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At UN, Egypt Is Accused of Breaking Law by Closing Rafah
Crossing, as UN Envoy Serry Defends, is Puzzled
Byline: Matthew Russell Lee of
Inner City Press at the UN: News Analysis
UNITED NATIONS,
January 7 -- With the UN and
Western members of its Security Council now looking for solutions about
Gaza in
the country to the south, the question has arisen whether Egypt is violating international law in
blocking entry to those seeking to flee the bombing. Wednesday at the
UN, Inner City Press asked Human Rights
Watch
expert Sarah Leah Whitson to elaborate on her cursory statement that
Egypt is
complicit in war crimes for keeping closed its Rafah crossing with the
Gaza
Strip.
Ms.
Whitson responded that Egypt is legally required to open the
crossing, but has refused to do so "unless representatives of Fatah"
man the crossing. She called this "injecting a political formula onto a
humanitarian situation" and legal responsibility. Video
here,
from 46:20.
The UN's
main envoy to the region, Robert Serry, views things decidedly
differently.
Inner City Press asked Serry to respond to HRW' statement that Egypt is
violating the law by blocking those who flee at the Rafah crossing.
"I'm a
bit puzzled by the charge," Serry said, noting somewhat irrelevantly
that
the Egyptian Red Cross has been "active with medicines" in the Gaza
Strip, and that some patients have been allowed out through Rafah. But
what
about those who are fleeing the bombing of their homes? Serry said,
tellingly,
"I really don't want to comment further." Video here,
from Minute 41:18.
UN envoy Serry, puzzled by international humanitary law, with John
Holmes
While Serry
is not alone in this solicitous approach to Egypt, even the UN's
refugee chief
Antonio Gutteres has said that international law requires the opening
of Rafah.
Earlier on Wednesday, UN humanitarian coordinator John Holmes said the
Gaza
conflict is unique because its victims "have nowhere to flee to."
Inner City Press asked if he meant by this the blockage of the borders,
including by Egypt. Holmes nodded. Video here,
from Minute 50:07.
So why
would the UN's humanitarian and refugee chieftains say the border must
be
opened, while top political envoy Robert Serry disagrees and says he's
puzzled?
What is the UN's position? For now we note: Politics
kills.
Click here for Inner City Press'
review-of-2008 UN Top Ten debate
Click here for Inner
City Press' December 24 debate on UN budget, Niger
Click here from Inner City Press'
December 12 debate on UN double standards
Click here for Inner
City Press' November 25 debate on Somalia, politics
Click here for Inner City
Press Nov. 7 debate on the war in Congo
Watch this site, and this Oct. 2 debate, on
UN, bailout, MDGs
and this October 17 debate, on
Security Council and Obama and the UN.
* * *
These
reports are
usually also available through Google
News and on Lexis-Nexis.
Click
here
for a Reuters
AlertNet piece by this correspondent
about Uganda's Lord's Resistance Army. Click
here
for an earlier Reuters AlertNet piece about the Somali
National
Reconciliation Congress, and the UN's $200,000 contribution from an
undefined trust fund. Video
Analysis here
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