, it is realigning its diplomatic ties: Officials plan to end the Gaza border blockade and forge closer ties with Iran and Hamas. As elections approach, officials say they’re working toward policies that better fit public opinion; meanwhile, they hope to regain influence in the region, the New York Times reports. “We are opening a new page,” says a Foreign Ministry official. “Egypt is resuming its role that was once abdicated.” More»

(AP) - Pulitzer-prize winning author Alice Walker, who wrote The Color Purple, is traveling to Gaza along with other female activists to highlight the devastation of the Israeli offensive on Gaza's residents. "I love people, and I love children and I feel that the Palestinian child is just as precious as the African-American child, as the Jewish child," said Walker, speaking by telephone today as her group waited to travel into Gaza. More»

Attacks follow militant fire in heaviest exchange since truce

(NEWSER) - Israeli aircraft pounded Hamas targets in the Gaza Strip late last night after militants there unleashed 10 rounds of rocket and mortar fire on Israel. It's the region's heaviest exchange since a ceasefire began two weeks ago, the Los Angeles Times reports. Six explosions rocked Rafah, a border town near Egypt where Hamas uses tunnels to smuggle weapons. More»