Occupation plans to manage Rafah crossing with an "international agency" and absolute security control

The Hebrew Broadcasting Authority revealed a plan to establish an entirely new crossing near the city of Rafah, aimed at tightening security control over movement.

According to the plan, travelers will undergo strict inspection procedures, including X-ray screening and identity verification. The European Union will manage the Palestinian side in coordination with Palestinian General Intelligence, while the Israeli "Shin Bet" agency will be granted final authority to review lists of those entering and exiting.

Informed sources reported that Israel seeks to engineer the crossing to be a tool for reducing the population density in the Strip, by ensuring that the number of those leaving Gaza for Egypt is significantly greater than the number of those returning to it.

Despite the precise mechanism for imposing these ratios not being clear yet, Israeli officials confirm that the opening of borders and movement across them will remain subject to prior Israeli approval.

The Israeli vision includes establishing a permanent military checkpoint within the Gaza Strip near the border. This checkpoint will require all Palestinians, both departing and returning, to pass through it and undergo strict security inspections by occupation forces, thus ensuring continued direct military control over the border axis, even if international or Palestinian parties are ostensibly involved in managing the crossing.

Amidst these pressures, an inspiring story of steadfastness emerges from the heart of occupied Jerusalem; a Palestinian citizen refused an astronomical offer of 40 million dollars for selling his small shop in the Old City. This stance embodies the Palestinians' attachment to their land and holy sites despite all the surrounding economic and political pressures, reflecting the spirit of popular resistance that remains alive in the face of attempts at displacement and identity change.