Rafah crossing to open for visits to Egypt

Despite the leanings of the stand-in regime in Egypt, starting on Tuesday 22nd February the Rafah crossing will be open for Gaza residents to enter the country, Palestinian crossings officials reported to Ma'an News Agency.
Around 300 Palestinians will be allowed to cross to Egypt every day.

Egypt reopened the Rafah crossing on Friday evening for Palestinians stranded in Egypt to return to Gaza. The terminal had been closed for over three weeks during the uprising in Egypt.

Since Friday, around 850 Gaza residents have returned home, according to crossings staff. Barakat Al-Farra, the Palestinian ambassador in Cairo, said Egyptian officials had been very cooperative and made serious efforts to "facilitate the smooth passage of travellers".

This follows the good news on the 19th, that the crossing had been opened for Palestinians in Egypt to visit Gaza, daily and with no time limit. It is possible that this is the result of the inclusion of the Muslim Brotherhood in the opposition's talks with Vice-President Omar Suleiman, although it might just be that the US administration will be looking for ways to pull out of spending on its empirical spread, and that maintaining the blockade on Egypt's border is one area it could afford to compromise in.