Friday, August 25, 2006

Rafah maybe today...?

For the 60 time maybe to hear the rumor. Rafah will reopen tomorrow. Now, it should be working, no one knows till when would it be able to operate. Palestinians yesterday attacked the crossing after threatening to bomb it if all parties don't agree to reopen it.
From Israel...The Europeans have to take the instructions.
From Egypt, the art of laziness and carelessness, and sometime evil towards Palestinians.
from Palestine..A mixture of corruption and carelessness...

My friend who managed to leave during the few hour reopening last week..Had to jump from the top of a bus to catch his suitcases. He ended up in the Egyptian airport prison because it is the law! If you are Palestinian and don't have anything to do in Egypt and you are a man between the age of 18-40 you simply should not be there. This was emphasized recently towards youth. This friend is on his way to Germany to do his Masters. And his Visa starts only on the 28th and his flight from Cairo is on the 29th. He remained in prison of the Egyptian airport for four days until he found out that his legs are almost broken from that move from the bus on the crossing.
He was taken to a hospital, that Egyptians have made for Palestinians to make them stay and not be able to "run away": and also have a shelter.
This friend spent exactly 24 hours at the crossing...Between the different phases procedures.
However, here you can only blame Palestinians for be the cause of this problem because of mess on the Palestinian side,,,thousands of people want to get out....How can you make it work? But you would also say..If those people were not deprived from their simple right to go to their families and buisnesses for about 2 months...They wont need to create a mess or cause problems.
Just imagine the trap...You go to Gaza...Be aware you may never come back..Or it may take a long while., you plan to visit a place outside of Gaza...You should be prepared to spend more than double the money you had on hotels or any kind of place you could stay at...For another journey of going back home.

Today, I expect my mother to be able to get in. I don't want to believe it till I hear her voice from the Palestinians side of the crossing.
Thousands want that day ..to pass smoothly. thousands are praying to get their kids out to schools, go back to their families on either side, save what remained from their buisnesses.

6 comments:

Karin said...

Naj - I didn't know you had posted about that and went right after having read about that to your blog to ask about your mom! How is she? Did she make it through? I hope SO MUCH .. for BOTH of you!! Let me know, Ok?
LOVE YOU ALL!!

Anonymous said...

Naj, Thanks for sharing, I hope and pray it will be opened and your mother will be with you soon. Take care and be careful.

Naj said...

hey guys! thanks so much! it worked! she is in Gaza..my god, that was like a dream.
they managed to get in after 8 hours of different experiences....
Thanks again

Moses said...

Mabruuk!

Karin said...

I'm soooooooooo happy for ALL of you!!! ALF ALF MABROUK!!! :)

Dua' said...

Knowing that she made it is great news. but it makes me wonder how many have to go through the same process of uncertainity.
The other day I was thinking of my dad. He had a a stroke after the deteriorating conditions in both Gaza and Lebanon. He is not the only one. My dad was lucky to survive it.
He needed an operation though. Do you know what it is like to be in need for an operation as soon as possible outside Gaza when rafah and Erez are unsystematically open and close?
THANK GOD he made it too. but it took him a month to leave Gaza during which I was praying to save him coz if anything happened to him in this situation, I know I wouldn't control my reaction...