CAIRO: Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniyeh, deposed by the Palestinian Authority, contacted Egyptian intelligence Chief Omar Suleiman concerning the Israeli decision to declare Gaza an “enemy entity, a Hamas spokesman said.
Suleiman, who plays a role as mediator between Palestinian factions, was said to have expressed deep concern to Haniyeh Thursday over the Israeli decision, said Taher El-Nouno in a written statement.
“The prime minister said to Mr Suleiman that Egypt should move in order to prevent Israel from carrying out any hostile measures against the Gaza Strip s population, the spokesman said.
El-Nouno added that Haniyeh had briefed Suleiman on Hamas efforts to contact militant groups and broker a truce with Israel. Indeed, Haniyeh has been calling for the rocket attacks launched from Gaza into Southern Israel to stop.
The Israeli Security Cabinet, headed by Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert, had declared Gaza as hostile territory on Wednesday with a unanimous vote, to counter rockets fired from the territory into southern Israel.
According to a statement from Olmert’s media advisor, while the cabinet agreed to continue military operations against the Strip, it will also adopt additional sanctions [to] be placed on the Hamas regime in order to restrict the passage of various goods to the Gaza Strip and reduce the supply of fuel and electricity. Restrictions will also be placed on the movement of people to and from the Gaza Strip.
On Friday the UN High Commissioner for Human Rights Louise Arbour called for Israel to exercise restraint in its dealings with Gaza. In a statement she said that cutting off fuel and power supplies to the area would be an “unbearable burden.
Arbour served a reminder to Israel that international humanitarian and human rights law prohibits disproportionate reaction and collective punishment, especially in an area which had already paid a “heavy price.
Arab and Islamic countries at the UN Human Rights Council Thursday decried the Israeli decision and accused Israeli forces of killing Palestinian civilians and destroying homes.
UN Secretary General Ban Ki-moon urged Israel to reverse its decision, stating that collective punishment was a violation of international law.
EU Foreign Policy Chief Javier Solana also expressed concern, saying: “We think that Gaza people should not be deprived of basic necessities.
Egypt reacted negatively to the Israeli decision to brand Gaza an enemy entity and Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit sent a message to his Israeli counterpart Tzipi Livni where he expressed Egypt’s refusal of this decision and the consequences it may entail.
One of the consequences that worried Aboul Gheit was the effect on the citizens of Gaza, especially since the Security Cabinet’s vote to declare Gaza a hostile entity meant that it could now cut off supplies to the strip.
A foreign ministry statement said that Aboul Gheit was concerned that this decision was “imposing collective punishment against innocent civilians in the Strip.
