Egypt reopens Rafah border with Gaza
by Adel Zaanoun – 11:30AM MAY 28,11
RAFAH, Palestinian Territories (AFP) – Egypt on Saturday reopened its Rafah border crossing with Gaza, allowing people to cross freely for the first time in four years, in a move hailed by Hamas but criticised by Israel.Among the first to cross were two ambulances ferrying patients from the hitherto-blockaded Gaza Strip for treatment in Egypt, as well as a minibus carrying a dozen visitors.A total of around 200 Gazans crossed by early afternoon.The crossing is to open to people for eight hours a day from 9:00 am, apart from holidays and Fridays, giving Gazans a gateway to the world as Rafah is the only crossing which does not pass through Israel.Under the long-awaited change, which excludes the flow of goods, people under the age of 18 or older than 40 require only a visa to pass, but men between 18 and 40 still need security clearance, officials said.Jamal Nijem, 53, whose wife and daughter live in his spouse's native Egypt, was among hundreds who flocked to the border post, but he was unsure whether he would be allowed to cross.I came here three years ago to rejoin my family but my Egyptian residency permit had run out because of frequent closures of the crossing, and the security services barred me from going back,he said.
Commercial traffic will continue to have to pass through border points with Israel to enter the impoverished Palestinian enclave.According to an official in charge of administrative procedures on the Palestinian side of the terminal,the process is going without a hitch, and we are providing the facilities for travellers to pass quickly and comfortably.On the Egyptian side, an official said: We are going to do everything possible to ease the passage of our Palestinian brothers, and we hope procedures will be simplified further in due course.Aman Mahdi, 21, said she hopes her husband will be able to accompany her to Malaysia for medical treatment.I've been trying in vain for four months to travel. I am registered, but there have not been any concrete results due to a lack of coordination with the Egyptian authorities. I hope this time we can finally leave,she said.Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi announced in April that the crossing would reopen permanently, stressing this would help ease the blockade imposed by Israel.The border has remained largely shut since June 2006 when Israel imposed a tight blockade on Gaza after Palestinian militants snatched Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit, who is still being held.The blockade was tightened a year later when the Islamist movement Hamas seized control of the territory, ousting forces loyal to the Western-backed Palestinian Authority.The United Nations has called the blockade illegal and repeatedly demanded it be lifted.The decision to permanently reopen the Rafah crossing came more than three months after former Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak resigned under pressure following 18 days of massive street protests against his rule.It was hailed by Hamas and the European Union, but Israel has greeted the news with trepidation.
Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhum said on Thursday the move was a courageous and responsible decision which falls in line with Palestinian and Egyptian public opinion.The European Union said it was in consultations with Egypt, the Palestinians and Israel about returning its team of advisers to monitor activity along the frontier.But Israel expressed concern, with Home Front Defence Minister Matan Vilnai telling public radio it would create a very problematic situation.The opening follows an April 27 unity accord between rival factions Hamas and the Fatah party of Palestinian Authority leader Mahmud Abbas that was signed in the Egyptian capital.
Israeli NGO Gisha, which campaigns for freedom of movement for Palestinians, said that over the past year an average of 19,000 people a month used the crossing, just 47 percent of the number who used it in the first half of 2006.
Egypt permanently opens Gaza border crossing
By IBRAHIM BARZAK, Associated Press – MAY 28,11
RAFAH, Gaza Strip – Egypt lifted a four-year-old blockade on the Gaza Strip's main link to the outside world Saturday, bringing relief to the crowded territory's 1.5 million Palestinians but deepening a rift with Israel since the ouster of President Hosni Mubarak earlier this year.The Egyptian move will allow thousands of Gazans to move freely in and out of the area — heightening Israeli fears that militants and weapons could easily reach its doorstep.Israel and Egypt imposed the blockade after the Islamic militant Hamas seized control of Gaza in June 2007. The closure, which also included tight Israeli restrictions at its cargo crossings with Gaza and a naval blockade, was meant to weaken Hamas, but it also fueled an economic crisis in the densely populated territory.Hundreds of Gazans gathered early Saturday as the first bus load of passengers crossed the border at 9 a.m. Two Egyptian officers stood guard next to a large Egyptian flag atop the border gate as the vehicle rumbled through.Rami Arafat, 52, was among the earliest arrivals. He said he hoped to catch a flight out of Cairo on Sunday to Algeria for his daughter's wedding.
All we need is to travel like humans, be treated with dignity, and feel like any other citizens of the world who can travel in and out freely,Arafat said. He said he believed the relaxing of travel restrictions will guarantee more support from all Arabs and Palestinians for the new Egyptian regime.Nearby, 28-year-old Khaled Halaweh said he was headed to Egypt to study for a master's degree in engineering at Alexandria University.The closure did not affect only the travel of passengers or the flowing of goods. Our brains and our thoughts were under blockade, said Halaweh, who said he hadn't been out of Gaza for seven years.Until Saturday, the Rafah border terminal had functioned at a limited capacity. Only certain classes of people, such as students, businessmen or medical patients, were eligible to travel and the crossing was often subject to closures, leading to huge backlogs that forced people to wait for months.Under the new system, most restrictions are being lifted, and a much larger number of Palestinians are expected to be able to cross each day.Inside the border terminal Saturday, the atmosphere was orderly, as Hamas police called up passengers one by one to register their travel documents.After 5 1/2 hours of operation, terminal officials said 340 people had crossed from Gaza into Egypt. None were forced to return, a departure from the past when Egypt had rejected passengers found to be on blacklists.Another 150 people crossed from Egypt into Gaza.Today is a cornerstone for a new era that we hope will pave the road to ending the siege and blockade on Gaza,said Hatem Awideh, director general of the Hamas border authority in Gaza.We hope this facilitation by our Egyptian brothers will improve travel and will allow everyone to leave Gaza.
One after another buses crossed Rafah, pulling blue carts behind them with luggage piled high. Inside the terminal, many waited with high hopes.One woman, who gave her name as Aisha, said she was headed for a long overdue medical checkup in Cairo. She underwent surgery for blocked arteries at a Cairo hospital in October, but Egyptian authorities had prevented her from returning for checkups because a distant relative was caught — and killed — operating a smuggling tunnel on the Gaza-Egypt border. During the four-year blockade, a thriving smuggling business has grown along the border.Salama Baraka, head of police at the Rafah terminal on the Gaza side, said travel has been limited to about 300 passengers a day under the old system. He said it was unclear how many people would pass through Saturday, but that officials hoped to get about three days' worth of people, or roughly 900, across.About 100 Hamas supporters marched with Palestinian and Egyptian flags outside the border terminal in a gesture of gratitude to Egypt.This courageous step by Egypt reflects the deep historic relations between the Palestinian and Egyptian nations, said Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zahri. We hope this will be a step in the long process to end the blockade imposed on Gaza.The new system will not resolve Gazans' travel woes completely.While Egypt has dropped its restrictions on who can travel, bureaucratic obstacles remain. Men between the ages of 18 and 40 will have to apply for Egyptian visas, a process that can take weeks. Women, children and older men need easier-to-obtain travel permits, which can be obtained in several days.Israel, which controls Gaza's cargo crossings, allows most consumer goods into Gaza, but it still restricts exports as well as the entry of much-needed construction materials, saying they could be used by militants. Israel also enforces a naval blockade aimed at weapons smuggling.Israeli and American officials have expressed concerns that Hamas will exploit the opening to bring weapons and fighters into Gaza. In January 2008, masked militants blew open the Rafah border wall, allowing thousands of people to pour in and out of Egypt.Egyptian officials say they have security measures in place to keep weapons from crossing through Rafah.
Hamas has long used tunnels to get arms into Gaza. Gaza militants now have military-grade rockets that have hit cities in southern Israel.Amos Gilad, a senior Israeli Defense Ministry official, told Channel 2 TV Friday that Israel's primary concern is that military training personnel could cross to instruct Hamas fighters.
One trainer who tells them how to set up the rockets and how to use them is equal to a large quantity of weapons,Gilad said.Egypt's decision to open the border is also meant to boost an Egyptian-mediated unity deal between the rival Palestinian factions Hamas and Fatah. Hamas has governed Gaza since routing Fatah forces in 2007, leaving the Fatah-dominated Palestinian Authority in control only of the West Bank.Last month, the Egyptian regime brokered a reconciliation deal. With details still being worked out, Hamas will be in charge of the Palestinian side of the Rafah crossing, but Egypt coordinated the opening with the Palestinian leadership in the West Bank, said Yaser Afnan, Egypt's ambassador in the West Bank.
Arab League chief backs U.N. path for Palestinians
By Ali Sawafta – MAY 28,11
DOHA (Reuters) – The head of the Arab League said on Saturday the Palestinians should seek U.N. recognition for their statehood in September because negotiations with Israel have proven futile.The sound path is going to the United Nations and political struggle, Amr Moussa told Reuters.He was speaking in Doha, where Arab League member states were to meet later on Saturday to discuss Palestinian options in the wake of major policy speeches by U.S. President Barack Obama and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Moussa said a vision presented by Netanyahu in a speech to the U.S. Congress this week had amounted to a series of no's.I believe that negotiations have become futile in light of all of these no's. What will you negotiate on? Moussa said, referring to the Netanyahu speech which the Palestinians said put more obstacles in the path of the moribund peace process.Netanyahu said he was willing to make concessions for peace but repeated terms long rejected by the Palestinians, including an insistence that they recognize Israel as a Jewish state and accept Israel keeping settlement blocs in the occupied West Bank.Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, in Doha for the meeting of the Arab League's peace process committee, said this week he would seek U.N. recognition for Palestinian statehood if there was no breakthrough in the peace process by September.The Palestinians currently have the status of U.N. observers without voting rights, but are hoping that at September's General Assembly they can persuade other nations to accept them as a sovereign member.Both Netanyahu and Obama have criticized the move, and although U.S. opposition means the Palestinians have very little chance of success, the Israelis fear the maneuvering will leave them looking increasingly vulnerable on the diplomatic front.
U.S.-brokered talks between the Palestinians and Israel broke down last September in a dispute over continued Jewish settlement building in the West Bank.In a bid to break the deadlock, Obama said in a major policy speech last week that a future Palestinian state should be based on the borders as they existed on the eve of the 1967 Middle East, with land swaps mutually agreed with Israel.Israel captured the West Bank, East Jerusalem and the Gaza Strip in that war.Netanyahu immediately rejected Obama's proposal saying it would leave Israel with indefensible borders. Abbas described the idea as a foundation with which we can deal positively.(Writing by Tom Perry; editing by Mark Heinrich)
Palestinians have no wish to isolate Israel: Abbas
By Ali Sawafta – Sat May 28, 5:34 am ET
DOHA (Reuters) – Palestinians are not seeking to isolate Israel on the international stage, but will pursue their unilateral drive for U.N. recognition of statehood unless peace talks resume, President Mahmoud Abbas said on Friday.He was in Doha for a meeting of Arab states on Saturday called to discuss President Barack Obama's latest ideas for reviving the moribund peace process and Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's negative response to them.The Arab League will almost certainly endorse any suggestions put forward by the Palestinians, and in an interview with Reuters, Abbas said negotiations remained the best option for bringing about the creation of an independent state.We will review ... the steps we will take -- persisting with negotiations as the fundamental way to achieving a resolution, Abbas said.If we fail in reaching this solution, then we confirm that we will go to the United Nations.The Palestinians currently have the status of U.N. observers without voting rights, but are hoping that at September's General Assembly they can persuade other nations to accept them as a sovereign member.Both Netanyahu and Obama have criticized the move, and although U.S. opposition means the Palestinians have very little chance of success, the Israelis fear the maneuvering will leave them looking increasingly vulnerable on the diplomatic front.Israel believes that if we go to the United Nations we will work to isolate it and delegitimise it,Abbas said.This is not at all possible because we do not want to isolate Israel or to delegitimise it. On the contrary, we want to co-exist with it,he added.U.S.-brokered talks between the Palestinians and Israel broke down last September in a dispute over continued Jewish settlement building in the occupied West Bank.In a bid to break the deadlock, Obama said in a major policy speech last week that a future Palestinian state should be based on the borders as they existed on the eve of the 1967 Middle East, with land swaps mutually agreed with Israel.
Netanyahu immediately rejected the proposal saying it would leave Israel with indefensible borders. But Abbas described the idea as a foundation with which we can deal positively.Jordanian Foreign Minister Nasser Judeh told Reuters in an interview that Israel will not gain security by clinging to territory beyond the 1967 West Bank frontier.(Writing by Crispian Balmer; editing by Mark Heinrich)
Rocket fired from Gaza into Israel: army
– Sat May 28, 3:01 am ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) – A rocket was fired from the Gaza Strip into southern Israel overnight without causing any casualties, Israel's military said on Saturday.A rocket fired from Gaza landed last night in the Eshkol region and caused no injuries or damage,a military spokesman told AFP.It was the first rocket to have been fired in nearly a month and a half.In mid-April, a rocket-propelled grenade struck an Israeli school bus, killing a teenager and triggering the deadliest clashes since Israel's devastating 22-day assault on the Palestinian territory to stop such attacks in 2008-2009.
UN chief discourages a new Gaza aid flotilla
– Fri May 27, 7:46 pm ET
UNITED NATIONS (AFP) – UN chief Ban Ki-moon called Friday on all governments in the region to use to their influence to push against a new flotilla of ships expected to try to break the blockade on Gaza.The secretary general was said to be following with concern media reports of potential flotillas to Gaza, said his spokesman Martin Nesirky.Some 1,500 activists are expected to take part in the convoy that will embark at the end of June, seeking to break the blockade of the Gaza Strip, a year after a deadly Israeli raid on a similar fleet.Ban called on all governments concerned to use their influence to discourage such flotilla, which carry the potential to escalate into violent conflict.The UN chief also called on all governments, including the government of Israel, to act responsibly and with caution to avoid any violent incident.On May 31 last year, Israeli marines swarmed aboard the Mavi Marmara, the flagship of an international aid flotilla bound for Gaza, killing nine Turkish activists in international waters and plunging relations with Ankara into deep crisis.
Canada takes strong pro-Israel line at G8 summit
By Luke Baker and David Ljunggren – Fri May 27, 7:07 pm ET
DEAUVILLE, France (Reuters) – Group of Eight leaders had to soften a statement urging Israel and the Palestinians to return to negotiations because Canada objected to a specific mention of 1967 borders, diplomats said Friday.The government has adopted a staunchly pro-Israel position in international negotiations since coming to power in 2006, with Prime Minister Stephen Harper saying Canada will back Israel whatever the cost.Diplomats involved in Middle East discussions at the G8 summit said Ottawa had insisted that no mention of Israel's pre-1967 borders be made in the leaders' final communique, even though most of the other leaders wanted such a reference.The communique called for the immediate resumption of peace talks but did not mention 1967, the year Israel seized the West Bank and Gaza from Jordan and Egypt during the Six-Day War.U.S. President Barack Obama last week laid out a vision for peace in the Middle East, saying pre-1967 borders should be a basis for talks to achieve a negotiated settlement. Israel quickly dismissed the idea as unworkable.
The Canadians were really very adamant, even though Obama expressly referred to 1967 borders in his speech last week, one European diplomat said.Harper, pressed repeatedly by reporters, declined to confirm he had objected to the language on borders but said he would oppose what he called unbalanced statements on finding peace in the Middle East.We are very much at ease with President Obama's speech but you cannot cherry pick elements of that speech, he said.If you're going to get into other elements then obviously I would have liked to see a reference to elements that were also in ... (the) speech, such as for instance the fact that one of the states must be a Jewish state, the fact that the Palestinian state must be demilitarized.
Israeli Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman thanked Canada for taking a brave stand at the conference, his spokesman said in a statement.It added that Lieberman had thanked his counterpart, John Bird, for Canada's understanding that the 67 lines do not fit in with Israel's security requirements and the current demographic situation,a reference to Jewish settlements Israel has built in the occupied West Bank.The G8 communique said: Negotiations are the only way toward a comprehensive and lasting resolution to the conflict.It added: The framework for these negotiations is well known ... We express our strong support for the vision of Israeli-Palestinian peace outlined by President Obama.Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu says Israel would be indefensible if it returned entirely to the borders that existed before 1967.Canada's strong backing for Israel was cited by diplomats last year as one reason why Ottawa failed to win a rotating two-year seat on the United Nations Security Council.In the wake of the vote, Harper said:When Israel, the only country in the world whose very existence is under attack, is consistently and conspicuously singled out for condemnation, I believe we are morally obligated to take a stand.(Reporting by Luke Baker, David Ljunggren and Yoko Kubota; Editing by Jon Boyle and Mark Trevelyan)
Latest developments in Arab world's unrest
By The Associated Press – Fri May 27, 4:57 pm ET
YEMEN-The deadly fighting that rocked the Yemeni capital this week spreads beyond Sanaa as armed tribesmen seeking to oust President Ali Abdullah Saleh seize two military camps in battles that kill at least 18 and prompt airstrikes by government warplanes. The fighting brings to at least 124 the number killed in the past five days of bloodshed, which has hiked fears that the Arab world's poorest country could be thrown into civil war as Saleh clings to power in the face of peaceful protests demanding his ouster.Amid the chaos, hundreds of Islamic militants seize control of a southern city, killing eight policemen and two civilians in gunfights.
LIBYA-Russia abandons one-time ally Moammar Gadhafi and offers to mediate a deal for the Libyan leader to leave the country he has ruled for more than 40 years. The striking proposal by a leading critic of the NATO bombing campaign reflects growing international frustration with the Libyan crisis and a desire by the Kremlin for influence in the rapidly changing Arab landscape.
SYRIA-Syrian security forces open fire on anti-government demonstrations, killing at least eight people as thousands take to the streets despite the near-certainty they would face gunfire, tear gas and stun guns, human rights activists and witnesses say. Protests erupt in the capital, Damascus, and the coastal city of Banias, the central city of Homs and elsewhere.
EGYPT-Thousands of protesters return to downtown Cairo's Tahrir Square for what they call a second revolution, pressing Egypt's military rulers to speed up the pace of democratic reforms in a country that is still charting its political future. Protesters carry banners reading the Egyptian revolution is not over and chant the slogan. They also call for the speedy trial of Hosni Mubarak and high-ranking members of his regime.
Palestinian state requires UN council support
By EDITH M. LEDERER, Associated Press – Fri May 27, 3:00 pm ET
UNITED NATIONS – The president of the U.N. General Assembly said Friday there is no way that a Palestinian state could become a member of the United Nations without a recommendation from the Security Council.Joseph Deiss told a news conference that if the United States or any other permanent council member used its veto, the General Assembly would not be able to vote on membership for Palestine.The Palestinian U.N. Observer Mission had no immediate comment.President Barack Obama said last weekend that no vote at the United Nations would ever create a Palestinian state, a strong indication that the U.S. would veto a resolution recommending Palestinian membership in the 192-nation world body.Some legal experts say there may be ways to maneuver around that block. The question is whether any declaration the Palestinians can wrest from the General Assembly would be a largely symbolic gesture or would be strong enough to win them valuable legal leverage against Israel's occupation.
Asked if there was any other way for the Palestinians to achieve U.N. membership if a Security Council resolution is vetoed, Deiss replied: No. No.Deiss, a former president of the Swiss Confederation and a former foreign minister who led Swiss voters to approve joining the U.N. in 2002, made a distinction between U.N. membership and recognition of Palestine as a state.He said the requirements for U.N. membership are clearly stated in the U.N. Charter: A state has to fill out an application stating its adherence to the Charter, the 15-member Security Council must then make a recommendation the requires nine yes votes and no veto by a permanent member, and only then can the General Assembly vote on membership, which must be approved by a two-thirds majority.Deiss said the Palestinians are also working to be recognized as an independent state by as many countries as possible.
This is one way to get statehood and I think before the existence of the United Nations, this was the main track, he said.So far, 112 nations have recognized Palestine, mostly in the developing world. The Palestinians predict they will have 135 recognitions by September — more than two-thirds of the General Assembly.Deiss recalled that General Assembly resolution 181 of 1947 already provides for the creation of two states, one Arab, one Jewish, at the end of the British mandate in Palestine. He said if the Palestinians get a large number of recognitions, this has to be taken into consideration along with the 1947 resolution.The General Assembly cannot take the initiative, but we are ready to do our work as soon as a recommendation of the Security Council will be addressed,Deiss said.He said the U.N. is not necessarily creative of statehood, but to be a member of United Nations at least gives you an international recognition and gives you also protection since one of the goals of the United Nations is to protect the sovereignty of its members.
Israeli figures urge Europe to back Palestine at UN
by Hazel Ward – Fri May 27, 7:56 am ET
JERUSALEM (AFP) – A group of notable Israeli figures, among them former senior officials, are calling on Europe to recognise a Palestinian state at the United Nations in September in a letter published on Friday.In the face of endless procrastination and mutual distrust, a declaration of Palestinian independence is not only legitimate, but also a positive and constructive step for the benefit of the two nations, the letter reads.Since the collapse of direct peace talks late last year, the Palestinian leadership has pursued a strategy aimed at securing UN recognition of their promised state on 1967 borders in a move likely to take place in September.In a statement accompanying the letter, the signatories urged European leaders to recognise Palestinian statehood in 2011, saying a declaration of independence was consistent with fundamental Israeli interests and could even rejuvenate the moribund peace process.Among the signatories were former attorney general Michael Ben-Yair, ex-foreign ministry director Alon Liel, former parliamentary speaker Avraham Burg and Nobel Prize laureate Daniel Kahneman.
Organisers said they would seek meetings with European ambassadors to further their campaign.The failure of the international community and primarily of the United States to renew peace negotiations reflects an undeniable and disconcerting reality: peace has been taken captive by the Peace Process,the letter said.It also accused the government of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu of using the peace process as a distraction manoeuvre rather than a means to conflict resolution.The letter was published just days after Netanyahu gave a key address to the US Senate which failed to offer any new political initiative which could revive peace talks and thereby dissuade the Palestinians from heading to the UN in September.
Netanyahu?s horror show in Washington and the unequivocal support he received from the US congress may mark the end of the peace process, the group said.The only alternatives at this time are the Palestinian push towards independence or the risk of another surge of violence.The Palestinians have consistently said that in the absence of any peace talks, they will press ahead with plans to approach the United Nations in a move which many believe will unleash a diplomatic tsunami against Israel.Israel strongly opposes the move, as does Washington, with both parties saying a Palestinian state can only arise out of a negotiated settlement.
I strongly believe for the Palestinians to take the United Nations route rather than the path of sitting down and talking with the Israelis is a mistake, Obama said in London on Wednesday.But the group behind the letter, all of whom are supporters of the Sheikh Jarrah Solidarity Movement, a grassroots Israeli protest organisation which fights for Palestinian rights in annexed east Jerusalem, said they would support any such declaration.If and when the Palestinian people declares independence in a sovereign state to exist side by side with Israel in peace and security we shall support such declaration, they wrote, pledging to recognise a state based on the 1967 lines, with land swaps and Jerusalem as the capital of both states.The Gaza Strip should also be recognised as part of the Palestinian state as long as its leadership acknowledges Israel?s right to existence, it added, referring to the Islamist Hamas movement which rules the coastal enclave but which does not recognise the Jewish state.
Non-aligned states urge release of Palestinians
– Fri May 27, 4:53 am ET
NUSA DUA, Indonesia (AFP) – The 118-nation Non-Aligned Movement on Friday demanded Israel release a substantial number of Palestinian political prisoners as a positive step towards peace.At the end of a ministerial meeting in Indonesia, the movement reiterated its support for the creation of a Palestinian state based on the 1967 borders, a position it shares with the United States but which is rejected by Israel.
In a joint statement, the ministers reaffirmed the longstanding international consensus recognising the Palestinian people as a nation and recognising their inalienable right to self-determination and independence in their state of Palestine, with east Jerusalem as its capital.They called on Israel to release Palestinian political prisoners including 300 under the age of 18 and 10 members of the Palestinian legislative council.The issue is a central one and a practical and effective benchmark in the construction of a just peace in the region, the statement said.The ministers stressed that the release of a substantial number of Palestinian prisoners... could constitute a positive step towards fostering the climate of mutual trust necessary for the resumption of permanent status negotiations.
Indonesian President Susilo Bambang Yudhoyono opened the meeting on Wednesday and warned of new strategic rivalries between states as the world deals with complex challenges including terrorism and climate change.But in their declaration the foreign ministers referred only to the Palestinian issue and a long-standing call for nuclear disarmament.The ministers declare their firm commitment to work for convening a high-level international conference to identify ways and means of eliminating nuclear weapons at the earliest possible date,they said.The declaration made no mention of specific events in member states such as Libya, Yemen or Bahrain, countries which are in the grip of violent turmoil as unpopular regimes try to cling to power in the face of unrest.On the sidelines of the meeting on the resort island of Bali, Egyptian Foreign Minister Nabil al-Arabi told the official MENA news agency that he had met his Iranian counterpart to discuss re-opening diplomatic ties.He said Egypt's next parliament, which will be elected in September, would review the establishment of diplomatic relations with Iran.Iran severed diplomatic relations with Egypt in 1980 in protest at Cairo's peace treaty with Israel signed a year earlier, and the two states maintain only interests sections in each other's capitals.But they have signalled they plan to mend ties in the wake of the February 11 fall of Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak's regime.
Turkey: Israel should avoid flotilla face-off
– Fri May 27, 4:13 am ET
ANKARA, Turkey – Turkey's foreign minister says he hopes Israel will avoid confrontation as a new aid flotilla prepares to depart for the Gaza Strip.Ahmet Davutoglu said in an interview aired on Ulke TV late Thursday that he believes Israel has gained sufficient experience after last year's Israeli raid on a flotilla that killed eight Turks and one Turkish-American and sparked international outrage. Each side accused the other of starting the violence.A coalition of pro-Palestinian groups say a flotilla will set sail in the third week of June. Israel has vowed to stop any attempt to breach its sea blockade of Gaza.A Turkish Islamic aid group said it expects the convoy to be at least twice as big as the one that attempted to reach Gaza last year.
Israel struggles to stop weapons smuggling at sea
By ARON HELLER, Associated Press – Fri May 27, 3:21 am ET
HAIFA, Israel – Israel's navy is casting its net wider and deeper in an effort to stop Gaza militants from receiving weapons by sea, a difficult mission made harder, Israel says, by political turmoil in Egypt and the Egyptian decision to fully reopen its border crossing with Gaza.In recent weeks, Palestinian militants in Hamas-ruled Gaza have aimed rockets at Israeli cities, far enough away that Israel is convinced the projectiles came from abroad, probably Iran.The first leg of a journey for weapons ending up in Gaza is a sea journey, ending with a trek across Egypt's barren Sinai desert, and then through a network of smuggling tunnels under the 9-mile (15-kilometer) Gaza-Egypt border.The Israeli navy is trying to stop the shipments at their first stage — on the high seas.Like other branches of Israel's military, the navy works mostly behind the scenes, and many of its operations are classified. They come to light when the navy carries out a major interception.Its most recent success was March 15, when it seized the Victoria cargo ship. That weapons shipment departed from the Syrian port of Latakia and stopped in Mercin, Turkey. It was headed for the port of Alexandria in Egypt when it was intercepted, some 200 miles (320 kilometers) off Israel's Mediterranean coast. From there, Israel charges, the weapons were headed for Gaza.
The Israeli naval officer who commanded the raid said the main success was capturing Chinese-made C-704 missiles onboard that could have been game changing by allowing land-based forces to attack ships. As evidence of Iran's involvement, Israel produced Farsi instruction manuals, a booklet that identified the system by its Farsi name, Nasr, along with serial numbers and dates of issue in the Persian calendar.Israeli defense officials believe Iran has since shifted its tactics, and now hides crates of weapons on civilian ships. In some cases, the crew isn't even aware.The Israeli officials say Iran has a well-oiled mechanism of naval arms smuggling, with the primary route departing from the Iranian port of Bandar-Abbas and traveling through the port of Jebel Ali in Dubai and then via the Gulf of Aden to countries in east Africa. They are then believed to be shipped overland to Egypt, across the largely lawless Sinai peninsula and into Gaza through a vast network of tunnels under the short border.Iranian Foreign Ministry officials refused to comment on the Israeli charges.Israel has long accused Iran and Syria of using the seas to smuggle weapons to Hamas and to Hezbollah guerrillas in Lebanon. For this reason, Israel has maintained a strict naval blockade around Gaza since Hamas militants took control of the territory in 2007. Critics charge the blockade is illegal.Israeli security officials believe that as Egypt prepares for elections, a power vacuum in the security establishment has led to complete chaos in Sinai that has hurt Israeli intelligence collection and left the Gaza border far more porous.
The problem becomes especially acute this Saturday as Egypt officially and fully reopens its passenger crossing with Gaza at the town of Rafah, after a long period of restrictions aimed at isolating the Hamas militant group that rules the Palestinian coastal strip.So now, more than ever, Israel says it is trying to stop the weapons flow before they reach Sinai — by intercepting shipments on Mediterranean, Red Sea and Indian Ocean.Experts also point to another problem: the sheer size of the seas. At any given moment, literally millions of containers are floating on the world's waterways.Without precise intelligence, it's like looking for a needle in a haystack, said Avraham Yassour, an Israeli expert in international maritime trade. He said it was impossible to say how many shipments have sneaked through, but it was fair to say that the ships Israel has seized are only a tiny fraction.Israeli naval officials acknowledge that for each arms shipment they catch, others are likely getting through.The sea is very difficult, said a top Israeli navy officer. Protecting a land border is relatively easy and you can protect the air with radars, but a maritime border is very soft.He called the smuggling efforts relentless and said Israel is constantly scouring the seas in search of smugglers, declining to say whether any other arms busts have taken place. He spoke on condition of anonymity under standard military procedures.Israel's naval activities have raised some legal questions about taking action beyond its territorial waters.
David Benjamin, a former high-ranking officer in the military's legal department, said maritime law entitles Israel to search any merchant vessel it believes is carrying contraband to support its enemies.The basis is that Israel is in an armed conflict with Hamas. Once you are in an armed conflict, it creates a legal framework in which you can operate, he said.Scott L. Silliman, a military law expert at Duke University, agreed, though the situation is complicated because Hamas is an armed group, and not a sovereign state.That issue is quite similar to the state of armed conflict which the United States claims exists between itself and al-Qaida, he said. I believe the consensus now is that an armed conflict can exist under these conditions.
