With the border wall knocked down between Gaza and Egypt, I wonder if this is going to lead to the de-facto absorption of Gaza by Egypt in the long term.
How long will Egypt allow unregulated crossings into their country? In the long term, Egypt is either going to have to rebuild the wall, put more troops on the border to control the flow or take over Gaza. Isreal's blockade put intense economic pressure on Gaza and it finally broke through in desperation at the weakest point, Eqypt.
According to this article, Gazans make new border wall hole, on the BBC website...
Has this breach created new rules on the ground?
I doubt Israel is going to back down on the blockade from their side of the fence which puts more pressure on Egypt to allow their fellow Muslims access to their country for supplies. Isreal really doesn't give a damn about the Palestinians in Gaza.
Also on the BBC's website, Israel torn over relationship with Gaza
I think the Gazans would be better off as well if this happened. If Egypt moved back in like they were prior to 1967, Gazans would no longer be cut off from the world in a little prison-like strip of land. Egypt could re-open Gaza's Air and Sea ports and the Gazans would have a free open border in the South for commerce and movement of their people.
If not, how long can Eqypt, which has it's own problems with it's Muslim Brotherhood, stand having an Islamic Militia controlling things on the other side of a border it can't keep closed? Or can it close it by promising Gaza that it will start providing it supplies on a regular basis.
I think the only thing that could stop any of this is if Hamas and Fatah can come to an agreement on power-sharing fairly soon that Isreal could except. That might lessen the blockade from Isreal's side, releasing pressure on Egypt.
How long will Egypt allow unregulated crossings into their country? In the long term, Egypt is either going to have to rebuild the wall, put more troops on the border to control the flow or take over Gaza. Isreal's blockade put intense economic pressure on Gaza and it finally broke through in desperation at the weakest point, Eqypt.
According to this article, Gazans make new border wall hole, on the BBC website...
Quote:
| The new breach came hours after Egyptian security forces had begun to stop Palestinians from entering their country while at the same time allowing people back into Gaza. The large yellow bulldozer was driven to the border from the Gaza side, ploughing headlong into the border fence. Police used water cannon to push people back from the border The BBC's Aleem Maqbool at the border says Egypt's attempt to seal it is being seen as a minor interruption by Palestinians in search of supplies. |
I doubt Israel is going to back down on the blockade from their side of the fence which puts more pressure on Egypt to allow their fellow Muslims access to their country for supplies. Isreal really doesn't give a damn about the Palestinians in Gaza.
Also on the BBC's website, Israel torn over relationship with Gaza
Quote:
| Deputy Defence Minister Matan Vilnai said Israel wants to hand over the supply of electricity, water and medicine to Egypt. "We need to understand that when Gaza is open to the other side we lose responsibility for it. So we want to disconnect from it," said Mr Vilnai, according to Israeli army radio. Some Israeli political analysts believe that if there was trade between Egypt and Gaza, it would be easier for Israel to close all its crossings into the territory. "From Israel's perspective, Gaza is becoming more and more of an Egyptian problem," wrote Dr. Guy Bechor, a political analyst at the Institute for Policy and Strategy at the Interdisciplinary Centre Herzliya, in an article posted on a website. "That is the real fruit of disengagement, something the Egyptians were quite leery of." |
If not, how long can Eqypt, which has it's own problems with it's Muslim Brotherhood, stand having an Islamic Militia controlling things on the other side of a border it can't keep closed? Or can it close it by promising Gaza that it will start providing it supplies on a regular basis.
I think the only thing that could stop any of this is if Hamas and Fatah can come to an agreement on power-sharing fairly soon that Isreal could except. That might lessen the blockade from Isreal's side, releasing pressure on Egypt.
