Glimpse of Freedom at Rafah Crossing
The Rafah crossing. Credit: Eva Bartlett/IPS. RAFAH,
Gaza, Aug 30 2012, 1st Published at Inter Press Service (IPS) -By Eva
Bartlett
“I waited from 10 am till 5 pm for my wife to cross from Egypt.
She was among many hundreds who were coming into Gaza. Some waited since 6 am,
some since the day before.”
Jaber (who requested anonymity out of fear of future
restrictions on his exiting Gaza) was relieved when, a few days before Eid
holiday began on Aug. 19, his wife was able to cross from Egypt into the Gaza
Strip. During the three days of Eid, the Rafah border crossing was closed in
both directions.
“Of course I was happy that my wife got through, but I was also
disgusted at how Palestinians are forced to wait for, or are denied, the right
to exit and enter our country.”
On Aug. 25, the border opened anew, temporarily easing the
worries of Palestinians in Gaza who feared the opposite outcome: indefinite
closure.
Maher Abu Sabha, head of Gaza’s border crossings, explained the
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