Cairo: Egypt Interim Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi says Rafah border crossing with the Gaza Strip would be opened on a permanent basis. The interim Foreign Minister, Nabil al-Arabi, said the blockade would be eased over the next few days.
He described the support of the previous Egyptian government for the blockade as disgraceful.
The blockade was imposed after Hamas took control of Gaza, four years ago. Israel says it is necessary to stop the smuggling of weapons into Gaza.
The announcement marks a significant shift in the foreign policy of Egypt. Under former President Mubarak the Egyptian government opposed the Hamas administration in Gaza and helped Israel to enforce the blockade.
The blockade of Gaza was a very controversial policy. It was widely viewed as a form of collective punishment of the population of the strip because of the hardships it caused.
The International Committee of the Red Cross said in 2010 that the blockade was a clear violation of international humanitarian law.
The current Egyptian government may only be an interim one, but it is implementing the greatest shift in Egypt’s foreign policy for three decades.
Under Mubarak Egypt strongly upheld its unpopular peace treaty with Israel, and opposed Hamas in the internal Palestinian power-struggle.
The new government, though, has already helped broker a reconciliation agreement between the two Palestinian factions.
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