Gaza’s only opening to Egypt and the Arab world is the Rafah border crossing. That is where the real suffering of Palestinians takes place, and it has been mostly closed for the past decade. 

Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh confirmed the “March of Return”, aimed at thwarting Trump’s yet-to-be-announced plan for peace in the Middle East. The orchestrated weekly demonstrations in Gaza attract attention from international media, but no one pays attention to Gaza’s other border with Egypt, which remained closed since 2009.

In 2009, the terminal was open 35 days; in 2014 the terminal opened for 125 days; in 2015, it was open for only 32 days, while in 2016, it opened for 41 days. In 2017, Egypt opened the terminal for just 29 days. Palestinian factions in the Gaza Strip called on Egyptian President Abed Al-Fattah Sissi to open the border crossing to allow wounded Gazans to receive medical treatment in Egyptian and Arab hospitals. Ostensibly for “security reasons” their appeal was completely ignored. Egyptians don’t want to be responsible for the Palestinians’ plight in the Gaza Strip. Cairo sees them as “troublemakers” and “ungrateful” people and simply does not want to help.

It’s easy to endanger the life of an Israeli soldier by shooting at him or lobbing rocks or petrol bombs. It is completely different for protesters to attack Egyptian soldiers, which would likely raze the Gaza Strip and bring down the Hamas regime.

When will the real blockade of the Gaza Strip, the Egyptian one, be called out and condemned in the mainstream media? All fair observers know the answer to that. 

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