CAIRO: Egypt on Tuesday rejected an Israeli proposal that would put full responsibility of the Gaza Strip on the Egyptian government. It comes less than a month after Israeli troops stormed boats attempting to break the seige on Gaza and deliver economic aid to the 1.5 Palestinians living in Gaza. Israel has long refused to end an economic blockade against the Gaza Strip – in place since June 2007 after Hamas ousted rival Palestinian party Fatah from the small Mediterranean enclave. The proposal by Israel would have made Egypt entirely responsible for the economic well-being of Gaza, but would not have seen Israel lift their own blockade on the area. It is all part of Israel attempting to dissolve itself of Gaza and disengage, an Israeli Foreign Minister official said on Thursday morning. The official added that the government “was seeking a solution that would disengage Israel from involvement in the Gaza Strip and was requested by Prime Minister Netanyahu.” It isn't happening, said Hossam Zaki, Egypt's Foreign Ministry spokesman. He said in a statement to Bikya Masr that Egypt would not allow Israel to reduce its responsibility over the humanitarian problems that have arisen from its blockade. “This kind of talk confirms what we have been saying for years, which is that there is official Israeli thought which aims to evade responsibility for the Gaza Strip and dump it on Egypt,” a spokesperson for the foreign ministry in Cairo said. If Egypt had accepted, Israel would have closed all of its crossings into Gaza – which are basically closed today despite promises from Israel to allow certain goods into the area – and would have given Egypt the sole responsibility of having an open border with the Gaza Strip through the Rafah Border Crossing. This would have meant Egypt would be the only way for Palestinians to enter or leave Gaza and goods could only go to and from Palestinians via Egypt. “Egypt confirms that Gaza is an integral part of the occupied Palestinian territories, and of the future Palestinian state. There is no room to talk or think of it as anything else,” the spokesperson added. The Rafah border has been largely open since the Flotilla incident that saw at least 9 activists killed by Israel troops. Egypt opened the border as a protest against Israeli action and the harsh criticism from the Arab world over Egypt's position on Gaza. Egypt is also in the process of completing a steel wall along the Gaza-Egypt border that attempts to curtail illegal smuggling tunnels that Israel says allows weapons and ammunition into Gaza. However, Palestinians argue the tunnels are used as a means of getting the basic necessities into the Strip such as cooking oil, bread and other essential foodstuffs needed to survive. BM
