RAFAH CROSSING OPENED FOR THREE DAYS THEN CLOSED;

C O N F I D E N T I A L JERUSALEM 004283 SIPDIS SIPDIS NEA FOR FRONT OFFICE; NEA/IPA FOR WILLIAMS/SHAMPAINE/STEINGER; PRM FOR PDAS GREENE AND PRM/ANE; NSC FOR ABRAMS/DORAN/WATERS; TREASURY FOR SZUBIN/LOEFFLER/NUGENT/HIRSON; BRUSSELS FOR LERNER; PLEASE PASS TO USAID FOR KUNDER/MCCLOUD/BORODIN E.O. 12958: DECL: 09/25/16 TAGS: ECON PGOV PHUM PREL KPAL KWBG IS SUBJECT: RAFAH CROSSING OPENED FOR THREE DAYS THEN CLOSED; WEST BANK/GAZA CROSSINGS OPEN REF: JERUSALEM 4275 Classified By: Deputy Principal Officer Thomas Duffy, Reasons 1.4 (b) and (d) ¶1. (SBU) The Rafah crossing between the Gaza Strip and Egypt was open for passenger traffic in both directions September 22-24. Close to 10,000 travelers passed through Rafah during the three-day period, according to press reports. The crossing did not open September 25. Rafah had been completely closed for almost a month and open for six non-consecutive days only since June 25, when Palestinian militants kidnapped Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit. Pressure had been building to open Rafah prior to the start of Ramadan, during which many Muslim Gazans seek to travel to Mecca for the Umra pilgrimage. ¶2. (C) EU-BAM mission shared a report September 24 that a Hamas Palestinian Legislative Council (PLC) member, Marwan Abu Raas, passed through Rafah from Egypt September 23 with USD 1 million. Abu Raas reportedly declared the cash upon entry and provided documentation showing that the money had been declared upon entry into Egypt. Abu Raas filed a declaration stating that the money was for the Palestinian Authority (PA) and would be handed over to the PA Ministry of Finance. ¶3. (SBU) The IDF lifted September 25 the total closure imposed on the West Bank and Gaza during the Jewish New Year holiday of Rosh Hashanah. The Karni/al-Mintar crossing was opened September 25 for goods entering and leaving Gaza. (Note: We expect the IDF to reimpose a total closure on the West Bank and Gaza October 1-2 during the Jewish holiday of Yom Kippur. End Note.) DUFFY