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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Haneya calls on Egypt to open Rafah crossing for patients |
| 2008-07-25 |
| (Xinhua) -- Deposed Prime Minister of Hamas unity government in Gaza Ismail Haneya called on Egypt Thursday to reopen Rafah border crossing point to allow in Palestinian patients in need of proper medical treatment. Haneya made the appeal after a Hamas woman lawmaker in the Hamas-dominant Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) was hit by a severe heart attack. "The case of Om Nidal Farhat (the lawmaker) is not the only case that needs urgent medical treatment, there are dozens of patients that need an urgent treatment," Haneya told reporters when he was visiting Gaza Shifa Hospital. Israel imposed a tightened blockade on the Gaza Strip after Hamas movement took control of the enclave by force and routed President Mahmoud Abbas' Fatah security forces in June last year. In January, hundreds of thousands of Palestinians thronged to Egypt's Sinai Peninsula to buy daily necessities of food, medicine and fuels after militants blew up the borders fence between the impoverished enclave and Egypt. "We want Egypt to break the blockade and save the lives of hundreds cases," Haneya said, adding that "since the blockade was tightened, 250 patients died due to the lack of medical treatment in the Gaza Strip." Israel and Hamas had agreed in a truce deal brokered by Egypt to ease security restrictions imposed on Gaza crossings. However, Rafah crossing has not been reopened due to splits between the two sides on its operation. Gaza ruler Hamas wants Rafah crossing, the only Gaza passage to the outside world that bypasses Israel, to be run by Egyptian and Palestinian officials, but the Jewish state insists that its operation must abide by a 2005 agreement. According to the U.S.-brokered deal in 2005, Abbas' presidential guard forces were put in charge of security at the crossing in addition to European Union (EU) monitors. The two parties left the crossing following Hamas' bloody takeover of Gaza. In some occasions, Egypt opened the crossing for patients and some Hamas leaders who leave for talks in Cairo. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #2 Egypt doesn't want Gazans in its territory either. The Israelis have repeatedly asked Egypt to take Gaza back, only to be laughed at and told "we're damned glad to be rid of those criminal bastards. They're your problem now, and welcome to it!" So much for Muzzie solidarity and all that. |
| Posted by: Jomock Platypus9662 2008-07-25 21:39 |
| #1 How many RPG's can fit in an "ambulance"? |
| Posted by: Rambler in California 2008-07-25 15:02 |