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Egyptian soldiers putting up barbed wire Monday to restore the barrier between theb Egyptian and Gazan halves of Rafah. (AP_)
Last update - 00:52 29/01/2008
Abbas wins int'l backing for PA control at Egypt-Gaza border
By Haaretz Service and News Agencies
Tags: Egypt, Israel, Rafah, Gaza

Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas won European, American and Arab backing on Monday for taking control of Gaza's breached border with Egypt, intensifying his power struggle with the Hamas Islamists who rule the enclave.

U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice on Monday signaled American support for Abbas' forces taking charge of the border.

Rice said a Palestinian Authority presence might help bring "some order" to the Rafah border crossing between the two since hundreds of thousands of Palestinians flooded across after Hamas militants blew up part of the border last week.
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"There would be many details that would have to be worked out and I can't comment on any specific detail because this is obviously a very complex -- would be a very complex operation in itself," Rice told reporters when asked whether Washington supported Abbas' forces taking charge of the border.

"But we have said that in concept it should be supported and that the parties should look to see if that might be one way to handle the situation," she said at a news conference after meeting Australia's foreign minister.

Egypt said on Monday it wanted Palestinian Authority forces under Abbas to control its border crossing with the Gaza Strip, thus excluding Hamas which has run the coastal territory since its takeover in June.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit told the European Union and the United States it was important that Israel cooperate with the efforts to control the border crossings "through the deployment of the Palestinian Authority (forces) and ... European Union monitors," a foreign ministry statement said.

"Aboul Gheit stressed in his messages and calls that Egypt was determined to carry out a gradual control of the Egyptian border with the Gaza Strip and bring the situation back to the acceptable condition," ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki said in the statement.

The EU said on Monday it would consider returning monitors to the crossing.

Hamas: Abbas proposal to take border is 'Israeli-led' plot
Hamas spokesman Sami Abu-Zuhri reacted angrily to Cairo's endorsement of Abbas's proposal, calling it an "Israeli-led international conspiracy with the participation of some regional parties."

"We tell all parties that we will not allow the return of old conditions at the crossing," Abu-Zuhri said.

Hamas, which drove Abbas's forces out of the coastal strip in June, said on Sunday it had assurance from Egypt that Cairo was not committed to a 2005 border deal that gave Abbas control over the crossing.

Both Abbas and Hamas political leader Khaled Meshal are expected in Cairo this week to discuss the issue with Egyptian officials.

Arab foreign ministers meeting in an emergency session in Cairo on Sunday welcomed Abbas's proposal to take control of the border.

Hamas, Egypt cooperate in resealing Gaza border

Meanwhile, Egyptian security forces and Hamas militants strung barbed wire across one of the breaches in the border Monday in a sign that a six-day opening of the Gaza-Sinai border may finally be reaching its conclusion.

Three trucks of Egyptian security forces pulled up to the Brazil gate and
strung wire across this entry point into Egypt. They were aided by half a
dozen bearded and uniformed Hamas militants from the other side of the border.

At the main Salah Eddin gate, meanwhile, Palestinian and Egyptian security forces manned the crossing points, stopping civilian cars and letting trucks through, while pedestrians scoured the nearly empty stores for food and consumer products to take back to the Gaza Strip with them in fear of an imminent border reclosing.

"I said no Gazan cars with civilian plates can go through, only cars with truck plates are allowed, do not argue with me, the orders have changed from above," one security guard told a man trying to ferry his Egyptian mother back across the border.

Six days after Hamas blew holes in the border wall with Egypt to effectively end an Israeli blockade and sent hundreds of thousands of Palestinians across the border in a shopping frenzy, authorities in the region were still struggling to come up with a new system to administer the border.

The EU is considering the possibility of sending its monitors back to Gaza's border with Egypt, provided there are assurances they will not be at risk in the Hamas-run territory, EU officials said on Monday. However, any such move seems remote for the time being, the officials said.

Meanwhile, Defense Minister Ehud Barak said Monday that the Gaza crossings will remain closed, except for small amounts of fuel and humanitarian aid.

Egyptian storekeepers, despite the financial windfall of the past few days, expressed worry over the continuing flow of Palestinians into their stores, in light of an apparent government decision to halt the resupply shipments.

"Since I opened this shop more than 20 years ago, I haven't seen such a chaotic situation, if this keeps up, the Egyptians in Rafah will be starving to death," said Mohammed Barahmah, 60, who owns one of the biggest grocery shops in downtown Rafah, near the main crossing point.

"This is terrible, (Egyptian) Rafah will turn into Gaza, there will be nothing to buy and if there was it would be ten times the price."

He said he has ordered five shipments from Cairo, only one of which made it anywhere near Rafah, while the rest stopped at the Suez Canal bridge. Outside Rafah, lines of trucks with Cairo plates could be seen stopped at checkpoints and being sent back to the capital.

Security officials in Cairo, speaking on customary condition of anonymity, denied any shipments to Rafah were being blocked.

On the Gazan side, a dozen blue-camouflaged Hamas security guards armed with assault rifles deployed by the gate and began stopping civilian cars from entering Egypt, allowing through only trucks to carry back more supplies.

The sharing arrangement was brokered by U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in 2005 - nearly two years before Hamas took over the area and ousted the Palestinian Authority of moderate President Mahmoud Abbas.

"We have to commit to the standing international agreement, Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit told reporters Sunday after meeting with Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad in Cairo.

But Hamas wants a new Rafah security scheme, calling the old one a piece of history.

"This agreement has become part of past history, and the Palestinian people will not accept turning back to the old procedure," said Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza City.

Hamas says its main objection to the old system is that Israel uses cameras and computers to track everyone who passes in and out of Gaza, even though Israel pulled its citizens out of the strip in summer 2005.

"We don't accept a continued Israeli veto on the movement, the exit and entry through Rafah," Hamas leader Ismail Haniyeh said Sunday.

Related articles:
  • Israel demands that Egypt restore order at Gaza-Egypt border
  • Hamas takes control at frontier as 200000 Gazans enter Egypt
  • Report: Egypt arrests dozens of armed Palestinians in Sinai
  • Officials: Israel won't let Gaza border breach threaten security
  • Iran says it is close to resuming ties with Egypt cut in 1979
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      1.   Interesting the Egyptians sent back the Trucks with needed food? 14:00  |  Doc Holliday 28/01/08
      2.   The Israeli government cannot help but shoot themselves in the he 14:01  |  Paul Wood 28/01/08
      3.   PWOOD.EGYPT /Hamas is sealing the border.Did you miss it? 14:48  |  PETER SM 28/01/08
      4.   Delivery everything through Egypt 14:59  |  AJ 28/01/08
      5.   #2 Paul and his wooden head 15:00  |  Hastaroth 28/01/08
      6.   Paul Wood - Israel government etc 15:26  |  George Fink 28/01/08
      7.   Egypt plays with fire 16:07  |  Mawloud Ould Daddah 28/01/08
      8.   Israel should cut and run, fast! 18:30  |  Space 28/01/08
      9.   On the seventh day, Egypt closed the border.! 18:37  |  Stephen. 28/01/08
      10.   Typical Arab negotiations; agree on an issue only to reneg and 18:38  |  Taszilo 28/01/08
      11.   SO MUCH FOR FREEDOM 18:47  |  JH 28/01/08
      12.   Makes Sense 19:13  |  Ahmose The Egyptian 28/01/08
      13.   It doesn`t matter who controls the gaza side of the border. 19:53  |  Voice of Reason 28/01/08
      14.   #10 Taszilo 20:06  |  Space 28/01/08
      15.   much surprised that u.s/e.u/idf was able to 20:37  |  bozhidar balkas 28/01/08
      16.   #12 ahmose the egyptian 20:39  |  malone 28/01/08
      17.   #11 - Shouting JH 20:44  |  Jon 28/01/08
      18.   The borders. 21:06  |  Vital 28/01/08
      19.   The fantasy world of Middle East politics 21:40  |  Clickfool 28/01/08
      20.   To Malone #16 21:49  |  Ahmose The Egyptian 28/01/08
      21.   Ahmose - what a quaint name 21:57  |  Mark Lincoln 28/01/08
      22.   EU monitors 22:02  |  B 28/01/08
      23.   George Fink # 6 22:10  |  Bill H. 28/01/08
      24.   Egypt : PA could bring us USD 7.5b, Hamas barely USD 1b 22:27  |  avigdor 28/01/08
      25.   JON # 17 ISRAELIS ARE THE TERRORISTS 22:43  |  JH 28/01/08
      26.   Naive 22:50  |  Chris 28/01/08
      27.   #19 i am in severe shock i agree with boris the clucking fool ? 23:25  |  v hardman 28/01/08
      28.   JH - now Arabs are conquering Arab lands 23:27  |  Avi 28/01/08
      29.   What is left is for him to actually relocate to Sinai 23:29  |  Sal 28/01/08
      30.   Ahmose #20 - questions, and no answers ...yet 23:47  |  Polybios 28/01/08
      31.   Give the border crossing to the U.S. 23:53  |  Rudy 28/01/08
      32.   How nice for Israel: Gaza ghetto will have its Judenrat 23:54  |  Chalanau, Tova 28/01/08
      33.   Everyone need a skill of some kind 23:57  |  Gideon Reader 28/01/08
      34.   Avi #28 - a bit more, too 00:06  |  Polybios 29/01/08
      35.   To Mark Lincoln #21 00:07  |  Ahmose The Egyptian 29/01/08
      36.   HAMAS cooperation in closing border 00:20  |  Reid 29/01/08
      37.   Why Gaza doesn`t look like Bangladesh 00:20  |  DJStahl 29/01/08
      38.   Hamas has pissed off fellow Arabs 00:24  |  Avi 29/01/08
      39.   To Polybios #29 00:43  |  Ahmose The Egyptian 29/01/08
      40.   Paul, Israeli`s do not like Olmerts crew either 00:44  |  Avi 29/01/08
      41.   hello 00:47  |  Noha 29/01/08
      42.   #28 JH 00:47  |  Jon 29/01/08
      43.   Gaza Strip and metrics 00:48  |  DJStahl 29/01/08
      44.   COULD WEST BANK WALL BE NEXT 00:48  |  Mike Ali 29/01/08
      45.   Mike Ali 01:01  |  Edifice 29/01/08
      46.   A Gazan Palestinian mum and her 12 year old son. 01:05  |  Maureen Ann 29/01/08
      47.   #46 Maureen Ann - Very touching 01:45  |  * BEN JABO 29/01/08
      48.   Abbas at Egypt border 02:38  |  Joe Hill 29/01/08
      49.   Naive politicians.... 02:43  |  MaryRose 29/01/08
      50.   Paul Wood 04:00  |  George W. Bush 29/01/08
      51.   Paul Wood Part 2 04:04  |  George W. Bush 29/01/08
      52.   Maureen Australia Tova U.K. 04:11  |  George W. Bush 29/01/08
      53.   The Group of Geniuses Here 04:16  |  George W. Bush 29/01/08
      54.   Leave The Border Open 04:54  |  Al 29/01/08
      55.   #53 Historic first - I agree w/ GW Bush 04:56  |  MaryRose 29/01/08
      56.   #53 GWB 04:58  |  Fadhil 29/01/08
      57.   #George W. Bush - Grandson of Prescott Bush. 05:33  |  Maureen Ann 29/01/08
      58.   Realism, humanism or politics. 08:53  |  Harold Lane 29/01/08
      59.   The Gaza Strip must become part of Egypt and the West Bank part 09:19  |  Roger 29/01/08
      60.   Abbas the Zionist Stooge and Lackey 09:20  |  Goyim 29/01/08
      61.   Go on Abbas, march your troups to the Gaza/Egypt border 10:28  |  Judith, Haifa 29/01/08
      62.   Mad as a bag of spanners 10:30  |  Clickfool 29/01/08
      63.   "Some Order" 10:50  |  Clickfool 29/01/08
      64.   #53, GWB 11:35  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 29/01/08
      65.   Terror Abbas tunnels smuggling are too claustrophobic 11:40  |  Joseph . E 29/01/08
      66.   #61, Judith, Haifa, the symbolism is crucial 11:40  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 29/01/08
      67.   #63 Clickfool 11:48  |  H 29/01/08
      68.