Hebrew paper: Abbas urged Egypt, Israel to keep Rafah terminal sealed off
"NAZARETH, (PIC)-- The Hebrew daily Ha'aretz newspaper has unveiled Wednesday that PA chief Mahmoud Abbas had urged both Egypt and the Israeli occupation government to keep the Rafah terminal closed.
The paper’s revelation of Abbas’s request came at a time thousands of Palestinian citizens from Gaza Strip, including children, women, and sick people are stranded at the Egyptian side of the terminal in tragic conditions.
According to the paper, Abbas’s request to Egypt and Israel came after Hamas Movement took control of the Gaza Strip, and he urged both states to deal with the request with confidentiality.
It added that Abbas also called on both states to shift the crossing point from Rafah to the Israeli-controlled Kerem Shalom crossing point, southeastern Gaza Strip.
Egyptian officials are divided over the issue as Egypt’s chief intelligence Omar Suleiman reportedly favors the opening of the Rafah terminal and supports dealing with Hamas, but Egypt’s embassy in the Hebrew state was reportedly opposing Suleiman's views, the paper further added.
On Tuesday a 27-year-old cancer-stricken Palestinian lady died at the crossing point bringing number of perished Palestinian citizens at the terminal to 30 since the crisis started 40 days ago, hospital sources in the Egyptian city of Rafah affirmed. The victim was identified as Thana’a Shalha.
Another Palestinian lady stranded at the terminal gave birth to a baby-girl Tuesday amidst persisting calls from the beleaguered Palestinian citizens to end their ordeal......."
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Haaretz reported on Tuesday"..that Palestinian sources said PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas asked Israel and Egypt to prevent the movement of people from Egypt to the Gaza Strip through the Rafah border crossing, after Hamas' mid-June takeover of the coastal strip. The sources said that Abbas said if the crossing is opened, Hamas will be able to let in thousands of people without supervision into Gaza - including activists who could strengthen the group, which rival Abbas' Fatah movement......The sources added that Abbas and a number of his aides asked for that the request not be made public.....
As an alternative to the Rafah crossing, Abbas asked that the Kerem Shalom crossing on the Israel-Gaza border be used for the thousands of Gazans who have been barred entry through Rafah and held up on the border for a number of weeks. Some who were ill have since died while waiting.
Israel also suggested opening Kerem Shalom in order to deal with the stranded Palestinians, but Hamas has refused.
The factional fighting among the Palestinians has led to a policy dispute within Egypt as well, over the question of Rafah and contacts with Hamas in general.
Sources close to Egyptian Intelligence chief Omar Suleiman's argue Egypt should work with Hamas and open the crossing, but the Egyptian embassy in Tel Aviv opposes this measure. Those against strengthening ties with Hamas believe this will hurt Abbas."
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