The humble low-tech wall continues to muscle its way stubbornly onto 21st century newsreels, with Palestinians tearing down the barrier that separates Gaza from Egypt and flooding over the border to stock up on much needed supplies. The UN reports that no less than half the population of Gaza has crossed into the Sinai. Egyptian shopkeepers are delighted, of course, but their government has used water cannon to hold back the tide and attempted, unsuccessfully, to seal up the wall to stop further incursions.
Israel, whose blockade of Gaza sparked the crisis, says it is now Egypt’s problem. Gaza is overpopulated anyway, and there is plenty of room in the Sinai, so allowing some immigration into Egypt seems sensible, but Arab governments’ professed support for Palestinians has rarely translated into action. Do the Egyptian leadership’s warm words towards its Muslim brothers mean anything? We will soon find out.
