From imemc.org
On Wednesday at dawn the Palestinian resistance destroyed part of the Wall separating the southern Gaza Strip city of Rafah from Egypt using five home made bombs, shortly afterwards thousands of Palestinians flocked through and started to buy food and fuel supplies from Egypt to bring back to the Coastal region
The Rafah crossing, located in the southern side of the Gaza strip, is the only way for Palestinians to leave or enter the region, since June 2007; the crossing has been closed by the Israeli and Egyptian troops.
On Friday last week Israel declared all Gaza's crossings completely closed, with a total ban of fuel and supplies to the coastal region. By Sunday Gaza had no electricity since the Solo Gaza power plant depends on Israeli Fuel. After a widespread international outcry following Israel cutting off all fuel into Gaza, the Israeli authorities agreed to allow fuel and medicine into the Palestinian coastal region on Tuesday for one day only.
Today Egyptian police and troops closed most of the border wall section but continued to allow Palestinians to cross into the country. Hosni Mubarak, the Egyptian president, told reporters in Cairo that he had given orders to his troops to allow Palestinians to cross into Egypt because they were starving. Mubarak said that the troops will return the Palestinians into Gaza after they have shopped for supplies "as long as they are not carrying weapons".
Hassam Zaki the spokesman of the Egyptian Foreign Ministry stated Thursday that Egypt will keep the Rafah borders open if the humanitarian crisis continues in the Gaza Strip. Hamas officials asked the Palestinians crossing into Egypt to respect the authority of the Egyptian troops and police.
Hamas has controlled the Gaza strip since June 2007, after several months of bloody infighting between the movement and the Palestinian president Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah party.
Meanwhile Israel is totally unhappy with Egypt for allowing Palestinians to shop there and come back into the region. The Israeli Prime Minister Ehod Olmert said Thursday the Israeli siege and attacks on Gaza stay in effect, he added that only a low amount of humanitarian aid and fuel will be allowed into Gaza.
Matan Vilnai the Israeli Defense Minister Deputy, told Israeli media that Israel should stop water, electricity, food and fuel supplies into Gaza, he said that since Gaza now is open to Egypt then Israel do not have responsibility towards the necessary supplies anymore. Israel controls all border crossing into Gaza except the Rafah one; Israel also controls the drinking water and electricity of Gaza.
David Rovics' They're Building a Wall:
They're building a wall
A wall between friends
A wall that justifies
Any means for their ends
A wall between Semites
Rich and poor
Brothers and sisters
From not so long before
Many feet thick
And twenty feet high
No one can look through it
And into the eye
Of a person you might know
To whom you might confide
Now just a stranger
On the other side
They're building a wall
Between water and land
So we can eat fruit
And they can eat sand
A wall to make sure
That our orchards will grow
And our kids can get fat
And not need to know
Of the cities in ruins
And the children in fear
That your fathers and brothers
In tanks might be near
A wall to keep quiet
That which you fear most
So you don't have to listen
To your grandfather's ghost
They're building a wall
Between future and past
A wall to keep separate
The chambers of gas
From bulldozers, gunships
And the tears of a child
Dignity, love
And all honor defiled
To remove reality
From your facts on the ground
A wall to keep distant
The terrible sound
Of the houses that crumble
And the children that die
A wall to keep separate
The truth from the lie
They're building a wall
And at such a cost
Land, money and safety
And all the lives lost
A wall made of brick
But bricks can be broken
When the people of Zion
Have finally awoken
And said no more walls
No more refugees
No more keeping people
Upon their knees
And then the history books
Will someday recall
Before apartheid was ended
They were building a wall
A wall between friends
A wall that justifies
Any means for their ends
A wall between Semites
Rich and poor
Brothers and sisters
From not so long before
Many feet thick
And twenty feet high
No one can look through it
And into the eye
Of a person you might know
To whom you might confide
Now just a stranger
On the other side
They're building a wall
Between water and land
So we can eat fruit
And they can eat sand
A wall to make sure
That our orchards will grow
And our kids can get fat
And not need to know
Of the cities in ruins
And the children in fear
That your fathers and brothers
In tanks might be near
A wall to keep quiet
That which you fear most
So you don't have to listen
To your grandfather's ghost
They're building a wall
Between future and past
A wall to keep separate
The chambers of gas
From bulldozers, gunships
And the tears of a child
Dignity, love
And all honor defiled
To remove reality
From your facts on the ground
A wall to keep distant
The terrible sound
Of the houses that crumble
And the children that die
A wall to keep separate
The truth from the lie
They're building a wall
And at such a cost
Land, money and safety
And all the lives lost
A wall made of brick
But bricks can be broken
When the people of Zion
Have finally awoken
And said no more walls
No more refugees
No more keeping people
Upon their knees
And then the history books
Will someday recall
Before apartheid was ended
They were building a wall
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