Egyptian border into Gaza Permanent Open

Egypt will be permanently open its borders in Rafah to the Gaza Strip starting next Saturday, said an Egyptian official, on Wednesday (05/25/2011). This step will give Gazans a door opened to the outside world for the first time in four years.
"The Egyptian government decided to open the Rafah crossing to (provide) assistance (for) people of Gaza permanently," said Ambassador Menha Bakhoum, head of media and public diplomacy the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Egypt. The crossing will be opened open every day from 09:00 to 17:00 except on Fridays and public holidays. "All the country's security forces will be involved in securing the border," said Bakhoum.
According to the Israeli non-governmental organizations, Gisha, which supports the Palestinian liberation movement, Rafa crossing has become a gateway to the entire world for 1.5 million Palestinians in Gaza since Israel "close the airspace of Gaza and Palestinian waters, except the Erez Crossing", four years ago. Erez Crossing is located on the Gaza border with Israel. But at the border crossing can only "humanitarian aid for exceptional cases, particularly cases of medical emergency." Condition, said Gisha, have prevented Palestinians traveling between Gaza and the West Bank.
Rafah crossing was closed after Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit was captured in June 2006. The region remains largely closed until June last year, when Egypt opened the crossing after the deaths of nine activists incidence of humanitarian aid on a fleet of ships carrying aid into Gaza. From then until January of the year, said Gisha, an average of 19,000 people per month have been crossing the Rafah in two directions.
Still according to the agency, currently, aliens, visa holders and those who seek medical help or studying in Egypt can cross through Rafah. But among the Palestinians, only those listed in the register of people who can cross the Israeli controlled.
There has been no reaction from Israeli government officials related to the permanent opening of the border. However, on Tuesday, before the announcement, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu denounced Hamas in an interview with Fox News. "They will put about 10,000 rockets in Gaza, which they fired at us," he said. "They've fired 6000 rockets to us. They're more hoard. So, they are not a partner for peace."
The opening of the border marks a change in the Egyptian government, which has established close relations with Israel under President Hosni Mubarak, who was ousted last February.