The Rafah Border Crossing: Egypt’s Release Valve for the World’s Largest Prison is to be Viewed from an Eye of Compassion and Justice

By Mike Kuhn

News and Analysis

The Egyptian government brokered an agreement between two rival Palestinian factions—Hamas, located primarily in the Gaza Strip and the Palestinian Government backed by the Fatah movement and led by President Mahmoud Abbas. The agreement was reached after two days of talks in Cairo in October 2017. The merger created the possibility of opening the Rafah border between Egypt and Gaza.

One incentive for the merger of the two factions is the deplorable living conditions in the Gaza Strip. Since Hamas took over the territory in 2007, Israel has restricted the movement of goods and people in and out of the Gaza Strip. Water and electricity are limited. Basic health services and medicines are often inaccessible. The unemployment rate in Gaza for 2016 was 42% (the highest in the world) and 58% unemployment for youth. A UN report predicts that Gaza will be “unlivable” by 2020.

The Rafah border is significant as it is the only exit point by which Gazans can access goods and services denied to them by the current Israeli blockade.

The Egyptian border with Gaza has long been a point of conflict with Israel which sees the border as an arms supply route for Gazan militants. The border is in the general area of tunnels which have been used to smuggle arms into the Gaza strip. Recent missile launches from Gaza have instigated Israeli airstrikes against the agitators.

The border has been closed since 2007 but was opened for a three-day period in late November 2017. Another border opening took place in December to allow the entrance of humanitarian aid and the passage of students.

Theological Reflections and Recommendations

How should the Christian public think about the Gaza-Egypt connection and the opening of this controversial border?

First, Gaza has a Christian community. Though the number is steadily dwindling due to undesirable living conditions, there are 400 Christian families consisting of Greek Orthodox, Catholic and Baptist Christians. The Christian Mission to Gaza, the Bethlehem Bible College and the Palestinian Bible Society serve as conduits for information and assistance.

Secondly, it will be increasingly impossible for Israel to completely seal off the Gaza Strip. The border with Egypt provides a release valve with very limited access to goods and services. Furthermore, Gaza conditions are increasingly observed and discussed by the rest of the world. Isolation is neither feasible nor desirable.

In the wake of the US decision to recognize Jerusalem as the capital of Israel, Arab and Islamic solidarity is being reasserted. Though predominantly Muslim nations such as Saudi Arabia and Egypt need US financial and military backing in their struggle against Iran, certain issues strain the US connection to the breaking point. Gaza is such an issue as living conditions cry out for some restitution of justice and fairness. Egypt’s opening of the border was done quietly yet it is calculated to provide relief to Gazans despite US support for Israel and its blockade of the Strip.

Finally, though Gaza has been a breeding ground for attacks against Israel, Christians must not lose sight of the deplorable living conditions in Gaza. It is one of the most densely populated regions of the world with five persons per square meter. Poverty, overcrowding, poor sanitation and crime face Gazans daily. Gazans and West Bank Palestinians are not allowed to travel without an exit permit from Israel which is why some dub the Gaza Strip “the world’s largest prison.” While preparing this blog I learned of a young Christian Palestinian woman who died from complications after childbirth. She was not allowed to leave Gaza and therefore lost her life due to the lack of basic medical care. This is only one story among hundreds of similar dramas, and compassion should figure large in the Christian response to Gaza.

The opening of the Rafah border allows a small number of Gazans to access food and medical supplies. It is a pin-hole sized solution to this humanitarian disaster of enormous proportions.

The launching of missiles from Gaza into Israel is to be condemned, as is a blockade that persistently heaps shame and deprivation on the people of Gaza. Repeated reprisals from Israel have destroyed thousands of homes in the Gaza Strip (47,000 in 2008 alone) and claimed thousands of victims. While Israel is equipped with the latest military technology including an “iron dome” to intercept Gazan missiles, Gaza remains vulnerable to the advanced war machine of the Israeli Defense Forces.

Awareness of Gaza entails culpability if Christians refuse to acknowledge and act to alleviate the crisis. Claiming ignorance is inexcusable. The contention that all Palestinians are terrorists is a convenient lie.

“Because the poor are plundered, because the needy groan, I will now arise,” says the Lord; “I will place him in the safety for which he longs.” (Ps 12:5)