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A Palestinian man walks under the rain past a breach on the Gaza border wall on Sunday. (Reuters)
Last update - 08:07 28/01/2008
Officials: Israel won't let Gaza border breach threaten security
By Avi Issacharoff and Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent and Haaretz Service
Tags: Israel, Hamas, Gaza, Egypt

Israel will not tolerate the continued threat to its security posed by Hamas militants' breach of the Gaza Strip's border with Egypt, officials in Jerusalem told Haaretz on Sunday.

"Israel will not allow the continuation of the current state where its security interests are being compromised," the officials said, days after the Hamas regime blew up the barrier along the Strip's border with Egypt.

The officials added that Prime Minster Ehud Olmert and Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas see eye to eye on what they perceive as the need to refrain from negotiations with Hamas.
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Following the border breach, Israeli defense officials have expressed concerns that militants from the Gaza Strip may attack towns along Israel's long border with Sinai.

Meanwhile, Olmert told Abbas during their meeting Sunday that Israel would not let a humanitarian crisis develop in Gaza.

Palestinian sources who attended the Olmert and Abbas meeting told Haaretz that Olmert is seeking to transfer the responsibility for humanitarian problems in the Strip to Egypt.

Hamas' dramatic border breach was the focus of the meeting between Olmert and Abbas at the prime minister's official residence in Jerusalem. The prime minister assured Abbas that Israel would not cut off the supply of food and medicine to the Gaza Strip.

Olmert and Abbas agreed they would demand that Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak close the ruptured fence separating the northern Sinai from the Gaza Strip; Abbas is scheduled to meet with Mubarak to discuss this on Wednesday.

Hamas has sent a delegation of senior officials, headed by the organization's political leader, Khaled Meshal, to conduct talks in Saudi Arabia over developments since the border was destroyed. That delegation is also slated to travel to Egypt on Wednesday to discuss procedures for operating the Rafah border crossing into Egypt.

Although Abbas and the Hamas leader are scheduled to visit Egypt together, Palestinian sources said the two parties would not meet, and would negotiate only with the Egyptians.

Hamas officials on Sunday denied reports that Egypt has agreed to let the Palestinian Authority, headed by Abbas, take control of the border crossing between the Hamas-ruled Strip and Sinai.

One of the organization's spokesmen in the Strip, Sami Abu Zuhri, told reporters that Egyptian officials had told Hamas that they want to work out a new arrangement to manage Gaza's border with Egypt, in talks with Hamas and Abbas' Fatah faction.

"We are offering an alternative: operating the Rafah crossing and coordinating its operation with the Egyptian authorities," Abu Zuhri said.

Israeli officials have said that Olmert has so far rejected the idea of Abbas' government controlling the border crossings.

Related articles:
  • Iran offers to help Egypt deal with chaos at breached border
  • Olmert promises Abbas not to disrupt flow of food, medicine into Gaza
  • Palestinians stream back to Gaza as Egypt chokes off supplies
  • IAF wounds four Hamas militants in strike on armored car in Gaza
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      1.   It can`t be business as usual-Israel needs to butt out 02:02  |  Dutch 28/01/08
      2.   Say what? 02:15  |  Baz Mann 28/01/08
      3.   Israel is no longer in control 02:16  |  Steve 28/01/08
      4.   Please Hamas kick Israelis and their interests out! 02:16  |  Dutch 28/01/08
      5.   Don`t Dare Allow Iran In 02:19  |  Dave Levy 28/01/08
      6.   gaza 02:28  |  Shmuelshachor 28/01/08
      7.   Israel speaks as if it still occupies Gaza... Oh, wait, they do.. 03:26  |  POP 28/01/08
      8.   Why does Israel refuse to allow Palestine to exist? 03:26  |  POP 28/01/08
      9.   POP dont be a WEASEL 03:38  |  Theodor 28/01/08
      10.   Destroy Abbas sooner than later 03:39  |  blu 28/01/08
      11.   POP - no business? And thoughts on Obama 03:48  |  Ariel 28/01/08
      12.   before you know it: the palestinian islamic republic of sinai 03:57  |  commonsense 28/01/08
      13.   to pop and dutch 04:02  |  yonah 28/01/08
      14.   Haaretz, how can you support this drivel? 04:13  |  Gili 28/01/08
      15.   Border breach 04:15  |  Shmuelshachor 28/01/08
      16.   #8 POP you putz 04:21  |  * BEN JABO 28/01/08
      17.   #1 DEMENTED DUTCH 04:23  |  * BEN JABO 28/01/08
      18.   #3 Steve - MN 04:24  |  * BEN JABO 28/01/08
      19.   What to do?? 05:08  |  George W. Bush 28/01/08
      20.   5 Dave Levy - The Wooden Analogy 05:10  |  Mark of Lewiston 28/01/08
      21.   dutch OVERDOSES on lakshm`s pitiful DEMENTIA and DELUSIONS 05:19  |  CK Tan (on vacation) 28/01/08
      22.   YOUTH IS WASTED ON THE YOUNG 05:30  |  NEIL GOLAN 28/01/08
      23.   WANT TO BE FREE! READ THIS 05:33  |  NEIL GOLAN 28/01/08
      24.   IDF Should Say to Arabs , "You Talkin to Me" And Smash the Hell 05:43  |  Joseph . E 28/01/08
      25.   THE ARABS NATIONS MADE IT ISRAEL`S BUSINESS!!!!!!!1 05:43  |  NAJI BENAJI 28/01/08
      26.   WE DID IT! NOT ISRAEL! 05:50  |  NAJI BENAJI 28/01/08
      27.   Israel won`t let Gaza border breach threaten security , 05:52  |  Joseph . E 28/01/08
      28.   Gaza situation 06:21  |  Dudka 28/01/08
      29.   Egypt and the Arab refugee problem. 07:19  |  Harold Lane 28/01/08
      30.   Chutzpah 07:49  |  jj burke 28/01/08
      31.   Joseph E - Disengagement was Sharon`s Idea 08:25  |  Mark of Lewiston 28/01/08
      32.   Abbas TV Broadcasts Daily Call For Ethnic Cleansing of Jews 09:04  |  Joseph . E 28/01/08
      33.   The coming Rafah War 09:48  |  Clickfool 28/01/08
      34.   Fabulous picture of freedom 09:50  |  Clickfool 28/01/08
      35.   Olmert did the RIGHT THING, DING DONG! 09:56  |  The Archives 28/01/08
      36.   Abbas, the Uncle Tom 09:58  |  Clickfool 28/01/08
      37.   PALS have tried it on in Sinai before.02.22.07, 10:05  |  PETER SM 28/01/08
      38.   transfer responsibility? oh, of couse, how convenient. 10:09  |  Julia 28/01/08
      39.   What difference would it make? 10:12  |  Guido 28/01/08
      40.   to Theodor - Zion 10:14  |  Pips 28/01/08
      41.   Thanks for the chuckle, Mossad Fake Clickfool! # 36 10:18  |  Clickfool 28/01/08
      42.   Military genius Clickfool 10:20  |  Stephen in New York 28/01/08
      43.   Israel bad behavior 10:26  |  Dav 28/01/08
      44.   A bit too late! isn`t it? 10:48  |  MiddleStanian 28/01/08
      45.   Israel Creates Conditions for its Own Demise 10:53  |  Lev Bronstein 28/01/08
      46.   ISRAEL`S NATIONAL SECURITY IS IN A GRAVE DANGER 11:03  |  indrajaya 28/01/08
      47.   EGYPT Arresting armed Pals in Sinai.Armed for brotherly peace? 11:05  |  PETER SM 28/01/08
      48.   "BRONSTEIN" Dream on.Israel is getting stronger& more succesful 11:11  |  PETER SM 28/01/08
      49.   INDRAJAYA ISRAEL SECURITY IS FINE. BUT- 11:16  |  PETER SM 28/01/08
      50.   GUIDO"difference"More terrorists,moving more arms,more easily 11:28  |  PETER SM 28/01/08
      51.   Pips 40 11:30  |  ChanahS 28/01/08
      52.   #45 lev - Israel employs other methods than used in Chechnya 11:38  |  Moti 28/01/08
      53.   Peter SM, stop 12:01  |  Marilyn 28/01/08
      54.   #51 12:22  |  Dav 28/01/08
      55.   #7 POP No, Gaza is not occupied by they`d rather be 12:34  |  Conroy 28/01/08
      56.   Who`s responsible...?! 12:45  |  Esther 28/01/08
      57.   Peter SM re #53 the OBTUSE SIREN aka marilyn 13:34  |  CK Tan (trip ending) 28/01/08
      58.   to Chanah S 14:26  |  pips124 28/01/08
      59.   ESTHER Do you take Arabs at their word? What about Hamas? 14:39  |  PETER SM 28/01/08
      60.   So in a years time, freedom for the Palestinians aren`t a threat 15:09  |  George Freeman 28/01/08
      61.   Gaza border 16:52  |  Cyasher 28/01/08
      62.   # 45 Comrad Trotsky - thank you for advice 17:28  |  17 28/01/08
      63.   Abbas and the PA supervise the border? 17:40  |  Zelkha 28/01/08
      64.   #45 faithful to your media 18:03  |  Iz Ray Leigh 28/01/08
      65.   Which thugs, Joseph E? 18:43  |  Murray 28/01/08
      66.   A basic fact of life 19:03  |  Tosefta 28/01/08
      67.   POP YOU ARE VERY WRONG 21:45  |  TOBIA 28/01/08
      68.   #`s 1 and 3,Dutch 21:54  |  Gary 28/01/08
      69.   SHARON MAY HAVE BEEN RIGHT 21:56  |  TOBIA 28/01/08
      70.   CLICKFOOL WHAT STARVATION 22:03  |  TOBIA 28/01/08
      71.