Ref: 92/2006

Date:  23 August 2006

Time: 12:00 GMT 

Opening Rafah International Crossing Point for Less Than 7 Hours Does Not Solve the Problem of Thousands of Palestinian Travelers

PCHR believes that opening Rafah International Crossing Point on the Egyptian border for a few hours does not solve the problem of thousands of Palestinian civilians living in the Gaza Strip, who wish to travel to and from the Gaza Strip. PCHR calls for reopening the crossing point in its full capacity.

PCHR is concerned over the consistent policy of collective punishment practiced by Israeli Occupation Forces (IOF) against the Palestinian civilian population in the Gaza Strip, under which Rafah International Crossing Point has been closed. PCHR calls upon the EU observers to resume their work at the crossing point, as a third party according to the Agreement on Border Crossings signed between the Palestinian National Authority (PNA) and IOF on 15 November 2006, to facilitate the movement of Palestinian civilians rather than providing a legal cover for IOF to continue to close the crossing point under security pretexts.

The PNA Department of Border Crossings declared on Friday night, 18 August 2006, that Rafah International Crossing Point would be opened on Saturday morning, 19 August 2006. Immediately, thousands of Palestinian civilians went to Rafah and spent their night near the building of Rafah Governorate to register their names to be able to travel. According to sources of the administration of Rafah International Crossing Point, the EU observers arrived at the crossing point at 08:00 on Saturday, and the crossing point was operated at 09:00. A number of Palestinian travelers were able to travel to the Egyptian side of the crossing. However, the EU observers suspended the work from 11:30 until 15:30, claiming that they received security warnings from IOF. The EU observers then worked from 15:30 until 19:00. The crossing point was then closed. On that day, around 2450 Palestinian civilians were able to travel to the Egyptian side of the crossing, and 180 others, who were held at al-‘Areesh Airport in Egypt, were able to travel back to the Gaza Strip. Thousands of Palestinians remained in the area, waiting for the crossing point to be reopened on the following morning, but the crossing was closed as the EU observers did not come.

PCHR is deeply concerned over repeated false declarations concerning the opening of Rafah International Crossing Point, as thousands of Palestinian civilians, including patients, women and children, are forced to wait under inhuman conditions and have to expend more money to be able to travel.  The crossing point has been totally closed for 54 days and has been partially opened for 5 days only since 25 June 2006. Only a very limited number out of thousands of Palestinians have been able to travel. On 10 and 11 August 2006, 1600 and 1700 travelers respectively were able to travel abroad, as the crossing point was operated for less than 7 hours.

PCHR notes that:

1.      The role of the EU observers is to facilitate the travel of 1.6 million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip through Rafah International Crossing Point.

2.      The crossing point was operated for 4 hours a day following the signing of the Agreement on Border Crossings on 25 November 2005. The work hours had been increased to 6 and then to 13 hours a day before the crossing point was closed on 25 June 2006.

3.      The crossing point has been totally closed for 127 days since 7 September 2005, which has been the longest period of closure since 18 May 1994, when the PNA assumed its powers.

4.      The crossing point has been partially operated in one direction for 5 days only since 25 June 2006.

5.      The main reason for the closure of the crossing point as stated by the EU observers was security warnings received by them from IOF; they were not informed that Palestinian militants would attack them.

6.      IOF use the “security” of the EU observers as a pretext to drive them away from the crossing point, and subsequently close it.

7.      The EU observers do not have the authority to close or open the crossing point. However, their absence from the crossing point due to alleged IOF security warnings proves that IOF practically control their movement, and consequently closing or opening the crossing point.

8.      The EU observers at the crossing point exempt IOF from responsibility when talking about security warnings, whose sole source is IOF.  

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