[E-rundbrief] Info 1035 - Petition open the Egypt Rafah Crossing to Gaza/ Palestine

[Matthias Reichl]

E-Rundbrief - Info 1035 - Public call from Gaza for the permanent 
opening up of the Rafah Crossing between Egypt and Gaza/ Palestine.

Bad Ischl, 11.8.2011

Begegnungszentrum für aktive Gewaltlosigkeit

www.begegnungszentrum.at

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Hello all.
Below is a public call from Gaza for the permanent opening up of the 
Rafah Crossing.
Please sign on, if you have not already, and please distribute widely!


Today, a call demanding the re-opening of the Rafah Crossing between 
Egypt and Palestine has come from Gaza.  It is propelled by support 
from Egypt and has been endorsed by dozens of organizations, citizens' 
groups, associations and coalitions in many countries, as well as by 
distinguished international personalities.

The call to action underscores the Geneva Conventions which entitle 
all people to freedom of movement and protection from collective 
punishment such as the arbitrary closure of the Crossing.  Fulfilling 
a demand of the Egyptian revolution, supporters urge their governments 
to re-open the gates that have turned Gaza into an 'open air prison'.

The Rafah Crossing is Gaza's only exit to the external world. 
Israel's continued siege of Gaza includes closure of its six other 
crossings.

Building on the year's momentum to break the deadly siege of Gaza, 
supporters of the call to action include Archbishop Desmond Tutu, 
Nobel Laureate; Richard Falk, Professor of International Law Emeritus, 
Princeton University; Ronnie Kasrils, former South African Chief of 
Intelligence and Justice Minister; Egyptian novelists and activists 
Ahdaf Soueif and Radwa Ashour; author Tariq Ali and others.

To sign the petition and view the list of supporters: 
http://www.change.org/petitions/government-open-the-rafah-crossing-permanently-and-unconditionally

  Signatories will be updated on further actions in support of this 
campaign as they are announced.


The full text of the petition is included below:


CALL FROM GAZA: OPEN THE RAFAH CROSSING PERMANENTLY AND UNCONDITIONALLY



Besieged Gaza, Occupied Palestine



Article 13 of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights clearly states 
that:

(1) Everyone has the right to freedom of movement and residence within 
the borders of each state.

(2) Everyone has the right to leave any country, including his own, 
and to return to his country.

This article follows others that unequivocally recognize the inherent 
dignity and equal and inalienable rights of ALL members of the human 
family, which naturally includes Palestinians. The inalienable right 
to freedom of movement of the more than 1.5 million Palestinian men, 
women and children who make up the population of the Gaza Strip has 
been denied by successive Israeli governments and the Mubarak regime 
which imposed a barbaric siege. Mainstream human rights organizations 
describe the Gaza Strip as the "largest open-air prison on earth."

This deadly siege should have ended when the revolutionary Egyptian 
movement ousted Hosni Mubarak and his murderous regime during which 
Egyptians in their millions made clear that their emancipation and the 
freedom of Palestine were their joint and connected goals.

This raised the hopes of Palestinians in Gaza, the West Bank, 1948 
Palestine and the shatat (diaspora), as well as millions of others 
around the world, that the Egyptian government and the Supreme 
Military Council would finally break the blockade of Gaza, as 
Egyptians clearly wanted. We expected the Rafah Crossing to be treated 
as a sovereign border between two states, as open as all other 
Egyptian border crossings, including those with Libya, Sudan and 
Israel.   This would ensure the dignity and free movement of 
Palestinians, and all travelers, to and from the Gaza Strip.

Former Egyptian Foreign Minister, Dr. Nabil Al-Arabi, made very 
encouraging initial statements that the previous Egyptian government's 
treatment of Gaza was "disgraceful" and that the Rafah Crossing would 
be opened permanently. On 25 May 2011, Egypt's official Middle East 
News Agency announced the permanent opening of Rafah. The former rules 
at the Crossing were to be reinstated, thus allowing Palestinians with 
passports to cross into Egypt every day from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except 
for Fridays and holidays. According to a statement issued by the 
Egyptian Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Palestinian women and children 
would be able to leave Gaza without restrictions, while men between 
the ages of 18 and 40 would have to obtain visas to enter Egypt. Thus 
more than 60 per cent of Gazans would be able to cross without 
requiring visas.

This decision of the government post-revolution was implemented for 
just two days: 28-29 May 2011, and this Rafah Crossing policy was in 
reality retracted without any formal announcement. The current number 
allowed to pass each day has been reduced to an arbitrary figure of 
between 160-300 travelers.

The sudden about-turn comes in the midst of the worst medical crisis 
that Gaza has ever suffered. Most operations have been put on hold as 
needed basic supplies are not available. Thousands of students have 
lost the opportunity to further their studies abroad because they have 
not been able to travel to their universities. Residency permits for 
Arab and foreign countries of thousands of other Gazans expired when 
they couldn't leave Gaza.

The current system requires every potential traveler to register 
online with the Gaza Ministry of Interior and confirm this 
registration with the Ministry of Transport. The number registered to 
cross as of the end of June exceeds 20,000, and with the daily rate of 
travelers at the Crossing restricted to a maximum of 300, the 
possibility of crossing before mid-September is almost nil.

Those who travel via Rafah face inhumane conditions: standing for long 
hours in the heat, then escorted by police to Cairo airport, and then 
waiting in a holding cell until departure. No other citizens in the 
world have to endure this humiliation, uncertainty and indignity by 
another country when they choose to exercise their right to leave 
their own country.

Palestinians demand freedom of movement now!

These restrictions should no longer be imposed on Palestinian people. 
It is an offense to the immense ongoing struggles of the Egyptian 
people in pursuit of human rights for the present Egyptian authorities 
to so quickly break promises made to them.

Under the Geneva Conventions we are all entitled to freedom of 
movement and protection from collective punishment such as the 
arbitrary closure of the Crossing.

Our demand, therefore, is the permanent and free movement of 
Palestinians, without distinction or limitation of any kind, through 
the Rafah Crossing.

To add your support, go to: 
http://www.change.org/petitions/government-open-the-rafah-crossing-permanently-and-unconditionally 


To contact campaign organizers, email: rafahcrossingcampaign [at] 
gmail.com

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Matthias Reichl, Pressesprecher/ press speaker,
Begegnungszentrum fuer aktive Gewaltlosigkeit
Center for Encounter and active Non-Violence
Wolfgangerstr. 26, A-4820 Bad Ischl, Austria,
fon: +43 6132 24590, Informationen/ informations,
Impressum in: http://www.begegnungszentrum.at
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Honoured by the (Austrian) "Journalism-Award from below 2010"