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23 de Enero, 2008
We Need No Border After Today
Categorized under | Tags: borders, Egypt, Gaza, Israel, Palestinians
RIGHT ON.
RAFAH, Gaza Strip — Tens of thousands of Palestinians on foot and on donkey carts poured into Egypt from Gaza Wednesday after masked gunmen used land mines to blast down a seven-mile barrier dividing the border town of Rafah.The border breach was a dramatic protest against the closure of the impoverished Palestinian territory imposed last week by Israel.
Jubilant men and women crossed unhindered by border controls over the toppled corrugated metal along sections of the barrier, carrying goats, chickens and crates of Coca-Cola. Some brought back televisions, car tires and cigarettes and one man even bought a motorcycle. Vendors sold soft drinks and baked goods to the crowds.
They were stocking up on goods made scarce by the Israeli blockade and within hours, shops on the Egyptian side of Rafah had run out of stock. The border fence had divided the Rafah into two halves, one on the Egyptian side and one in southern Gazan.
Ibrahim Abu Taha, 45, a Palestinian father of seven, was in the Egyptian section of Rafah with his two brothers and $185 in his pocket.
"We want to buy food, we want to buy rice and sugar, milk and wheat and some cheese," Abu Taha said, adding that he would also buy cheap Egyptian cigarettes.
Abu Taha said he could get the basic foods in Gaza, but at three times the cost.
Police from the militant Islamic group Hamas, which controls Gaza, directed the traffic. Egyptian border guards took no action, imposing no border controls for those who crossed.
"Freedom is good. We need no border after today," said unemployed 29-year-old Mohammed Abu Ghazal.
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Comentarios (9)
RickB dijo:
Amen to that!
What's 'militant' about freedom and staying alive, fuck that newspeak bullshit.
Palabras por RickB spat forth on el 23 de Enero, 2008 at 09:15 AM
mimi dijo:
U.S. presidential candidates, and those of you voters to bother to communicate your concerns to your candidates ... Please watch this development in Palestine and understand investing U.S. dollars into a southern border is a ridiculous waste of money.
That's the absolute wrong way to address the problem, and doesn't take into consideration the reason for the migrations.
Palabras por mimi spat forth on el 23 de Enero, 2008 at 10:37 AM
Carmen D. dijo:
I have been following this story all morning. Lot's on radio. It is fascinating!What have we become when the phrase "Freedom is Good" sounds practically revolutionary.
Palabras por Carmen D. spat forth on el 23 de Enero, 2008 at 10:43 AM
nezua limón xolagrafik-jonez
dijo:
right?
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so true, mimi. our consciousness here in this place is so truncated, and narrow; our solutions so crisis- and fear- and profit-driven, our view of causes pathetically limited.
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right on rickb. i appreciate el fuego.
Palabras por nezua limón xolagrafik-jonez
spat forth on el 23 de Enero, 2008 at 10:49 AM
brownfemipower dijo:
beautiful news. just beautiful.
Palabras por brownfemipower spat forth on el 23 de Enero, 2008 at 11:54 AM
rosmar dijo:
It is so exciting! I woke up to this news this morning. The people interviewed on the radio sounded so alive. Just buying food is an act of organized resistance there right now.
Palabras por rosmar spat forth on el 23 de Enero, 2008 at 12:07 PM
nezua limón xolagrafik-jonez
dijo:
no doubt, bfp.
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ja! great last line rosmar. agreed.
Palabras por nezua limón xolagrafik-jonez
spat forth on el 23 de Enero, 2008 at 01:52 PM
RC dijo:
Let's see, nobody hurt, no shootings or killings, just some happy shopping and eating. Seems hard to find anything wrong with that. It's a wonderful world!
Palabras por RC spat forth on el 23 de Enero, 2008 at 03:52 PM
peasant dijo:
My first thought was, "What was the origin of this wall in Egyptian territory..?" Then I remembered, silly me. A super power, in this case the little brother of a super power, invades and occupies the land of a sovereign entity. Sets up a puppet government, and then blames the neighbors for not securing their borders so that the occupying forces can go about properly enslaving the people without disruption.
That's pretty much the scenario. I've heard it somewhere before.
Palabras por peasant spat forth on el 23 de Enero, 2008 at 05:05 PM