Egypt Lifts Its Side Of Gaza Blockade

(AP) CAIRO — An Egyptian official says the government is temporarily lifting its blockade of the Gaza Strip to allow aid into the area a day after Israel raided an international flotilla carrying supplies to the Palestinian territory and killed nine activists.

The governor of northern Sinai, Murad Muwafi, says President Hosni Mubarak ordered the opening of the border crossing to Gaza in the town of Rafah for several days.

Muwafi says the opening of the crossing – which Egypt sealed after Gaza was taken over by Hamas militants in 2007 – is an effort to "alleviate the suffering of our Palestinian brothers after the Israeli attack" on the flotilla.

Comments

[Chucktheman]

05:04 PM on 06/04/2010

It would be nice to see Peace break out, and spoil it for the war mongers.

[Chucktheman]

05:02 PM on 06/04/2010

The eyes of the world are on this opening of the border. If rockets fly into Israel, the world will change its view. These are times calling for restrained action.

[LibyanLion]

10:16 AM on 06/03/2010

Palestinian crops of strawberries & flowers around the world, ( via Israel)
Palestinians shop for Bikes, Flat screen TV, cigarettes, via Tunnels in Egypt. Not for food!!!
I see real deprivation, for real aid,
Is No Biafra, No Somalia, No Ethiopia, No Sudan, or soon your own country
Please transport your HUMANITY elsewere.
Please, take a look and open the other blind eye

https://docs.google.com/viewer?a=v&pid=gmail&attid=0.1&thid=128fdec348f56f5a&mt=application%2Fpdf&url=https%3A%2F%2Fmail.google.com%2Fmail%2F%3Fui%3D2%26ik%3D25ab064e1a%26view%3Datt%26th%3D128fdec348f56f5a%26attid%3D0.1%26disp%3Dattd%26zw&sig=AHIEtbRRthtauPu0zbXCGxvkVpfuVGVN2g

[donaleigh2]

08:48 PM on 06/04/2010

America is the riches country in the world yet we have 10's of millions of people on food stamps.

[DeuxExMachina]

08:30 AM on 06/02/2010

See the link below for a Mar 2009 report from 'Physicians for Human Rights - Israel' detailing why the Rafah Crossing at the border between Egypt and Gaza was closed:

http://www.soros.org/initiatives/mena/articles_publications/publications/rafah_20090409/rafah_20090409.PDF

The attack on the aid activists by Israeli commandos placed the embargo on Gaza in the spot-light. It forced Egypt to open the border and both Israel and the USA had to be quiet about that. I hope that will be some comfort to the injured aid workers and families of the ones that died knowing that Gazan Palestinians are getting some relief.

[persianadvocate]

11:16 PM on 06/01/2010

http://andrewsullivan.theatlantic.com/.a/6a00d83451c45669e20133ef7b0154970b-800wi
LMAO

[Heavhauler]

10:51 PM on 06/01/2010

Thank you Egypt. Now do the right thing and leave it open.

[DeuxExMachina]

08:12 PM on 06/01/2010

The Egyptians said they won't allow building materials in to Gaza. People need shelter as well as water, food, medicine and clothing.

[Aerows]

06:36 PM on 06/01/2010

For those of you screaming too little too late, at least Egypt has seen the light. They are opening their borders. Israel just opens fire.

[Anbreen]

12:42 AM on 06/02/2010

Fanned.

[LibyanLion]

10:32 AM on 06/03/2010

when it is provoked.
I have not see yet a flottilla aid to African starving children.
But that is feed with a true loving heart.
Hate is more powerful food, it feed ignorance.

[Crushedknee]

06:28 PM on 06/01/2010

Netanyahu's "Mission Accomplished" Former ally now potential threat..Check..Attempt to eliminate Bad PR in relation to Gaza blockade actually blowing the functionality of the blockade into Orbit....Check..IS this government doing ya proud Israel?

[KaLeeDo]

05:29 PM on 06/01/2010

Egypt contributed to this mess in my book...They caved to Israeli demands and enforced the blockade and in the middle of Israels attack on Gaza when aid was needed the most. Too little too late to save face for Egypt.

[Aerows]

06:37 PM on 06/01/2010

Stop it. Stop being resentful that they are doing *something*.

[KaLeeDo]

06:59 PM on 06/01/2010

I'm not resenting the fact that they did something...Im glad they did and think Israel should do the same. It's their motive and timing thats are making me cynical. The outrage towards Israel in Egypt took off today and the government rightfully took action so it won't be seen as an accomplice in this international humanitarian crime.

[kentah]

08:04 PM on 06/01/2010

I'm with you. They're entirely complicit in this by weakly caving. Let's hope they don't simply and quietly close it back up after they feel the furor has died down or after the US threatens to pull the unjustified taxpayer aid.

[Riham005]

04:21 PM on 06/01/2010

Egypt should be ashamed of itself for even enforcing the blockade. Now they jump on the bandwagon....

[longtimegone]

10:52 PM on 06/01/2010

Since the Egyptian dictatorship receives the same American aid as Israel, it's likely that they are bucking enormous pressure to stand up at all. Soon America will stand all alone.

[Anbreen]

12:44 AM on 06/02/2010

Well, we WANTED to be the only superpower.

Soon, we'll be the only.... something.

[LAThinker]

04:06 PM on 06/01/2010

Fight world's hypocrisy and support Israel....


http://www.ucubd.com/mashups/Gaza_flotilla_participants_invoked_killing_of_Jews_2364.html

[lbsaltzman]

07:54 PM on 06/01/2010

I think you have a tough sell. Israel's attack on the flotilla did a great job of coalescing support for the Palestinians. Even the cowardly Egyptian government realized they had to stop supporting Israel before they had a revolution on their hands.

[alexa07]

12:22 AM on 06/02/2010

A great comment that says it all.

[LibyanLion]

10:39 AM on 06/03/2010

Why can you support the fignt on hunger
the real hunger in Africa?? they really have a need for aid
or maybe they have not hate to sell
they are loving people

[AnotherAndy]

08:43 PM on 06/01/2010

I'd support Israel standing on a chair with a rope around its neck, then I'd kick out the chair.

[LAThinker]

08:48 PM on 06/01/2010

Good thing they do not need the likes of you

[LAThinker]

04:01 PM on 06/01/2010

Where can I donate some money to fight world's hypocrisy and support Israel?

[KaLeeDo]

07:01 PM on 06/01/2010

Just pay your taxes on time..The rest is taken care of by the US Administration.

[Anbreen]

12:45 AM on 06/02/2010

Fanned.

[Birch1]

03:58 PM on 06/01/2010

Stop this pending approval nonsense HP. You are driving away good people who want to voice their displeasure of Israel. That is doing nothing more than serving the interests of Israel. People become frustrated and just ignore anything that has to do with Israel.

[kentah]

08:01 PM on 06/01/2010

You only get this on the Israel stories and sometimes the Iran stories. It's pretty telling.

[longtimegone]

10:53 PM on 06/01/2010

I'd say that is exactly the goal.

[Birch1]

03:56 PM on 06/01/2010

There is only one answer and that is getting the US onside with what is right. As long as the US supports the Israelis there is going to be slaughter of the Palestinian people. Trying to force Israel to allow the necessary supplies the Palestinians require is only going to lead to more killing by the Israelis. They consider it their right. They consider the Palestinians as having no rights whatsoever.

[Anbreen]

12:49 AM on 06/02/2010

Fanned.

It's just like the Raj, and the treatment of the Indians in all of the Americans. Oh! And, Australia. And, So. Africa.

European colonialists seem to think that the indigenous people are LESS than they are, fror some reason.