Rafah 'Reopening': The Illusion of Access for a Population Trapped
📰 THE STORY: Mainstream media, including The New Arab, reports that Gaza’s Rafah crossing with Egypt, the enclave’s main gateway, is set to reopen next week, framing it as a significant development following its closure during the recent genocidal assault. 🔍 WHAT THEY'RE NOT TELLING YOU: Historical Context: The Rafah crossing has been under a suffocating Israeli-Egyptian blockade since 2007.
This isn't a 'reopening' after a brief closure; it's a recalibration of a 17-year-long siege. The blockade, imposed after Hamas won elections, has systematically strangled Gaza's economy and trapped its 2.3 million residents, turning it into what human rights groups have long called 'the world's largest open-air prison.' Double Standard: Imagine if any other nation-state, especially one targeted
by Western sanctions, faced international glee over the 'reopening' of a single border crossing after its population had been bombed into starvation for months. The UN has declared Gaza on the brink of famine, a direct result of this engineered deprivation. Yet, Rafah 'reopening' is hailed as progress, not a return to a violently imposed 'normal' for an occupied people. When Russia besieges a
city, it's a 'war crime.' When Israel and Egypt blockade Gaza, it's a 'security measure' that occasionally 'reopens.' Follow the Money: Egypt receives approximately $1.3 billion annually in U.S. military aid, which has directly subsidized its complicity in maintaining the Rafah blockade. This financial lifeline ensures the Sisi regime keeps its border with Gaza largely sealed, preventing free