Mike Whitney believes that the hundreds of thousands of Gazans pouring into Egypt since the border wall was demolished on 23 January, have been tricked into “voluntary transfer” and the “whole farce” was engineered in an Israeli think tank. He quotes the Israeli paper Arutz Sheva, which reported that Knesset member Aryeh Eldad “is hailing the Arab exodus to Egypt as proof that voluntary transfer is indeed an option.”
Apparently, that comment is proof the Israelis masterminded the breakout.
I suppose that theory is tenable if one can believe that Hamas and the Muslim Brotherhood are working in coordination with the Israelis to destabilise the Egyptian regime.
I believe the Israelis have been embarrassed, once again, that their superior military prowess cannot bend the will of a relatively defenceless population and are humiliated that Gazans deserve and receive great respect for their tenacity and resourcefulness.
Joel Beinin writes from Cairo today:
According to Ha-Aretz columnist Amira Hass (Jan. 24, 2008), for several months Hamas leaders had been discussing measures to end Gaza’s torment, described by Rela Mazali, an Israeli feminist peace activist with the New Profile organization and an editor of Jewish Peace News, as “an abomination.” Apparently, Hamas decided that four days of hermetic closure, following months of siege, created conditions in which Egypt and the international community would be willing to accept bringing down the wall. Hamas did not take official responsibility for blowing up the wall, but praised the action.
The Egyptian press reported that, several days before the wall was blown up, the General Guide of the Muslim Brothers, the largest opposition force in Egypt, spoke by telephone to Khaled Mash’al, the head of the Political Bureau of Hamas who resides in Damascus. Hamas emerged from the Palestinian branch of the Muslim Brothers; and there is a high likelihood that the actions of the two organizations were coordinated. Following this consultation, the Brothers began to organize demonstrations throughout Egypt beginning on Friday, Jan. 18. The number of its supporters in the street gradually increased, culminating on Wednesday. Jan. 23. That morning, thousands of Egyptian security forces surrounded Tahrir Square in downtown Cairo and arrested hundreds (according to some reports thousands) of people who were attempting to demonstrate in solidarity with the people of Gaza. The demonstration was supported by both the Muslim Brothers and secular nationalists.
Meanwhile, at Rafah, Egyptian security forces initially tried to stop the Palestinians from streaming across the border. But as the numbers swelled to tens of thousands, the government had no choice but to acquiesce. President Hosni Mubarak told journalists that he had instructed the security forces to: “Let them come in to eat and buy food” and return “as long as they are not carrying weapons.”