Report: Egypt starts to rebuild Gaza border fences

[bemildred]

CAIRO, Jan. 28 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian security forces on Monday started to rebuild fences at the border between Egypt and the southern Gaza Strip, the pan-Arab satellite television al-Jazeera reported.

Barbed wire was erected by Egyptian security forces at two gaps blown up by Hamas on Jan. 23 along Rafah crossing, which allowed hundreds of thousands of Gazans to enter the Egyptian side to stock up foods, fuel and other basic needs.

Hamas fighters stood by and did not interfere with Egyptian forces' efforts to patch up the frontier barrier, while hundreds of Palestinians managed to cross through other breaches under joint Hamas and Egyptian guard.

The border is expected to be closed within the next 24 hours as Egypt was exerting efforts to stem the flow of goods to the border area, the report added.

http://mathaba.net/rss/?x=579805

[Scurrilous]

1. Egypt continues efforts to rebuild destroyed Gaza border wall

<snip>

"Egyptian border guards began repairing another section of the destroyed Gaza Strip border wall Tuesday, slowing limiting Palestinians from entering Egypt a week after they first rushed into this city.

A day earlier, Egyptian guards sealed one section of the broken wall, building a chain-link fence across one of the Gaza border breaches.

Two large border breaches remained open - including the one guards were repairing Tuesday. The Egyptians also deployed several dozen riot police armed with shields and batons at the two remaining openings, suggesting that the cross-border free-for-all may soon come to an end. Other riot police blocked Rafah's main road and told Palestinian cars to head back to Gaza.

But it was unclear when Egypt planned to completely fix the wall, and cars and trucks continued travel freely between the divided city Tuesday.

Earlier Tuesday, Israeli officials said that Israel does not plan to block Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas from assuming control of Gaza's border crossing with Egypt if he reaches an agreement to do so with Cairo."

more

[azurnoir]

2. A "different" take

Egyptian forces began stringing barbed wire across the Brazil gate in Rafah with the aid of around a dozen uniformed Hamas soldiers indicating that there was now cooperation between the two sides in sealing off the border.

Mostly bearded and dressed in blue camouflage uniforms, the Hamas soldiers were also helping Egyptian forces police the border.

Palestinians still descended upon Rafah through the many other breaches in the security wall, but the numbers have begun to decrease as goods are no longer being allowed in the area to cater to Palestinian demand.

http://www.dailystaregypt.com/


How "unusually" cooperative of Hamas

[Vegasaurus]

3. Notice the last line of your post

"As goods are no longer being allowed in the area to cater to Palestinian demand".

And what do you think of that kind of collective punishment?

[azurnoir]

4. What do I think?

I you and the rest of the pro-Israel set oon this forum can rejoice as the enforced starvation resumes, and as an added bonus it can be blamed solely on Egypt or that will be the new talking point most likely IMHO.

However the proverbial "fat lady" has not sung yet, so we will see what happens, perhaps Egypt will let the UN people and humanitarian aid in

If that is the case, looking into my "crystal ball" I see more sugar sack stories in the future:sarcasm:

[Vegasaurus]

5. I hope so.

It would be the right thing to do. I am not rejoicing in 'enforced starvation', especially since the Palestinians spent $250M last week. Some kind of starving and poverty.