SINAI, Egypt, May 28 (UPI) -- Egypt Saturday opened the Rafah crossing between Sinai and Gaza to Palestinians, drawing praise from Hamas and criticism from Israel.
Egypt's liaison to the Palestinian territories, Yasser Othman, said the decision to open the crossing for the first time in four years was an "internal Egyptian issue," The Jerusalem Post reported.
The crossing was scheduled to be open to pedestrians from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. except for Fridays and holidays, and required a visa for Palestinian men between the ages of 18 and 40. Others could cross without a visa.
The opening of a Sinai-Gaza border-crossing to pedestrians was hailed by Hamas, but criticized by Israeli Vice Premier Silvan Shalom, who expressed fears of an increase arms trafficking.
"There are already vast quantities of weaponry being smuggled into the Gaza Strip via the tunnels under the border with Egypt. If the border is opened, we can assume that still larger amounts will be brought in," he said, The Jerusalem Post reported.
Israeli opposition party Kadima in a statement said: "Once again it has been proven that the (Binyamin) Netanyahu government talks tough against Hamas, but actually Hamas has become stronger than it ever was under this regime."
