US appears to fault Egypt for closure of Rafah border crossing

The US waded into a spat between Egypt and Israel over the closure of the Rafah border crossing, with a US official appearing to lay the blame on Cairo at a press briefing. 

“We do not believe that aid should be held back for any reason whatsoever. Kerem Shalom is open. The Israelis have it open. And that aid should be going through Kerem Shalom,” a US official said in a briefing with reporters on Tuesday. 

Israel seized the Palestinian side of the crossing earlier this month. 

Israel has proposed opening the crossing while it continues its offensive in other parts of Rafah and maintains security control.

According to reports, Egypt has said it will only recognise Palestinian control of Rafah. The Palestinian Authority has ruled out managing the crossing under “Israeli rule”, according to Arabic media reports.