Hundreds of thousands of Gazans are passing back and forth freely into Egypt. Hamas and Egypt are both managing to slam Israel for keeping Gazans in Gaza, although Egypt has never wanted Gaza back, even when offered the Strip after the Six-Day War. They’ve blamed Israeli “oppression” over the past several years as the reason Gazans are “imprisoned” in the territory. But here, I think, is the real reason, the one that the AP editors let slip past:
In Egyptian Rafah, a market stall selling pistols and ammunition clips for Kalashnikov assault rifles had no customers Wednesday. Weapons are generally brought into Gaza through smuggling tunnels under the Gaza-Egypt border.
An off-duty Hamas policeman, who only gave his first name, Abdel Rahman, said there was no need to buy weapons from Egypt.
“You can buy weapons in Gaza, guns and RPGs,” he said, adding that they were easier to find than cancer medicine or Coca-Cola.
Weapons are easier to find than Coca-Cola. And the UN is still talking about criticizing Israel over shutting down the Gaza Strip.
If these Gazans are smart, they’ll stay in Egypt. Even Egypt’s kleptocracy is more competent than Hamas or Fatah.
chsw
I was trying to figure out why no reports were talking about the increased activity of weapons buying as we’ve seen in the past. The underground economy still thrives (with Egyptian connivance.) Necessities take a back seat to munitions.
Well, cancer medicines they can get in Israel and at least one Palestinian showed gratitude for the effective treatment she received from the Israelis by trying to blow up the hospital that had treated her.