Gazans reenter Egypt with new hopes

They cheered the decision as a humanitarian gesture to Gaza residents, but also as an important concession to make possible the reconciliation deal Egypt brokered between the militant group Hamas, which rules in Gaza, and the moderate Fatah faction, which governs the West Bank. And they saluted the Egyptian revolution that brought about a new spirit of independence.

“The people are taking their rights, and when the Egyptians rise it helps the Palestinians,’’ said Faris Awad, 48, returning to visit family in Cairo for the first time since the start of the blockade, just in time for a wedding.

For years the Rafah border crossing has been a kind of geographic emblem of Egypt’s complicated relationship with Israel.

Under President Hosni Mubarak, Egypt’s determination to secure the border came to represent to the Arab world Egypt’s decision to put its partnership with Israel and the United States ahead of solidarity with its fellow Muslims languishing in squalor in Gaza.

For Israel, Rafah was a reminder of the superficial quality of its partnership with Mubarak, because while his security forces closed the surface crossing, Hamas and its Egyptian sympathizers continued to carry in weapons and goods through a not-so- secret network of tunnels underneath.

Less acknowledged was the Rafah border’s function as a kind of safety valve, helping to relieve enough of the humanitarian needs within Gaza to avoid a crisis that might shock the world.

But the opening yesterday was a reminder of how things are changing between Egypt and Israel after Mubarak’s ouster. Both Israel’s government and the military council that rules Egypt are quite aware that the vast majority of Egyptians loathe their country’s support of Israel and are demanding a greater voice in foreign policy.

Israel issued no statements yesterday in response to the border opening, but its officials have made clear that they consider the looser controls a major security risk.

It began its blockade of Gaza four years ago to keep the militant group Hamas from resupplying with rockets and other weapons to use against Israelis.