Good For Them
January 23, 2008Now perhaps we can have an end to the absurdity of only Israel copping the blame for civilian suffering in Gaza when Egypt plainly has a share of responsibility too. Why was it necessary for Hamas to blow holes in the fence to let the people out? Why didn´t the Egyptians allow Gaza residents to cross the border to buy supplies before?
Of course the Israelis have been complaining about the possible security risks in letting thousands of Gazans come and go to Egypt. If they had they had any sense though they’d see that Egypt accepting its share of the responsibility for the civilian population of the strip is in their own interest. Up to now the only ones able to cross into Egypt freely have been smugglers bringing in weapons – a la Johnny Cash, - to be fired at Israel civilians while ordinary people’s access to basic necessities has depended on the degree to which Hamas has been permitting Israel to be goaded at any given moment.
So I hope the fence stays down, that ordinary people in Gaza continue to have access to supplies from their giant neighbour and that in due course they have access to services like fuel oil and electricity and anything else they want too.
