Monday, May 20, 2024
Elder of ZiyonEgypt rejected it out of hand, insisting that Palestinians must be the only people to control the crossing on the Gaza side.
Egypt does not deny any of this. They just say that the humanitarian crisis is Israel's fault, without elaborating on their refusal to open Rafah or to send aid trucks to Kerem Shalom.
So Israel approached the PA to formally control the crossing but to allow the ctul operations be done by a more neutral group - like the Palestinian Red Crescent Society, which is hardly neutral.
Israel approached the EU asking if they can help operate the crossing. The EU has been paying an organization, EUBAM-Rafah, to oversee the Rafah crossing before Hamas took over Gaza. EUBAM employees are still in Israel, getting paid for doing literally nothing (outside issuing press releases on how they promote gender equality) - could they help coordinate aid?
The EU refused.
Hamas, which would collect taxes via the Rafah crossing as well as send its own injured terrorists through the crossingsend its own injured terrorists through the crossing while Gaza civilian casualties were refused entry, is in fulla alignment with Egypt in blaming Israel for the closing of Rafah.
Israel is meanwhile coordinating more aid deliveries than ever. On Sunday, it delivered 422 truckfuls of aid through its own crossings and facilitated 17 more via the US floating pier.
According to COGAT, last Wednesday, it transferred 248 trucks to UN agencies in Gaza - and not one of them was distributed.
Egypt's refusal to re-open Rafah does not only affect aid. Gaza patients who need to be treated in hospitals in Egypt and abroad cannot leave.
The only country in the world actually trying to get large amounts of aid into Gaza is Israel, with the US contributing a small percentage via the floating pier and several countries contributing a minuscule amount via airdrops.
The only country in the world that has tried to re-open the Rafah crossing is Israel.
Egypt receives $1.3 billion in aid from the US every year and has received $80 billion since 1978. As far as I can tell the US gets next to nothing back besides Egypt acting as a mediator in various Middle East disputes.
But we have not heard a word from the State Department or the White House being upset over Egypt's refusal to help Gazans. The "pro-Palestinian" protesters have nothing negative to say about Egypt - even though it received billions in aid from US taxpayers. The media is quite unwilling to find out exactly what happens to hundreds of trucks of aid that make it into Gaza but do not go anywhere.
The only country actually doing things to bring aid into Gaza - and being stymied at every turn - is the only one being blamed for their not receiving aid.
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