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The changing of the Iraqi flag. By Ali Khalil in the UAE daily Al-Khaleej

"This was what the Israelis were dreaming of, and the leaders of Hamas made their wish a reality at the expense of Egyptian sovereignty." -- Mohamed Abdel-Moneim, Al-Akhbar

"The arrangements on the [Egyptian-Palestinian border] will not continue unless Egyptian efforts succeed in reaching an agreement between the Palestinian Authority and Hamas which commits them to cooperate in running the crossing point." -- Salama Ahmed Salama, Al-Ahram

"Every citizen of Gaza who entered Egypt spent at least $85 daily [on buying commodities], so this figure does not signal starvation." -- Abdallah Kamal, Rose El-Youssef

"Today, the whole world is more concerned about the crisis of the Rafah crossing and Egypt than about the [Israeli] siege on Gaza." -- Tariq Al-Homayed, Asharq Al-Awsat

"We have unfortunately become accustomed to empty slogans in the Arab world... which have not fed us bread, but rather have led to complications that always make things worse. " -- Elias Harfouch, Al-Hayat

"If Egypt conquers its fears and acts boldly -- if it refuses to be cowed by Israel and the US -- it has a chance to recover the leadership of the Arab world." -- Patrick Seale, Al-Hayat