Rafah and the Law of Unintended Consequences Bites Egypt
May 31, 2011 16:23 by Pesach Benson
After re-opening Rafah, the law of unintended consequences bites Egypt. The Wall St. Journal (click via Google News) writes:
A full opening at Egypt’s Rafah border, analysts say, could allow Israel to separate itself more definitively from Gaza, foisting humanitarian and security responsibilities for the enclave onto Egypt . . .
Keeping the border closed to commerce and goods has shielded Cairo from assuming tacit responsibility for feeding the enclave’s 1.5 million people and monitoring shipments for weapons and so-called dual use items that could be used to attack Israel.
The Egyptian street is all for opening the borders all the way, but according to the WSJ, the ruling military leaders aren’t eager to go that far. As it is, some 400 Al-Qaida members are reportedly in Sinai right now. Some Israeli officials told Time that the new Rafah reality has a silver lining:
. . . the reaction in official Israeli circles surely includes “quiet satisfaction.” For in Jerusalem the feeling is: If the Egyptians want to take responsibility for 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza, more power to them. Cairo after all had control of the coastal enclave from 1948 to 1967, when Gaza was among the vast territory Israel conquered in the Six Day War.
What are your thoughts on the security risks vs. political opportunities which Rafah’s opening presents to Israel?
Rafah and the Law of Unintended Consequences Bites Egypt «ScrollPost.com
5:32 pm
May 31, 2011
[...] for the enclave onto Egypt . . . Keeping the border closed [...]Original article can be viewed at Rafah and the Law of Unintended Consequences Bites Egypt on HonestReporting.Source: Europe & OECD BlogsPublished: 31 May 2011Site: [...]
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Howard Hoffman
8:15 pm
May 31, 2011
I believe that the best thing for the people of Gaza and for the State of Israel would be for Gaza to become more closely associated with Egypt, perhaps even becoming a part of Egypt. There will always be risk of rockets from Gaza, but Israel already has that from Lebanon, and Israel cannot control what goes into Lebanon, with or without the UN. Israel needs to establish a clear and strong deterrence to any projectiles, even a bullet, from Gaza. Connecting Gaza to the West Bank physically, as has been discussed in various peace discussions, has always seemed to me to be much more risky. Many of the people in Gaza have more connections to people in Egypt than to people in the West Bank. Sadat would not agree to take back Gaza when he made peace with Israel. It would be better for Israel economically and strategically if it did not have to take any responsibility for Gaza. No more water and no more electricity should flow to Gaza. There should be an Israel/Gaza border comparable to the border with Lebanon. If the people of Gaza were made Egyptian citizens, then this would really be the best thing for Gaza and for Israel.
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Rafah: Das Gesetz der ungewollten Folgen beißt Ägypten « Medien BackSpin
11:20 pm
May 31, 2011
[...] Pesach Benson, HonestReporting Media Backspin, 31. Mai 2011 [...]
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