Egypt rejects idea of Israel waiving responsibility for Gaza

[bemildred]

A top Egyptian official said Thursday that Egypt's border with Gaza would go back to normal, and strongly rejected the idea - floated by Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai - that Israel might relinquish all responsibility for the troubled Gaza Strip.

"This is a wrong assumption," Hossam Zaki, the official spokesman for Egypt's foreign ministry, said of Israeli hints that it was thinking of giving up all responsibility for Gaza including supplying electricity, now that the territory's southern border with Egypt is open. "The current situation is only an exception and for temporary reasons, Zaki said. "The border will go back to normal."

Meanwhile, Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Thursday called on Gazans not to clash with Egyptian security forces guarding the border, a day after ilitants smashed the frontier fence and flooded into Egypt.

"We reject attempts to create crisis with Egyptian security forces in Rafah," Mubarak said. "We know very well our national security considerations. We will not give them up and we will not let anyone harm them or attempt to harm them."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/947858.html

[Vegasaurus]

1. The Gazans are NOT Israel's responsibility

let the gates be open to Egypt and beyond.

If the Egyptians don't want an open border (which they clearly are indicating now, after only 24 hours), why do they think Israel has to open theirs? That's called crazy thinking.

Let the rest of the Arab world come in and help. After all they surely use the Gazans as pawns for their political agendas often enough.

[Violet_Crumble]

3. Where did the Egyptians say Israel has to have an open border?

They didn't...

btw, Israel and the US are putting pressure on Egypt to close the border so the blockade of most if not all day to day necessities for the population of Gaza can continue. It seems you and Israel are in disagreement on this one...

[Vegasaurus]

4. Wrong there Vi

"The breach of the border gave Israel an opportunity to renew a longstanding suggestion that Egypt assume responsibility for Gaza's 1.5 million residents -- an idea that drew immediate objections from the Egyptian government.

"When Gaza is open to the other side, we lose responsibility for it," Israeli Deputy Defense Minister Matan Vilnai said in a statement released by his aides, according to news agencies. "So we want to disconnect from it.

"We want to stop supplying electricity to them, stop supplying them with water and medicine, so it would come from another place," said Vilnai, a member of Israel's Labor Party, which has favored negotiations with Palestinians and the emergence of a Palestinian state in Gaza and the West Bank.

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2008/01/25/AR2008012500938_2.html?sid=ST2008012501273

THe fact that Egypt wants to relinquish any and all responsibility is very interesting. Where's the international outrage at Egypt?

[patch1234]

2. Gaza has a seacoast

trade with Israel and/or Egypt
is unnecessary