CAIRO: Egyptian Ambassador to the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah, Ashraf Akl, said that despite Egypt's recommendations, Hamas' refusal to renew the truce with Israel was a tactical mistake that gave Israel an excuse to launch the offensive on the Gaza strip. In an exclusive telephone interview with Daily News Egypt, Akl commented on the Israeli offensive on Gaza launched 12 days ago, killing over 600 Palestinians and wounding thousands. In Gaza, the situation is severe, communication lines and electricity have been cut, there is no gas and more than 1,000 homes have been destroyed as well as buildings belonging to the Palestinian authority and charity organizations, schools and mosques. Akl describes what is happening in Gaza as a humanitarian crisis and a genocide targeting Palestinians "because the rockets that are being fired target innocent civilians, he said. As the Egyptian ambassador, Akl lived in Gaza for a year and half before Hamas seized control of the Strip on June 14, 2007. However he stresses that Fatah has always fought alongside Hamas against Israeli aggression and that any allegations of Fatah support for the war on Gaza are mere rumors seeking to foment divisions between the Palestinian factions. He further emphasized the need for Palestinian unity to face the current aggression. "Israeli missiles don't differentiate between Hamas and Fatah but target the territory that many of us consider sacred, Akl said. On Tuesday, a Hamas delegation arrived to Cairo to hold talks with Egyptian officials on ways to end the violence. Akl sees Syria as a possible influence on Hamas. He argues that since the Hamas leadership and decision-making authority is in Syria and is influenced by Iran, the Syrians could use their connections with Hamas to reach a ceasefire agreement. "Syria could exercise pressure on Hamas leadership to respond to the initiative made by Egypt and the international community, he said. The Egyptian initiative according to Akl, consists of ending the Israeli offensive, renewing the truce which ended on Dec. 19, ending the blockade on Gaza and regulating the terms for opening the borders. He also argues that in the eyes of the international community, Egypt is the only country competent enough to resolve the conflict because it has been handling the Palestinian- Israeli issue for 60 years. He added that peace in Gaza is part of Egypt's national security because its Rafah border is the only one not controlled by Israel. "Egypt is strategically positioned in this conflict and has to be supported by Arab countries in order to make progress, he said. Akl reiterated official statements that Egypt had opened the Rafah crossing since the first day of the Israeli offensive. He said that more that 400 tons of medical supplies in addition to other food supplies entered Gaza and that more than 150 people were being treated in Egyptian hospitals in Al- Arish, Suez, Ismailia and Cairo. He added that the crossing was only closed in extreme cases, preventing the Israeli attacks on the Palestinian side of Rafah. "The Rafah crossing issue is a complicated one because Egypt was not part of the crossings agreements of 2005, he said. Responding to popular demand to recall the Egyptian Ambassador to Israel, Akl believes that this will not solve the problem because an ambassador is an essential medium for diplomacy. Regarding the recent controversy surrounding Egyptian gas exports to Israel, Akl said that the deal was between private companies and is not related to the government. "It could be a possible pressure card but at the same time contracts were signed and halting gas exports will burden the Egyptian company with financial penalties, he said. "Stopping the exports and recalling the ambassador won't end the conflict because Israel is following its own policies, he added. Akl says that the severe situation in Gaza will only change after the UN Security Council's emergency meeting which will hopefully impose a ceasefire. He added that violence won't lead to a new order and even if it does it will only be temporary because the Palestinian issue is on top of the Arab Agenda. "Israel will never be able to erase the Palestinian cause, he said. Arab states have as yet not agreed to hold an emergency summit to discuss the crisis in Gaza.
