Rice Pressures Israel Into Opening Rafah

Rice (L) met Abbas to show US support for the president

Hisham Abu Taha, Arab News

GAZA CITY, 6 October 2006 — US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice pressured Israel yesterday into loosening restrictions at Gaza’s border crossing with Egypt. But the Jewish state did not make any long-term commitment to keep the frontier open.

In a statement after Rice left Jerusalem to continue a regional tour, the State Department said Israel agreed to open the Rafah crossing at “regular intervals” during Ramadan. The statement did not specify what those intervals would be or how long they would last.

“We are encouraged by this decision, the first step toward restoration of normal operations at the crossing,” State Department spokesman Sean McCormack told reporters.

Rafah has been closed for much of this year, and has been open for only 12 days since an Israeli soldier was captured by Palestinians in a cross-border raid on June 25.

Rice, who personally brokered a deal with Israel in November last year to try to keep Gaza’s border crossings open, had pressed Israeli leaders on the issue during extensive talks yesterday.

American officials traveling with Rice said the United States has proposed a plan to beef up Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas’ elite security force and expand its authorities in the Gaza Strip.

The $20 million plan calls for training Abbas’ presidential guard and upgrading the main cargo crossing between Gaza and Israel. The presidential guard would oversee the Palestinian side of the crossing.

Lt. Gen. Keith Dayton, the US security coordinator in the West Bank and Gaza, is working out the plan, which was discussed during Rice’s meeting with Abbas in the West Bank on Wednesday, the officials said.

While the plan is aimed at improving the dire humanitarian situation in Gaza, it also is part of a broader US effort to shore up Abbas in his power struggle with Hamas. Hamas defeated Abbas’ Fatah party in legislative elections this year and formed a government that Israel and the West are boycotting because of its commitment to Israel’s destruction. Some branches of the security forces are under the Hamas government’s control, while others are under Abbas’.

The US plan would provide funding and training to Abbas’ presidential guard, considered the best-trained and most reliable of the security services.

Yesterday, Hamas called on Abbas to resume power-sharing talks, threatening to use all “open options” if the deadlock persists. Hamas issued its statement a day after Abbas said the negotiations had collapsed, raising concerns the standoff will lead to more factional fighting in the wake of deadly clashes early in the week.

“We remind the president that we have open options to deal with the ongoing crisis, but we prefer the national option, which is in harmony with our national unity,” Hamas said. The group also accused Abbas of “dictating” new conditions that have sabotaged efforts to reach a deal.

Late yesterday, a Fatah activist was shot dead while two members of Hamas were wounded in separate incidents across the Gaza Strip, Palestinian sources said.

Muhammad Suleiman Attiya was killed by unidentified gunmen after Isha prayers in Rafah. Shortly afterward, a Hamas member of the Interior Ministry security service was injured when unidentified men threw two hand grenades outside the Tel Sultan hospital in Rafah, the Health Ministry said in a statement.

A bystander was also wounded in the incident, the statement said.

Earlier, gunmen shot and wounded a Hamas member in the town of Beit Lahiya in northern Gaza Strip.

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Commantary:

I do not believe Abbas’s Fateh guard is better equipped; unless it was with the weapon’s given to them a while back by Israel and yes these guns was supplied by the American’s to back Abbas because he is in cahoots with the Bush government and not legally elected Hamas government.

As it is well know the Bush government doesn’t back a legal democratic elected government, which puts them in a very poor position since one of the of the thing’s Bush keeps yelling is global democracy and he doesn’t even believe what he preaches?

As for keeping any of the crossings going in and out of Gaza this should be happening without a heavy hand, unless Israel and the American’s really enjoy watching people die?

Link:

Haniya brushes off Rice visit


"There is an elected Palestinian government which expresses the will of the Palestinian voter. However, we have said we do not have a problem to resume the dialogue to form a unity government".

Ismail Haniya,
Palestinian prime minister