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Egypt Working to Solve Gaza Crisis
(Ha'aretz) Zvi Bar'el - Egypt is interested in solving Gaza's crisis to prevent the reopening of the terror pipeline between Gaza and Sinai. Therefore, contrary to its previous position, Egypt is no longer conditioning any solution to the Gaza problem on internal Palestinian reconciliation. Cairo decided to open the Rafah crossing between Egypt and Gaza more or less permanently, it is in advanced talks over Gaza's reconstruction by Egyptian companies, and has even gotten Israel to agree that Port Said will serve as Gaza's port. Much of the new infrastructure being discussed for Gaza would be built on Egyptian territory and provide jobs for Egyptian Bedouins in Sinai financed by donor states. Opening a Palestinian port in Port Said wouldn't just give Egypt new revenues; it would also give it another lever of political control over Gaza, just as the Rafah crossing does.