Rafah

            I just came back from the border at Rafah where there was a demonstration planned to protest the paltry 400 person/day limit imposed by the Egyptian authorities. The gathering did not materialize but I got a chance to witness firsthand how difficult it is to leave Gaza. No, the siege is not “broken.” Egypt is championing itself as the savior of the Palestinians when in fact it is merely catching up to its big-brother oppressor’s policies. Instead of a complete stoppage, Egypt is still barring men aged 18 to 40 years from passing unhindered—long held as Israel’s policy in the West Bank. Nabil al-Arabi called the siege of Gaza musheen—disgraceful. As if it’s not disgraceful to assume that every male between the ages of 18 and 40 is some sort of danger to society.

            The siege is not over. There are no goods allowed through Rafah, only human traffic. 400 people moving through each day (and not even that much with all the closures) will not change the 45% unemployment in Gaza. It will not stop the perpetual shelling or the random arrests. It will not make the drones leave the sky. The Supreme Military Council can keep advertising the end of the siege but Gazans are not blind idiots. They see that their tap water is still toxic and they still see a fence in all four directions.

EDIT: Additional information on why the "opening" is worthless