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24.1.2008 The Palestinians of Gaza have been forced to blow up the Gaza-Egypt border at Rafah in a desperate bid to access the basics of life: Israel’s hermetic siege has led to a shortage of a long list of necessities such as fuel, oil and soap. The last two days have seen hundreds of thousands of people entering Egypt to get the sustenance that they need. This continuous movement of people shows the extent of hardship that the population has endured since the siege began. This also begs the question: what next? It is clear that it is impossible to imprison a population and deprive them of their basic needs and expect them to quietly accept it. Gazans have shown the international community, politicians and multilateral organizations that they will take their destiny in their own hands. They have ended the siege on the Gaza Strip with their own initiative and effort. It is time for the rest of the world to recognize this-and keep the border open. It is in any event, self-defeating to try and seal the border again. Not only the people of Gaza, but indeed freedom-loving people all over the world will reject such an outcome. It is time for a political solution - and that solution is for the people of Gaza to control their own border, as is the case with every other border in the world. One Democratic State Group |