A naive and somewhat biased friend first writes:“Tell me if someone wishes to go to Gaza – why not go to Cairo and take a bus?” and later attempts to remind me that Gaza is, in his words “Egyptian territory” and castigates the Egyptians for “holding them [Palestinians in Gaza] hostage to Islam’s agenda against the Jews for 3 generations”
I find this appalling and ignorant. The previous Egyptian regime certainly has a lot to answer for to the Palestinians. However, apart from the obvious stereotyping of Islam, he ignores the fact that most of the people living in Gaza are Palestinian refugees, or their children, forced to Gaza as a consequence of the Nakhba and the occupation. He conveniently forgets that it is the Israelis who continue to hold the Palestinians hostage and under occupation and who closed the gates in Rafah
My answer:
I wish it were so simple.
It seems that the Egyptians, for whatever reason, are making it difficult for Palestinians to leave, though exit is somewhat easier than before Tahrir. The flotilla is intended to break an Israeli blockade in a non-violent manner. [ A blockade is defined by the Encyclopedia Brittanica as “an act of war by which a belligerent prevents access to or departure from a defined part of the enemy’s coasts] If it were simply a matter of delivering humanitarian assistance, then the Egyptian port of Al-Arish could be used, and has been used for this. It is as much about Palestinian people being able to travel and move freely and meet others in this world, a basic human right, as it is about goods coming in and leaving, although there are still many issues around the latter. Being dependant on Egypt for exit and entry is a bit like Rosa Parks being required to sit at the back of the bus. It doesn’t matter that she can now ride the bus or who the driver is; it is about basic human decency. Gaza remains a kind of colonial prison for many of its people.http://www.atimes.com/atimes/Middle_East/MF18Ak02.html