Middle Eastern students are protesting Egypt for not opening Rafah ~ Elder Of Ziyon

Monday, June 03, 2024

Middle Eastern students are protesting Egypt for not opening Rafah

While the purportedly "pro-Palestinian" protesters in the US and Europe are careful not to demand that Egypt do anything to help out Gazans who cannot escape, student protesters in Egypt and Lebanon have no problem making those demands.

The New Arab reported on May 1:

Egyptian security forces have reportedly detained six activists in the northern city of Alexandria over public support for Palestinians, local media reported on Tuesday.

The detainees, some of whom allegedly raised a pro-Palestine banner, were apprehended on Sunday, according to the Egyptian Centre for Economic and Social Rights (ECESR), which named one of the individuals as Ali Mohamed, a labour activist and founder of the Popular Committee to support the Palestinian Cause.

The rare protests in Egypt have called on Cairo to indefinitely open the Rafah border crossing in North Sinai, Gaza's only connection to the outside world, to allow in more humanitarian aid and for injured Palestinians to leave for treatment.

Egypt has been criticised for only allowing critically injured Palestinians and dual nationals to enter the country from the besieged coastal enclave.

That was even before Israel took over the Gaza side of the crossing. But AP reported last week from Beirut:

Clashes erupted on Monday between pro-Palestinian university students and riot police outside the Egyptian embassy in Beirut.

Dozens of university students gathered outside the embassy, holding Palestinian flags and calling on the Egyptian government to open the Rafah border crossing and allow humanitarian aid to enter the Gaza Strip.

Rafah, the southernmost Gaza city, is on the border with Egypt.

Egypt refuses to reopen its side of the Rafah crossing until control of the Gaza side is handed back to the Palestinians.