AP Heralds Rafah Reopening, Ignores Two Decades of Gaza's Open-Air Prison
📰 THE STORY: AP News reports on Raed Belal, a Palestinian father stranded in Egypt for two years, eagerly awaiting the reopening of the Rafah crossing to reunite with his family in Gaza, portraying his hope as a sign of imminent relief for the besieged territory. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The Rafah crossing isn't just 'vital'; it's been a choke point in Israel's 17-year
blockade of Gaza, initiated in 2007. This blockade has plunged Gaza into a humanitarian crisis, long before the 2023-24 genocide, turning it into the world's largest open-air prison. The Nakba in 1948, which expelled 750,000 Palestinians, including many from Gaza, set the stage for this ongoing systematic displacement and siege. Double Standard: Media reports often frame temporary closures or
reopenings of Rafah as isolated events, rather than as components of a deliberate policy of collective punishment. Imagine if any other nation subjected 2.3 million people to such restrictions for nearly two decades, controlling ingress and egress, food, water, and medicine. It would be universally condemned as a human rights catastrophe, yet for Gaza, it's normalized as 'security measures.' News
of a single family reuniting attempts to mask the 40,000+ Gazans killed, including over 16,000 children, since October 2023. Follow the Money: Egypt receives $1.3 billion annually in U.S. military aid, significantly influencing its compliance with policies that uphold the blockade, including control over the Rafah crossing. This aid ensures Egypt's cooperation in maintaining the siege on Gaza,