Al Mezan condemns the closure of Rafah crossing The international community must not politicize human suffering

15 July 2007

Over a month after the complete closure of Rafah Crossing, the suffering of some 6,000 Palestinians waiting at Egypt's border with Gaza continues. Hundreds others have been waiting inside Gaza to access healthcare, education and other services abroad.
The suffering of thousands of civilians, including the sick, elderly and children has not generated adequate responses from the part of the international community to ensure their safe passage to their homes and access to vital services. As the closure of the Crossing continues, civilians face the risk of death, severe suffering and loss of significant education and work opportunities. Hundreds others face the risk of missing joining their families abroad after the expiry of their visas. Many of those were compelled to come to Gaza and register their children so that they didn't lose their nationality.

Israel has closed or restricted the movement through the Rafah Crossing since 26 June 2006. On 9 June 2007, it ordered complete closure of the Crossing. Since then, it opened on two occasions allowing for a few hundreds of people to enter the Strip.

Al Mezan Center for Human Rights strongly condemns the severe restrictions on movement imposed by Israel on Gaza's civilian population; especially at the Rafah Crossing. The Center questions the silence by the international community as civilians suffering continues. The closure is the main cause of numerous kinds of rights violations in Gaza and has to stop.

Al Mezan also condemns the closure of Rafah Crossing as a measure of collective punishment by Israel, which continues to use it as a political tool in a flagrant disregard of Palestinians' human rights.

The Center therefore calls on the international community, and especially the High Contracting Parties to the Fourth Geneva Convention Relative to the Protection of Civilian Persons in Times of War (1949), to intervene and bring to an end the violations of human rights and dignity to which Palestinian civilians have been subjected at the Crossing. The Rafah Crossing must reopen without delay.