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UN Middle East envoy hails Egypt's decision to open Rafah crossing

Xinhua, June 12, 2015 Adjust font size:

The UN Middle East envoy on Thursday welcomed Egypt's decision to open the Rafah crossing on June 13-15 in both directions, following consultations between President Mahmoud Abbas and the Egyptian authorities, a UN spokesman said.

Nickolay Mladenov, the UN special coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process, "hopes that the security conditions will allow for this decision to be extended and that Rafah can be open on a regular basis," UN spokesman Stephane Dujarric said at a daily news briefing here.

"The need for the full lifting of all closures remains," Dujarric said. "A sustainable solution to address the situation also requires the return of control of the crossings in Gaza to the Palestinian Authority."

"Mr. Mladenov said that a permanent end to the suffering of the Palestinian people can only be achieved through an end to occupation and realization of the two-state solution, in which Gaza is an integral part of the Palestinian State," the spokesman said.

On May 26, Egyptian authorities reopened Rafah crossing on the border with the Gaza Strip in one-way direction to enable stranded Palestinians in Egypt to enter the coastal enclave.

In March, Egypt opened the terminal for two days. Since then, Palestinians who travelled abroad through Egypt have not been able to return to the strip.

There are 15,000 Gaza Strip residents who are in need of travelling for education, medical treatment, humanitarian needs and business, reports said.

Rafah crossing on the border between Gaza and Egypt is the only exit for the populations to the outside world, where Israel has been imposing a tight blockade on the enclave since Hamas' violent takeover of the area in 2007.

Currently, Palestinians in Gaza can enter and exit the strip through three potential access points -- the Rafah Crossing connecting Gaza with Egypt and the Kerem Shalom and Erez crossings connecting into Israel. Two other crossings -- at Sufa and Karni -- have been closed.

The closures have only added to Gaza's woes as the enclave seeks to rebuild from the destruction caused by last summer's 51- day conflict and remains heavily reliant on imported construction materials.

During a recent visit to Gaza at the end of April, Mladenov pledged ongoing UN support for efforts to reconstruct the war- ravaged enclave, lift Israel's years-long blockade there and help strengthen Palestinian unity. Endite