rafah crossing:
The Rafah border crossing is one of five ways in and out of Gaza – and a portrait of frustration for many Palestinians trying to get home. It's the only crossing not guarded by Israeli forces. But it has been open just 64 days in the past nine months. Palestinian and Israeli leaders recently began biweekly talks on lower-level issues, including Palestinian arms smuggling into Gaza from Rafah, a town that straddles the border. The US hopes these will lead to discussion of substantive issues like the formation of a Palestinian state.