"Israel" declares Gaza `hostile entity`

Source: Alalam.ir, 19-09-2007
AL-QUDS -The Zionist regime`s Security Cabinet declared the Gaza Strip an "enemy entity`` on Wednesday and said it would cut off power and fuel supplies to the coastal strip.
The group of the top occupying regime political and war ministers did not set a date for a cutoff.
Putting more than a million Palestinian people under hard pressure, especially in the fasting month of Ramadan, "Israeli" Prime Minister Ehud Olmert`s office claimed his regime did not intend to provoke a humanitarian crisis.
"Additional restrictions will be imposed on the Hamas, limiting the transfer of goods to the Gaza Strip, cutting back fuel and electricity, and restricting the movement of people to and from the strip,`` a statement from Olmert`s office said.
The statement claimed the sanctions would be enacted "following a legal review`` and would be designed to avoid "a humanitarian crisis." The decision which is a clear violation of human rights needs no further approval by any authority in the Zionist regime.
Rice arrived on Wednesday to mediate progress on key issues dividing "Israel" and the Palestinians before a US-sponsored peace gathering. But even before she landed, Palestinian officials said Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas would ask her not to set a firm date for the conference until it is clear he and Olmert can agree upon a joint statement setting out their goals.
"Abbas will ask Rice tomorrow not to set a specific date for the conference until they see the possibilities of having an agreement with `Israel`,`` an official in Abbas` office said. He spoke on condition of anonymity because Abbas and Rice had not yet met.
The conference tentatively is scheduled for Washington in November. The US thinks Abbas has a freer hand to reach a final accord with the occupying regime now that he has expelled Hamas resistance group from power.
The "Israeli" Security Cabinet`s declaration of Gaza as an "enemy entity`` could become the most severe retaliatory measure the Zionist regime has taken recently against Palestinian. The regime has also been carrying out airstrikes and ground incursions. It also has sealed Gaza`s borders, halting trade in and out of the area.
Impoverished Gaza`s 1.4 million people are almost entirely dependent on the Zionist regime`s suppliers for power and fuel, and a cutoff would likely draw international condemnation.
"The objective is to weaken Hamas,`` warmonger Regime`s war minister Ehud Barak told the Security Cabinet meeting, according to one participant.
With current military policies ineffective, Barak said "Israel" was moving closer to a large-scale military operation in Gaza -- an option that has not halted rocket fire in the past and would likely mean heavy casualties on both sides.
"Every day that passes brings us closer to an operation in Gaza,`` Barak was quoted as saying.
Rice`s spokesman, Sean McCormack, said the planned "Israeli" sanctions would come up in the secretary`s discussions with the occupying regime`s officials.
Hamas and Abbas` government both condemned the Security Cabinet`s move.
"It is collective punishment against the people of Gaza, and discourages serious political discussion," said Ashraf Ajrami, a minister in Abbas` government.
Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman, said his group would "confront the new aggression and escalation with all possible means.`` A cutoff of resources, he said, would doom the Washington conference.
"If the occupation government considers half of the Palestinian population and land as its enemies, how can we expect any results regarding fundamental issues?`` he asked.