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Last update - 00:00 07/02/2008
EU envoy warns Gaza could become the next Somalia
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: israel, hamas, european union 

Israel's policies in the Gaza Strip are likely to turn the territory into Somalia, European Union special envoy to the Middle East Marc Otte told Haaretz on Thursday in an interview.

"Israel's tactics in the Gaza Strip did not work," Otte said. "The blockade and the sanctions against the population failed, and only strengthened Hamas and weakened [Prime Minister Salam] Fayyad and [President Mahmoud Abbas] Abu Mazen."

Otte added that "the implications of Israeli activity may be that Gaza becomes Somalia."
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This week Otte met with senior Egyptian officials in Cairo to discuss the breached border of the Gaza Strip along the Philadelphi Route. Her then came to Israel for talks with Defense and Foreign Ministry officials.

Otte expressed concern that Israel is still uncertain how to deal with the new situation that has emerged along the border, and described some of the ideas the Egyptians are proposing for resolving the crisis.

"There has been a significant change in the Egyptian appreciation of the severity of the problem at Rafah," Otte said.

Otte says that President Hosni Mubarak and Egypt's Intelligence Chief, Omar Suleiman, are interested in a "package deal" that will bring about a more general settlement to the border situation between Israel and Egypt, and Israel and the Gaza Strip.

According to the Egyptian plan, there would be a renewed opening of the Rafah crossing along the lines of the previous agreement, intensive efforts to curb smuggling, and Israeli support for Fayyad's plan to transfer control over the Karni and Sufa crossings to the Palestinian Authority.

The EU envoy says that Israel's blockade of the Gaza Strip was central to the breach in the border by Hamas.

"The pressure on the population did not cause them to throw Hamas to the sea," he said. "The blockade and its results did not harm Hamas, only made things more complex for Israel and Egypt and created unnecessary tension between the two states."

"It is time for Israel to decide what it wants to do," Otte said. "I believe that Israel needs to agree to the Fayyad plan, because this will put the pressure on Hamas, forcing them to decide whether to continue preventing the opening of the crossings.
"Israel needs to understand that it will not get anything better than Salam Fayyad. I understand that the army and the Shin Bet are worried about security in the short term, but they must look a little forward and this is the role of the leadership," Otte said.

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      1.   somalia 02:14  |  Shmuelshachor 07/02/08
      2.   In other words, you will not get anything better than nothing 02:24  |  McQueen 07/02/08
      3.   Moronic EU envoy, rather blame those who cause the terror 02:32  |  Johnny 07/02/08
      4.   Obvious Bias of Otte 02:40  |  Slibovitz 07/02/08
      5.   Palestinians Deserve the Consequences of Whatever They Choose 02:50  |  Efox 07/02/08
      6.   Blame the Victim 03:13  |  Anti-terrorist 07/02/08
      7.   EU Brown nosing has been one long failure. 03:49  |  PETER SM 07/02/08
      8.   Silence of the lamb 03:56  |  Elimelech 07/02/08
      9.   Message to EU: Hamas was elected 04:22  |  B (The other one) 07/02/08
      10.   Look like Somalia? It is! See who governs? 04:41  |  Cristo 07/02/08
      11.   Pipe dreams 04:57  |  Baz Mann 07/02/08
      12.   eu envoy knows nothing is a brainless dodo. offers no insight or 05:16  |  ralph 07/02/08
      13.   eu policies and words directly responsible for affairs in gaza 05:17  |  ralph 07/02/08
      14.   He is right 05:42  |  Bob 07/02/08
      15.   Funny he should mention Somalia! 05:46  |  Polybios 07/02/08
      16.   Somalia could become the next Gaza 07:23  |  Butch 07/02/08
      17.   This is what I have been saying all along 08:05  |  Natallie Durson 07/02/08
      18.   Modern war? 08:13  |  Harold Lane 07/02/08
      19.   Call it by its name: Genocide 08:20  |  French citizen 07/02/08
      20.   ever the UN 08:22  |  David 07/02/08
      21.   how do bloody idiots get jobs in the un? 08:30  |  v ictor hardman 07/02/08
      22.   EU Has Strengthened Hamas - But Livni,Olmert Too Weak To Say It 08:32  |  Tod Zuckerman 07/02/08
      23.   Focus on Gaza: What About Israel 08:55  |  Brad 07/02/08
      24.   Israels behaviour concerning Gaza reminds of ... 09:03  |  Andreas 07/02/08
      25.   EU Envoy, put the blame where it belongs 09:25  |  Cipora Julianna Kohn 07/02/08
      26.   Policies do not make Hamas popular in Gaza 09:28  |  De 07/02/08
      27.   Arabs-Muslims Inhuman Politics Turned Gaza Into Somalia 09:42  |  Joseph . E 07/02/08
      28.   Israel and the Vulture 10:19  |  Joseph E . post 1 07/02/08
      29.   Israel and the Vulture 10:25  |  Joseph E . post 2 07/02/08
      30.   Israel and the Vulture 10:26  |  Joseph E . Post 3 07/02/08
      31.   Natallie Durson,why you support Islamo-Fascists of Hamas? 10:41  |  Vlad 07/02/08
      32.   GIVE GAZA BACK TO EGYPT! 11:04  |  US CITIZEN 07/02/08
      33.   Total and abject failure 11:07  |  Outsider 07/02/08
      34.   The failure of the blockade was entirely predictable 11:08  |  S 07/02/08
      35.   Who is this guy kidding? 11:15  |  MaryRose 07/02/08
      36.   EU 12:06  |  Serge 07/02/08
      37.   Johnny # 3 12:32  |  Walter 07/02/08
      38.   efox in 12:34  |  Rich 07/02/08
      39.   Peter SM # 7 12:37  |  Jean 07/02/08
      40.   natalie durson 12:39  |  Jack 07/02/08
      41.   Mary Rose 12:42  |  Patricia 07/02/08
      42.   isreals failed policy 13:32  |  danny 07/02/08
      43.   As long as there will be mass starvation and death I`m all for it 13:40  |  Jew 07/02/08
      44.   37 Jew 16:20  |  jose marcio 07/02/08
      45.   problem easily solved: nuke gaza 19:16  |  frenz 07/02/08
      46.   Somalia 22:14  |  leroy 07/02/08
      47.   men vs. cowards 09:14  |  mike honcho 08/02/08
      48.   re: Rich 09:58  |  Efox 08/02/08
      49.   re: frenz 01:19  |  Efox 13/02/08
      50.   re: mike honcho 01:23  |  Efox 13/02/08
      51.   re: S 03:39  |  Efox 14/02/08
      52.   gaza next somalia 10:26  |  jacqueline yaffe 21/02/08
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