Wanting to return home through Egypt's Rafah Crossing, the only entry not through Israel, the pilgrims were denied entry. Originally Egypt had no problem with the pilgrims using this crossing, but after talks with Israel Defense Minister Ehud Barak - they changed their mind.
One of the reasons is there is reported to be several high ranking members of the militant group Hamas on the ferries. While some of the pilgrims were doing the good muslim thing of making a trip to Mecca, Hamas extremists used this time out of the country, with help from the Saudi's, as a fund raising opportunity....
Reposted from DEBKAfile --
Egypt transfers to El Arish detention center more than 3,000 Palestinians taken off two Red Sea ferries, including 1,000 Hamas operatives.
The number of passengers proved greater than estimated when they disembarked at Nuweiba, on the Sinai shore of the Gulf of Aqaba Sunday, 30 Dec. After being herded together they were bussed to a detention center in the northern Sinai town of El Arish.
The Hamas group, carrying app. $150 million collected during the Mecca hajj, had held the two Aqaba-Nuweiba ferries hostage under threaten to scuttle them. They rejected Egypt’s demand to first sign undertakings to enter Gaza through one of the crossings controlled by Israel and submit to searches.
A 62-year old Palestinian female passenger, Shafiqa Bahisi, died under the strain. Saturday, as Egypt stood firm, Hamas gathered tens of thousands of supporters from around the Gaza Strip to ram the Rafah gateway to Egyptian Sinai, while Cairo beefed up its security units at the terminal.
According to DEBKAfile’s military sources, Hamas leaders tried to smuggle suitcases packed with Jordanian and Egyptian currency into Gaza from the end of the Mecca pilgrimage last Friday.
If delivered, the money is enough to keep Hamas’ military operations going for another three to four months, including missile and other attacks. Our intelligence sources report that several Hamas operatives aboard the ferries are high on Israel’s wanted terrorist list.
They collected around $50 m from Iran’s Mahmoud Ahmadinejad in a secret rendezvous at a Saudi shrine on Wed. Dec. 19; the rest from Hamas’ parent, the Muslim Brotherhood, which was handed over under cover of the pilgrimage. In September, Brotherhood branches worldwide launched a secret fundraising drive under the slogan: “Contribute to save Hamas rule in Gaza.”
Saudi authorities permitted the cash to be brought into the kingdom and handed to Hamas leaders. Egypt allowed Hamas leaders to leave the Gaza Strip for the hajj but prevented them from returning with their war chest. This resolve was the outcome of Mubarak’s talks with visiting Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak last week and their decision to join forces to combat the war activities mounted from Gaza by Hamas and its allies.
What do you think of this samsonblinded.org/blog/israel-cannot-blockade-gaza.htm ? Shoher is arguably the most right Israeli today, but he argues Israel should talk to Hamas as Egypt will not maintain the blockade of Gaza.
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