Gaza wants more assistance from Egypt apart from opening Rafah crossing

 There's no doubt that Egypt's choice to ease restrictions on the Gaza Strip population's movement at Rafah border crossing can be a optimistic step, however, the Islamic Hamas movement said the coastal enclave requires a lot more.

The Gaza Strip, which has a population of 1.eight million men and women, have been living underneath a tight Israeli blockade since Hamas seized manage with the enclave by force in June 2007. Egypt then also tightened the restrictions at Rafah crossing.

Fatah and Hamas lastly signed a reconciliation agreement in Cairo on May well 4 which ended about 4 years of internal division. To encourage the two rivals to implement the agreement, Egypt made the decision on Saturday to ease the restrictions it imposed on the population's movement at Rafah crossing. According to Hamas figures, around 700 men and women went to Egypt by way of Rafah previously two days.

OPENING RAFAH CROSSING NOT Sufficient

Mohsen Aburamadan, a Gaza-based economist, told Xinhua in an interview that reopening Rafah crossing for people to effortlessly travel "was so constructive," "but what the Gaza Strip needs, will not be only easing the people's movement, but to assist them solving their economic crisis."

More than the past four years, on account of the Israeli blockade, the Gaza Strip economic system was completely broken and requirements of living have declined drastically. According to official figures with the United Nations, around 55 percent of Gaza residents remained unemployed, and poverty hit to 80 % amongst the population.

"We also hope that the commercial crossings in between Egypt and Gaza and in between Israel and Gaza could often open, due to the fact it would enable the Gaza Strip economic climate revive just after it was badly hurt as a consequence of Israeli siege," Aburamadan mentioned.

INDEPENDENT CROSSING

Beneath an agreement which was sponsored by the United states and signed in between the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and Israel, European observers ought to present at Rafah crossing in between Gaza Strip and Egypt.

Ghazi Hamad, chief of Borders and Crossings Authorities within the Hamas government, told the pro-Hamas al-Aqsa Radio on Sunday that "after the Egyptian decision of easing restrictions at Rafah crossing, I do not believe it really is essential for presence of any European or international observers in the crossing."

"Now, the crossing of Rafah is independent, it can be Egyptian- Palestinian and we don't accept the intervention of any foreign party into the crossing," Hamad said, adding "when the 2005 agreement was signed, it was under particular circumstance, but now the scenario is totally diverse."

On the other hand, Palestinian observers think that Hamas is not going to make any choice that would anger the European Union (EU), which expressed readiness to quickly send its observers to Rafah crossing point to observe the method of operating the terminal.

"Hamas will not anger Europe or the west in this distinct time, mainly because the Islamic movement is operating tough on expressing moderate views to launch a considerable and direct dialogue together with the EU. I do not consider that Hamas would anger the West," Talal Oukal, a Gaza-based political analyst told Xinhua.

COMMERCIAL TERMINAL FOR GAZA

Easing restrictions at Rafah crossing has upset the Israeli government, nonetheless, for the long run, Israel could be content if the Gaza Strip has two terminals, one for human passengers and a different for commercial flows in an effort to relieve its responsibilities.

Yousef Rezqah, an aide for the deposed premier of Hamas Ismail Haneya, told Xinhua that immediately after easing restrictions at Rafah crossing, the Palestinians inside the Gaza Strip "are definitely in have to have for an adjacent commercial crossing that the folks import their agricultural and industrial goods from the globe."

"The aim of having a commercial crossing would be to minimize a lot more than 40 years of economic dependence on Israel. The Palestinian individuals have their very own ambitions. They truly would like to start out an open economic and commercial relationship together with the Arab and Islamic nations," Rezqah stated.

Palestinian observers believe that creating the Gaza Strip economically dependent on Egypt would encourage Israel to put obstacles for Palestinian National Authority President Mahmoud Abbas, who intends to apply towards the United Nations to demand an international recognition of an independent Palestinian state inside the West Bank and Gaza.

"I think that if the Gaza Strip was economically independent from the West Bank, it would be complicated for President Abbas to call for a state on a single geographical territory, the West Bank and also the Gaza Strip, the territories of the independent state that were occupied by Israel in 1967," Oukal said

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