Ramallah: A statement made today by the Palestinian National Initiative (PNI) described yesterday’s agreement on the Gaza-Egypt border crossing as further proof of Israel’s continued control over the Gaza Strip, and yet another missed opportunity by Palestinian negotiators and international facilitators.
The PNI stated that the agreement represents Israel’s ongoing occupation of the Gaza Strip merely taking on a new guise. While the agreement allows for the opening of border crossings, which will contribute to easing the lives of Gaza’s 1.4 million Palestinians if enforced, it also provides for Israel’s complete control over the passage of goods and over the movement of Palestinians. Israel has frequently abused these responsibilities in the past.
The statement also warned that arrangements made to facilitate passage between Gaza and the West Bank are worryingly unclear, and that Israeli control over movement is preserved through a permit system. The concern remains that Israel is attempting to sustain and reinforce the separation of Gaza from the West Bank.
The PNI statement berated Palestinian negotiators and the international community for having lost yet another opportunity to establish Palestinian sovereignty over Rafah and the Gaza Strip. It emphasized that if the Palestinian people are to achieve their goal of an independent, autonomous, and viable Palestinian state, then it is the responsibility of negotiators and international envoys to continue the struggle to end to the Occupation, and not to adapt to it by accommodating to Israel’s intransigence.
The PNI stated that the agreement represents Israel’s ongoing occupation of the Gaza Strip merely taking on a new guise. While the agreement allows for the opening of border crossings, which will contribute to easing the lives of Gaza’s 1.4 million Palestinians if enforced, it also provides for Israel’s complete control over the passage of goods and over the movement of Palestinians. Israel has frequently abused these responsibilities in the past.
The statement also warned that arrangements made to facilitate passage between Gaza and the West Bank are worryingly unclear, and that Israeli control over movement is preserved through a permit system. The concern remains that Israel is attempting to sustain and reinforce the separation of Gaza from the West Bank.
The PNI statement berated Palestinian negotiators and the international community for having lost yet another opportunity to establish Palestinian sovereignty over Rafah and the Gaza Strip. It emphasized that if the Palestinian people are to achieve their goal of an independent, autonomous, and viable Palestinian state, then it is the responsibility of negotiators and international envoys to continue the struggle to end to the Occupation, and not to adapt to it by accommodating to Israel’s intransigence.