"The Wall of Shame"

LATimes/ here

" ... "Whether it is a wall, sensors or tapping devices . . . what matters is that Egyptian territory must be protected," Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit was quoted as saying by Al Ahram al Arabi weekly magazine. "Whoever says Egypt is imposing its control on the border, we tell them this is Egypt's full right."...

Egypt has tightened its border with Gaza since Hamas gained control of the coastal strip in 2007. But the smuggling tunnels -- transporting goods as varied as weapons and baby food -- were considered lifelines to Palestinians who faced shortages because of Israel's siege of the territory.

"It is a wall of shame being built by Egypt on the borders with Gaza," wrote Ibrahim Issa, chief editor of daily newspaper Al Dustour. "It is like a total obedience to the American recommendations. We are opening our territories for a barrier that only serves and supports the Israeli and U.S. policies. ......Unlike in Israel, where constructing a wall separating its territories from Gaza and the West Bank was debated in parliament and in the media before it was given the thumbs up, our regime was keen on classifying any information regarding the new wall. This is simply because Israel adopts a democratic system while Egypt doesn't enjoy such luxury," he wrote.

Similar reactions echoed across the region. They followed denunciations in January when Egypt closed its Rafah border crossing with Gaza during the Israeli invasion of the strip. The move effectively put a stranglehold on goods entering the enclave.

"We can understand it when the Israeli government uses the same methods as the Nazis in transforming the Gaza Strip into a huge concentration camp," wrote the London-based pan-Arab daily Al Quds al Arabi. "But what we cannot understand or accept is that the Egyptian government -- and not the Egyptian people -- should take part in such a crime for fear of the Israelis, and in an attempt to appease the U.S., getting nothing in return except humiliation and dishonor."

Palestinian journalist Mustafa Sawwaf wrote on a Hamas-affiliated website: "The issue has nothing to do with Egyptian national security, and more to do with Egyptian policy. ....As far as the borders with the Gaza Strip and the steel wall are concerned, this policy is linked less to Egypt's interests and security as it has become a tool for implementing U.S. schemes in the region."