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Egypt’s move to open Gaza border has no humanitarian aim: Activist

Thursday, 12 May 2016 9:34 AM [ Last Update: Thursday, 12 May 2016 9:34 AM ]

A Palestinian woman argues with a security member as she waits at the Rafah border crossing with Egypt, in the southern Gaza Strip, after it was opened for two days by Egyptian authorities, on May 11, 2016. (AFP photo)

Press TV has interviewed Paul Larudee, co-founder of Free Palestine Movement in Berkeley, California, about Egypt opening its border with the Gaza Strip to allow citizens of the besieged Palestinian enclave access to the outside world after nearly three months of closure.

The following is a rough transcription of the interview.

Press TV: Egypt today is building a second city to the tune of billions of dollars and it is just so hard to imagine that they opened the Gaza Strip just so people do not starve - that is what I am thinking - it just does not make sense.

Larudee: Well they do not mind if people starve, that is not the issue here. This is an agreement essentially between the government in Gaza and the Egyptian government because Egypt is having some difficulty with resistance and military problems in the Sinai and they feel that Gaza may be able to help with this.

Recently Gaza stationed additional fortifications, if you will, or checkpoints, or observation points along the border with Egypt and in return for this, they are getting permission for Palestinian citizens in Gaza to pass through the border area. That is really all that is happening. I do not see any humanitarian objectives in Egypt’s move.

Press TV: If we were to look for humanitarian objectives, I would assume that Israel’s siege obviously is anything but that and I can’t help recall what one of the Israeli officials has said and that is trying to keep Gazans on this diet, barely for them to survive. Isn’t there anything that could be done based on this illegal siege that is happening on the international arena?

Larudee: Well obviously Israel and Egypt depend on the intentional arena. So there is plenty that can be done. Pressure can be placed by especially the powerful nations but by the world community as a whole to allow the Palestinians in Gaza to live normal lives, to not be the only country with a Mediterranean coast or the only section of land that has a Mediterranean coast but it is not permitted to use it for shipping and things like this and is essentially living in a completely closed off zone, left to fend for themselves.

The international community is actually the one that is allowing this to continue but I do not see any initiative on the part of any of the international community to do anything about it except maybe complain occasionally and gently.

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