First Gazans use PA-run Rafah terminal
For the first time in 40 years, Palestinians cross from Gaza to Egypt through Palestinian-controlled Rafah terminal without undergoing Israeli security checks; officials hope to initially process 600 travelers a day
Joyous Palestinians crossed from Gaza to Egypt through the Palestinian-run Rafah terminal Saturday - marking the first time in nearly four decades they didn't have to submit to Israeli security checks to leave the Strip.
Under the supervision of European
monitors, Palestinian border officials swiftly checked passports.
"It's the beginning of a new era that will open a new horizon for me," said Jihad Zanoun, 30, a government employee and the first traveler to cross.
The new arrangements at Rafah are part of a U.S.-brokered agreement between the Palestinians and Israel, which up until the disengagement controlled the border.
The opening of the border marks the first time Palestinians take control of a border, without Israeli veto powers, and was celebrated by Palestinians as a step toward independence.
It also gave a boost to Palestinian leader Mahmoud Abbas, who is fighting off a strong challenge by the Islamic militant Hamas in January 25 parliament elections.
The crossing will initially be open for four hours a day, and Palestinian officials say they expect to process about 600 passengers each day. Once all 70 European monitors are in place, up from 20 now, the crossing will operate around the clock, officials said.
Next move - passage from West Bank to Gaza
On Saturday morning, hundreds of Palestinians crowded the refurbished Rafah terminal, eager to be among the first to cross, following a
festive inauguration Friday. Priority was given to those requiring medical treatment and to university students.
Naimeh Bayah, 52, who was in a wheelchair, said she was traveling to Egypt for leg surgery. Like other travelers, she said crossing Israeli-controlled Rafah had been difficult, with long waits.
"I am so tired, but happy, because I made the crossing as a human being for the first time," She said. "I had traveled before and I had to wait hours before getting in. People here, including the foreigners, were so kind."
Tight security control had bee imposed on the terminal in the past, in a bid to prevent militants and weapons from being smuggled in and out of Gaza.
Nazmi Muhanna, the Palestinian official in charge of the crossing, said that because of security concerns and short hours of operation, Israel processed fewer than 400 people a day when the border was open.
He said he hopes to process at least 1,500 people daily once the terminal gets up to speed, he said.
International officials made reopening Rafah under Palestinian control a top priority to give Gazans concrete proof that their lives were improving after the withdrawal.
Israel had been reluctant to let the Palestinians run the crossing, fearing that militants and weapons would be able to cross.
Under the agreement reached last week, Israel is to let more Palestinian cargo pass through Karni and bus convoys can travel between the West Bank and Gaza starting December 15, linking the two territories for the first time in more than five years.
The Palestinians also were given permission to begin building a Gaza seaport.
