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Last update - 13:07 04/02/2008 Make-believe By Zvi Bar'el Tags: Egypt, Gaza, Hamas, Israel "Gaza is not occupied, so why should Israel have any role [at the Gaza-Egypt border crossing] when it has no presence on the border between Egypt and Gaza?" argued Mohammed Nuseir, a member of Hamas' political bureau, on Saturday. This is an interesting position for several reasons. First, it is the first time an official Hamas representative has explicitly stated that the Gaza Strip is no longer occupied. This means that Hamas will absolve Israel of responsibility for what happens there, as long as Israel no longer actually controls the Gaza-Egypt border. At the same time, it puts Egypt in the difficult position of being Gaza's only outlet to the world - which means that it will also be held responsible for the Strip's economic plight. Advertisement That is exactly what is giving Cairo headaches. Egypt would be happy to serve as a shopping center for 1.5 million Gaza residents and provide them with services that could bring over $1.5 billion a year into its coffers. But it does not want to be responsible for security in Gaza. Its baseline position - that Gaza is occupied territory, and any solution to its problems is inseparable from a solution in the West Bank - remains unchanged. Therefore, Egypt has adopted a policy of pretense. It pretends that there is a responsible government in Gaza with which it is willing to negotiate on opening the border crossings, but refuses to recognize this government as the government of Palestine. It pretends that an open-door policy in Gaza can be isolated from a comprehensive political solution, but insists on the necessity of such a solution. Egypt is not thereby violating any agreements, because it never signed the one made in 2005 concerning the border crossings. The signatories to that pact were Israel, the Palestinian Authority, the European Union and the United States. Yet it is discarding the sanctions against Hamas that the entire Arab world, including Egypt, initially agreed to (but later renounced). Egypt is also embarrassing PA President Mahmoud Abbas: Not only is it undermining his demand that Hamas restore the situation in Gaza to what it was before the organization's military takeover of the Strip in June 2007, but Abbas will now have to join any agreement that Cairo reaches with Hamas, instead of being in sole control of the crossings. This was evident in the statements made by Abbas' aides over the weekend - that they would "applaud Hamas if it manages to obtain a better agreement than the one signed in 2005." No deal was signed at this weekend's Egypt-Hamas talks, but the parties are expected to call another meeting soon, to which PA representatives, and perhaps even Abbas, will be invited. The beginnings of an agreement were already evident yesterday, when Egypt and Hamas cooperated in controlling the flow of traffic through the breached border barrier. Egypt wants to use the border-crossing issue as a lever to promote dialogue between Hamas and Abbas' Fatah faction. But Hamas will now be entering such talks with a big advantage: The border with Egypt will already be open. Bookmark to del.icio.us   Prayer change Pope Benedict XVI nixes a reference to Jews` `blindness` over Jesus in a Catholic prayer. Blind and deaf in Jaffa 'The world's first professional deaf-blind theatre company' takes center stage in Jaffa.   1.   "A policy of pretence" 21:11  |  Rowan Berkeley 04/02/08   2.   Egypt and Gaza 05:58  |  AK 06/02/08

Today Online IAF strike on Hamas police headquarters in Gaza kills seven Responses: 256 Burston: Barack Obama for Prime Minister of Israel Responses: 175 The Israel Factor: Is Obama really pro-Palestinian? Responses: 82 Foreign Min. backs Cairo request to double border forces Responses: 72 Harel & Issacharoff: The 300km problem along Egyptian border Responses: 64 U.K. to fund school trips of understanding to Auschwitz Responses: 102 More Headlines 02:02 IDF kills nine Hamas men in Gaza, Qassams rain on Sderot 01:33 Egypt warns Hamas against provocations on Gaza border 02:51 Gov't task force mulls international presence in Gaza Strip 02:11 Hamas claims responsibility for suicide bombing in Dimona 02:25 Obama strikes first with easy victory over Clinton in Georgia 06:28 Rector of major Ukraine college says 'no such thing as anti-Semitism' 04:57 Winograd panel member: Media distorted report on Second Lebanon War 03:01 Qassams succeed in chasing skilled workers from Sderot factories 00:03 Jordan urges U.S. to pressure Israel to stop Gaza strikes 05:57 Israel no longer the world's 'Mecca' of Jewish studies 06:05 Israeli Arab lecturer told to say he respects students' right to wear IDF uniform 06:03 Court rejects gov't bid to partially control Meron pilgrimage site 00:45 German children's book draws fire for alleged anti-religion bent Previous Editions Select Day 05 feb 04 feb 03 feb 01 feb 31 jan 30 jan 29 jan 28 jan 27 jan 25 jan 24 jan 23 jan

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