The Gazan-Egyptian relationship

Hamas Deputy Foreign Minister Dr Ghazi Hamd Gaza – Mohammed Habib Hamas Deputy Foreign Minister Dr Ghazi Hamd declared Gaza was keen to have a strong and strategic relationship with Egypt. Hamd said in statements published by the local newspaper “Filastin” on Saturday: “It is normal to strengthen our relationship with Egypt. The government wants a strong and cohesive relationship with Egypt. We made it clear to the concerned Egyptian authorities during the last visit of the Prime Minister to Egypt." He added: “We discussed human and economic issues related to Gaza. We did not talk about any political issues that may enhance the division conflict, on the contrary we stressed that Gaza Strip is part of the Palestinian homeland, and that Gaza is keen on the reconciliation.” He asserted that Egypt is seriously concerned with the Palestinian cause, the Gaza Strip and its needs. Due to the difficult conditions in Egypt, the Palestinians should be patient with the Egyptians. He explained that understanding the nature of the reality in Egypt and tackling it with a clear and open vision will serve the interest of the Palestinians. He mentioned that the Egyptian situation and the transformation stage which it goes through cannot accommodate all the Palestinian problems. He expressed his concern about the interference of external sides to distort the relationship between Gaza Strip and Egypt. The deputy foreign minister stated that he discussed a number of issues including the Rafah crossing. He clarified that there were initial approvals to create facilities and to increase the hours of work and the number of passengers. Hamd added: “The crossing has seen some improvement but the fundamental problem is the security, which is a difficult one. There are thousands of citizens who are banned from traveling while some of them are patients and students who are in real need to travel.” As for power and fuel, he said: “The delegation demanded to accelerate the fuel grant to be sent to the Gaza Strip as soon as possible as no single drop has entered the Strip for two months.” He added: “It has not been decided yet and the Egyptian side is talking about the security situation in Sinai which prevents the entry of the fuel. It is not a very convincing justification as before the events of Sinai, the process of the fuel entry into Gaza Strip was already very slow. " Hamd clarified the Palestinian government’s point of view regarding the tunnels: “The government is not satisfied with the tunnels and wants official tunnels.” He added: “Tunnels issues are controversial and influenced us negatively. We were keen to control the security situation despite the existence of the tunnels. We are trying out more security measures at the borders in order not to cause troubles to the Egyptian side.” He affirmed that they will not ever harm the Egyptian security and the government has taken many measures in this aspect, asserting that what is needed is a balance equation between the Egyptian security and Palestinian economic needs in the Gaza Strip. Hamd believed that the closure of the tunnels without providing alternatives will expose Gaza to great pressure, given that Gaza lacks a lot of things such as building materials, fuel, and raw materials. He said: “In theory, we don’t agree with the existence of the tunnels, but we do not want to siege Gaza, or put additional economic pressure on it. There are international sides which do not want the Egyptian-Palestinian economic relationship to develop and progress. The occupation, America as well as some Palestinians want to put pressure on the economy of Gaza.” Hamd preferred not to discuss the free trade zone and expressed the desire to tackle it in a serious dialogue with Egypt. He added that free trade zone attracts attention because it will lead to dispense the tunnels, noting that the free trade zone file is still in its firsts steps and needs time to be implemented if  it is approved. On the other hand, the deputy foreign minister denied opening headquarters for the Qatari Embassy in Gaza, reffering to the rumours spread in the press. He noted that the headquarters of the embassy was opened in order to accommodate the technical and supervisory office which oversees the Qatari projects in the reconstruction sector.