Palestinian civil affairs minister Mohammed Dahlan on Saturday expressed relief over the situation at Rafah border crossing, asserting that operating hours will start to increase by Sunday.
Rafah crossing was officially opened Saturday afternoon to passengers, under Palestinian supervision for the first time since Israel withdrew from Gaza Strip. At first stage, the crossing will operate only for four hours per day. Working hours are expected to increase in the next few days.
In a press conference held Saturday at the crossing, Dahlan said if work was to continue in the crossing in the manner it is today, the situation is expected to be very promising. "Even if there were Israeli reservations on certain passengers leaving Gaza Strip, the decision will be – at the end of the day – purely Palestinian and not Israeli," he said, according to RNA.
Meanwhile, in its editorial "A Step On a Long Path", Al-Quds daily said that there is no doubt that the opening of the crossing is considered an achievement and a fruit of the Palestinian steadfastness. The President has said in his speech that opening the crossing means that there will be no more suffering, humiliation and not waiting for long hours.
The daily added that "we could not forget the truth that Israel has been still controlling our borders, life and continuing its occupation of the West Bank. It is carrying out its colonizing projects and judaizing Jerusalem in an attempt to close the way for establishing a just and lasting peace."
The daily concluded that any new achievement is considered a new path against Israeli challenges and a step forward for independence and freedom.
