RAFAH: Angry Bedouins on Wednesday hurled stones, destroyed a police checkpoint and set a police truck on fire in the third day of unrest near Egypt s border with Gaza, police and eyewitnesses said.
The violence was sparked by an Egyptian plan to demolish houses along the country s porous boundary with the Gaza Strip in an effort to curb rampant smuggling here.
The government _ according to Egyptian media reports _ is planning to evict the Bedouin population from a 150 meter (164 yards) strip of land along the border, to prevent traffickers from digging tunnels to smuggle weapons and people into Gaza.
On Monday, police clashed with hundreds of Bedouins, wounding dozens with rubber bullets. One of the wounded, 15-year-old Auda Mohammed Arafat died Tuesday of his injuries.
Hours before Arafat s funeral on Wednesday, hundreds of Rafah Bedouins threw stones at police vehicles in the village of El-Massoura, in revenge for the teenager s death, said police officials, speaking on customary condition of anonymity.
The police checkpoint at el-Massoura was completely demolished, said an eyewitness who only gave his first name, Mohammed, fearing for his safety.
You can t imagine what happened to one state security truck, Mohammed said. The few soldiers who were inside fled on foot.
Mohammed, who owns a two-story house some 50 meters (55 yards) from the Gaza Strip border, said the government plans to demolish his home along with his peach trees.
The 10,000 Egyptian pounds (about US$1,800 or €1,300) compensation is worth nothing. It s not even enough for my food for a year. Where shall I go? he said. Mohammed also said that he owns 15 acres (6 hectares) with peach trees which the government plans to take over in return for money given to him.
During Monday s demonstration, about 3,000 protesters shouted anti-government slogans and demanded that authorities rescind the order to demolish their homes. We will not leave our land, we will make it our graves, they chanted.
Egypt is under pressure from the United States and Israel to stop the flow of weapons into Gaza, especially since the militant Palestinian Hamas seized control of the tiny coastal territory in June.
On Sunday, a U.S. delegation toured the area to probe reports of weapons smuggling through tunnels along the 14-kilometer (9 mile) boundary. Associated Press
