International

Ribuan Warga Palestina Serbu Wilayah Mesir

GETTY IMAGES/ABID KATIB
Puluhan ribu warga Palestina menerobos tembok pembatas di Kota Rafah, Rabu (23/1).

Artikel Terkait:
Kamis, 24 Januari 2008 00:17 WIB
RAFAH, RABU - Puluhan ribu warga Palestina menerobos tembok pembatas di Kota Rafah yang dibangun Israel pada 2004, setelah diledakkan terlebih dulu. Mereka berbondong-bondong ke Kota Rafah wilayah Mesir untuk mencari makanan dan bahan bakar akibat blokade yang dilakukan Israel.
"Mereka sangat haus kebebasan, lapar akan makanan dan butuh banyak hal," kata seorang Mesir pemilik toko yang hanya menyebut namanya Hamida.
Rafah merupakan kota yang terbagi dua, wilayah Gaza dan Mesir. Pembagian itu ditandai batas tembok setinggi enam meter yang dibangun Israel pada 2004. Para militan berhasil meledakkannya sepanjang 200 meter.

Begitu Malam tiba, Rabu (23/1), puluhan ribu warga Palestina langsung menyerbu ke wilayah Mesir melalui Jalur Gaza. Pejabat setempat memperkirakan, rombongan tersebut mencapai sekitar 200.000 orang. Rafah pun segera berubah menjadi pasar malam. Mereka memborong segala keperluan hidup. Mereka ke wilayah Mesir dengan membawa keledai, troli dan gerobak.
"Saya membeli banyak hal untuk keperluan hidup selama beberapa bulan. Saya membeli makanan, rokok, juga beberapa galon bahan bagar untuk mobil saya," jelas Mohammed Saeed.
Minggu lalu, Israel memang memperketat daerah perbatasan. Israel juga menyetop pengiriman bahan bakar, hingga membuat listrik di wilayah Gaza tak bisa menyala. Selain itu, suplai makanan juga diblokade. Hancurnya tembok perbatasan di Rafah merupakan pukulan sekaligus memperlemah tekanan yang dilakukan Israel.
Sementara itu, sekutu Israel, Amerika Serikat, menyalahkan kelompok Hamas sebagai penyebab kekacauan di Gaza. "Kesalahan sepenuhnya berada di pihak Hamas sebagai penyebab kekacauan di Jalur Gaza," kata juru bicara Gedung Putih, Dana Perino.
"Situasinya benar-benar membuat Israel dalam masalah. Sebab, Hamas telah meluncurkan 150 roket setiap harinya ke wilayah Israel, hingga negara tersebut terpaksa melakukan blokade," tambahnya.
Terminal perbatasan di Rafah, yang menjadi pintu warga Gaza ke dunia luar, ditutup sejak Hamas menentang perundingan perdamaian dengan Israel yang dilakukan Presiden Palestina Mahmoud Abbas, Juni 2007.
Banjir warga Palestina ke Rafah tersebut tak bisa dicegah Pemerintah Mesir. Presiden Mesir Hosni Mubarak mengatakan, "Biarlah mereka datang untuk makan dan membeli bahan-bahan makanan. Mereka boleh kembali lagi asal tidak membawa senjata."
Sementara itu, Menteri Pertahanan Israel Ehud Barak yang sedang berkunjung ke Paris, tak bisa menyalahkan Mesir. "Saya percaya Mesir tahu dan akan menghormati peran mereka dalam kerangka masalah ini. Saya kira, tak akan ada gunanya untuk menambah pendapat dalam masalah ini," katanya.
namun, sebelumnya Israel mengkritik Mesir yang membiarkan terjadinya penyelundupan senjata ke Jalur Gaza melalui Rafah. Sementara Perdana Menteri Israel Ehud Olmert mengatakan, pihaknya tidak akan menyebabkan kekacauan di Jalur Gaza jika para militan tidak meluncurkan roket ke wilayahnya.
Menurut tentara Israel, sejak minggu lalu militan Palestina sudah mengirimkan 250 roket ke wilayah Israel. Ini dijadikan alasan Israel untuk melakukan kekerasan terhadap warga Palestina yang dicurigai. Sejauh ini, tentara Israel sudah membunuh 30 warga Palestina. (AP/HPR
http://www.kompas.co.id/read.php?cnt=.xml.2008.01.24.00175245&channel=1&mn=9&idx=25
Last Updated ( Sunday, 27 January 2008

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News Update

Pakistanis want democracy; fear US is hostile toward Islam

Washington, Jan 07: A majority of Pakistanis want a “moderate and democratic Islamic” state but is wary of the US as they perceive that Washington is “hostile” toward Islam, according to a survey.

They have little sympathy for Islamist military groups and rejects “Talibanization” of the country and supports recent government efforts to reform the madrassah system, said the survey conducted by worldpublicopinion.org with assistance from the US Institute of Peace.

“While Pakistan is racked by conflict between leaders and groups vying for power, this poll indicates that most Pakistanis largely agree on a moderate and democratic Islamic state,” Steven Kull of worldpublicopinion.org said in a statement recently.

“The good news is that majority of Pakistanis view most militant groups in Pakistan as a threat. The bad news is that many Pakistanis view the US with great suspicion,” Christine Fair of the Rand Corporation, formerly at the US Institute of Peace, remarked.

There is a growing Pakistani perception that the United States is hostile to their desire for a more Islamic society. Indeed, 86 per cent now say it is definitely (70%) or probably (16%) a US goal to “weaken and divide the Islamic world.”

The survey finds strong public support for a wider role for Islam.

Asked to gauge the importance of living “in a country that is governed according to Islamic principles (Sharia)” on a 10-point scale, 61 per cent give an answer of 10 (meaning absolutely important).

And on the importance of living “in a country that is governed by representatives elected by the people”, the mean response is 8.4, which indicates an overwhelming support for the suggestion.

But, there is little support among Pakistanis for a shift to extreme religious conservatism. Only a small minority (15%) even among those who want a greater role for Sharia say they want to see more “Talibanization of daily life”.

Eighty-one per cent say it is important for Pakistan to protect religious minorities which have been frequent targets of militant violence and three quarters (75-78 per cent) say that attacks on specific religious minorities (Ahmadiyya and Shia) are never justified.

The survey identified substantial support for reforming the religious schools known as madrassahs. About two-thirds (64 per cent) support a recent government plan to regulate the madrassahs, requiring them to register with the government and to spend more time on subjects like math and science.

Only 17 per cent are opposed to such reform efforts. Interestingly, those who want a larger role for Sharia are more likely than others to strongly favour these reforms.

There is also little sympathy for Islamist militant groups operating in Pakistan. Three in five (60-62 per cent) view the activities of al Qaeda, local Taliban, and Pakistani Islamist militant groups as threats to Pakistans vital interests.

The survey has shown that a large majority wants the special status of the region along the afghan border known as the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) to be phased out and for the FATA to be integrated into Pakistan’s legal structure.

Seventy-two per cent think the frontier crimes regulation should be changed so that people in FATA “have the same rights and responsibilities as all other Pakistanis.” Only 8 per cent think it should be left unchanged.

The survey was conducted from Sept 12-18, just before President Pervez Musharraf declared a six-week state of Emergency.

Bureau Report


Read complete report at http://www.worldpublicopinion.org/pipa/articles/home_page/440.php?lb=hmpg1&pnt=440&nid=&id

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