The Palestinian people's efforts to take command of their own destiny took a huge step forward last weekend when Palestinians took charge of their first border crossing point. The opening of the border with Egypt is both a psychological step forward -- a form of liberation as residents must no longer clear Israeli security checks -- and a test of the institutional capability of the Palestinian Authority (PA): It is now responsible for the security of Palestinian borders. Time will tell if the PA is up to the test.
The town of Rafah and many of the families that live in it are divided in two by the border that separates Egypt from the Gaza Strip. Egypt administered the town (along with the rest of the Gaza Strip) from 1948 to 1967, until it was seized by Israel, along with the West Bank and the Golan Heights in the Arab-Israeli War that was fought in six days in 1967.
Since then, Israel has administered the border crossing, like all other entrances to Gaza. The division of the town has made Rafah a smugglers' paradise, for both guns and other illicit goods. Israeli attempts to cut down on the trade meant that border crossings took hours while searches were carried out, and the border was frequently closed in reprisal for terrorist attacks.