Gaza - Egypt Border

The news this past week about the temporary breach in the Gaza border fence was both comical and disturbing. The image of thousands of Palestinians streaming through the broken fence to go shopping on the Egyptian side has a farcical ring, but it masks a tragic reality. Gazans have been under 24/7 blockade for months, denied of the most basic commodities and prevented from entering or leaving the Gaza strip. Most recently, Israel has interrupted fuel supplies, so that electricity necessary to power hospitals and water purification systems is in short supply. The reality is that over a million human beings have been incarcerated behind concrete, barbed wire and mine fields, and now brought to the brink of starvation, by a criminal policy that punishes ordinary civilians for the actions of a few thugs. 18 years ago, when the Berlin wall fell, the world rejoiced. The only reaction to the Gaza wall's fall seems to be to get it back up as quickly as possible before the Palestinians escape.