(Stephen Farrell – Chatham House) Most of Gaza is enclosed by Israel: army to the north and east, gunboats to the west, and warplanes control the sky above. So for Palestinians the Rafah gate – along Gaza’s short southern border with Egypt – has long been the one lifeline to the outside world that does not pass through Israel, at least in normal times. Some semblance of that normality began to return on Monday when, under the terms of a US-brokered ceasefire signed last year, and after months of pressure from humanitarian organizations and international allies, Israel reopened the Rafah crossing. That will allow a limited number of Palestinians to pass in both directions.
The reopening of the Rafah crossing provides some hope for Palestinians, but can it be sustained?
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