Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak met with Jordanian King Abdullah on Saturday in Sharm el-Sheikh.  The two called on Israel to open its crossings with Gaza.  The closure of Gaza crossings constitutes a “siege,” they claimed.  The two also called for Israel to end its counter-terrorism operations, “which claim innocent civilian lives.”

Egypt allowed its own border with Gaza to remain open for several days recently following Hamas’s destruction of the border fence.  However, Mubarak has refused to reopen the border, explaining that if he were to open the border without Israel’s approval Gaza would be considered an independent entity.