<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" standalone="yes"?><oembed><version><![CDATA[1.0]]></version><provider_name><![CDATA[Occupied Palestine | فلسطين]]></provider_name><provider_url><![CDATA[https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com]]></provider_url><author_name><![CDATA[occupiedpalestine]]></author_name><author_url><![CDATA[https://occupiedpalestine.wordpress.com/author/hajarhajar/]]></author_url><title><![CDATA[Hamas hails &#8216;courageous&#8217; move to open Rafah&nbsp;border]]></title><type><![CDATA[link]]></type><html><![CDATA[<p>Published today (updated) 26/05/2011 16:15</p>
<p><img src="https://i1.wp.com/www.maannews.net/images/345x230/85329_345x230.jpg" alt="" /></p>
<p>GAZA CITY (AFP) &#8212; Gaza&#8217;s Hamas rulers on Thursday welcomed as &#8220;courageous&#8221; an Egyptian decision to open permanently the Rafah border crossing between the two territories.</p>
<p>Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum hailed the move as &#8220;a courageous and responsible decision which falls in line with Palestinian and Egyptian public opinion.&#8221;</p>
<p>&#8220;We hope that it is a step towards the complete lifting of the siege on Gaza,&#8221; he said in a statement, calling on the world &#8220;to follow Egypt&#8217;s example&#8221; in breaking the Israeli blockade which has been in place since 2006.</p>
<p>Egypt said Wednesday it would open the Rafah crossing on a daily basis in a bid to ease the blockade.</p>
<p>The measure, which will come into force Saturday, will give Gazans a gateway to the world as Rafah is the only crossing which does not pass through Israel.</p>
<p>The frontier will now be opened for eight hours a day from 9:00 a.m., with the exception of Fridays and public holidays, Egypt&#8217;s official MENA news agency said.</p>
<p>Until now, it had been open only intermittently, mainly for Palestinians who can prove humanitarian need.</p>
<p>The decision to open the border has deeply worried Israel, with Home Front Defense Minister Matan Vilnai telling Israeli public radio it would create &#8220;a very problematic situation.&#8221;</p>
<p>It was not immediately clear whether the move would be limited to the passage of people across the frontier, or whether it would include the movement of goods.</p>
<p>Plans to open the crossing on a permanent basis were first announced at the end of April, a day after Hamas reached a surprise reconciliation deal with its Fatah rivals who control the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority.</p>
<p>The Rafah crossing has remained largely shut since June 2006 when Israel imposed a tight blockade on the territory after militants there snatched Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who is still being held.</p>
<p>The blockade was tightened a year later when the Islamist Hamas movement seized control of the territory, ousting forces loyal to the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.</p>
<p>Israel took steps to ease the measure last summer following a wave of international pressure after its troops staged a botched raid on an aid flotilla which was trying to break the embargo, killing nine Turkish activists.</p>
<p><a href="http://www.maannews.net/eng/ViewDetails.aspx?ID=391337">Source</a></p>
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