In the midst of a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, Egypt, which shares its southern border, is opposed to the evacuation of civilians on its territory. What explains this position of the Arab country? We discussed it with Thomas Juneau, assistant professor at the Graduate School of Public and International Affairs at the University of Ottawa.
For a week, pressure has been increasing on the Egyptian government to allow the establishment of humanitarian corridors in the Gaza Strip, and the evacuation of Palestinian civilians.
The Gaza Strip – a Palestinian enclave smaller than the island of Montreal and populated by 2.4 million people – is bordered to the north and east by Israel, to the west by the Mediterranean Sea and to the south by the ‘Egypt. For more than 15 years, the territory has been isolated and only two crossing points – one towards Israel and the other towards Egypt – allow entry or exit.
The territory is controlled by Hamas, a group declared terrorist by Canada, the United States and the European Union, in particular. This group advocates the destruction of the State of Israel and the establishment of a Palestinian Islamist state.
For a week, the civilian population of the Gaza Strip has found itself trapped between Hamas fighters and the Israeli army, which has imposed a siege there and launched a series of bombings. The emergency exit from Rafah – towards Egypt – remains closed to Palestinians, despite international negotiations to promote their evacuation.
Gaza residents must “stay on their land,” Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi said Thursday.
Avoiding refugee camps in Egypt
“The idea of opening camps just on the other side of the border and saying that the international community will finance them, Egypt does not want it,” summarizes Thomas Juneau of the University of Ottawa.
“She looks at Lebanon and Jordan where, since 1948 and 1967, refugees have still been there: the economic and social burden that this represents for these countries is enormous. »
Egypt fears finding itself “the owner of the problem”, especially since among the massive influx of refugees from Gaza would undoubtedly include Hamas sympathizers and militants, Mr. Juneau underlined in a telephone interview.
Additionally, the Egyptian region on the other side of Gaza, the Sinai Peninsula, is “very, very poor, has major social and economic problems and […] already has big problems with Islamic militancy,” he recalls.
The wall between Gaza and Egypt, which is “very, very short”, is itself an issue, adds Mr. Juneau.
“What happens if this wall is one day bombed, there is a breach and people start passing through? It’s going to be anarchy! And it would be done with absolutely incredible violence. »