CAIRO: Members of the International Movement to Open the Rafah Border (IMORB) were prevented from disseminating pamphlets at the Rafah border crossing Thursday by security forces at the gate.
IMORB member Nada Kassass told Daily News Egypt from the crossing that the group was handing out leaflets to tourists visiting the crossing in an attempt to answer frequently asked questions the group received concerning the nature and reason for the group’s decision to camp at the crossing.
IMORB has maintained a continued presence at the border since June 13 with the objective of keeping vigil until the Rafah border is permanently opened.
“An officer approached me and accused us of spreading propaganda pamphlets which he said was forbidden without permission. He told us to stop or else, Kassass said.
Attempts to explain the content of the leaflets fell on deaf ears according to Kassass, who was told that handing out leaflets was expressly forbidden without permission from the security forces present.
The group said in a statement, “Our reply was [that] we [do not] work for the Interior Ministry to submit a request to them for every move we want to [make], or to follow orders of how to move, though we understand the sensitivity of this zone and our desire not to cause problems . but we’ll not offer the Interior Ministry requests or reports of what we want to do, or ask approval [of] an authority we don’t work for.
However, after further warnings from the security officer, the group agreed to stop handing out the pamphlets despite their objection to the act and the “threatening demeanor of the officer.
The Rafah border crossing has been closed for over two years now, since Hamas wrestled control of the territory from the Fatah. It has been opened intermittently ever since.
The Rafah border crossing will be open for three days beginning this Monday to allow stranded Palestinians in Egypt to return to the Gaza Strip. The border was opened for three days late last June, with almost 3,000 Palestinians passing through in both directions.
A previous IMORB statement had indicated that the June opening of the crossing was a “horrible mess.
“Egyptian authorities deployed their anti-riot police and people had to wait hours under the sun, it explained, “Many of them [were denied entry] without any reason.
