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'Breakout
into Israel' ahead
By Abraham Rabinovich
25/01/08 "The
Australian" -- --
Jerusalem -- A SENIOR Hamas official warned yesterday that
the next breakout from the Gaza Strip could be into Israel, with
500,000 Palestinians attempting to march towards the towns and
villages from which they or their parents fled or were expelled
60 years ago.
"This is not an imaginary scenario and many Palestinians would
be prepared to sacrifice their lives," said Ahmed Youssef,
political adviser to Hamas Prime Minister Ismail Haniya.
Israeli minister Ze'ev Boim said the threat must be taken
seriously in light of the successful Hamas breakout into
Egyptian territory on Wednesday, adding: "We must learn from
what has just happened there."
Egypt moved last night to end the great Gaza breakout, which had
reverberated throughout the region as all sides tried to come to
grips with its implications.
Egyptian security forces announced by loudspeaker in towns near
the border with the Gaza Strip that it would be closed from 3pm
(midnight AEDT), with an unknown number of Palestinians still in
Egypt.
Riot police turned water cannon on Palestinians trying to cross
into Egypt, despite Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak saying
earlier that he would not allow the people of Gaza to starve.
Hamas, riding high on its operational success, sought to parlay
it into political gain by seeking Egyptian approval for new
border arrangements that would give Hamas for the first time a
role in the vital crossing point at Rafah, between Gaza and
Egypt's Sinai Peninsula.
Israeli security officials said Hamas and other militant groups
had already exploited the breach in the border wall to send
"numerous" armed men into Sinai with the aim of infiltrating
into Israel along the long, largely undefended, border between
Sinai and Israel.
The Israeli road running the length of the border was yesterday
shut to civilian traffic and the army deployed reinforcements in
the area.
The officials said the militants were eager to hit back at
Israel for heavy casualties in Israeli attacks in recent weeks
and that attacks from Sinai were likely to come within the next
two weeks.
Israeli civilians on vacation along Sinai's Red Sea coast were
advised to return to Israel for fear Palestinian militants would
try to seize them as hostages.
Israeli Deputy Defence Minister Matan Vilna'i said yesterday the
breakout into Egypt was an opportunity for Israel to rid itself
of its responsibility to supply Gaza with electricity and water
and to serve as a channel for Gaza's imports and exports.
"When Gaza is open to the other side we lose responsibility for
it," he said. "We want to disconnect from it."
Egypt, however, has made it clear it does not want
responsibility for the troublesome strip, whose Islamic
militants are ideological partners of Egypt's Muslim
Brotherhood. It particularly does not want indirect
responsibility for the rockets fired from the strip into Israel.
The crossing point had been closed since Hamas's seizure of the
Gaza Strip last June.
If Mr Mubarak were to allow new border arrangements with Hamas
that would permit a free flow of people and goods, it would
violate Egypt's agreement with the international "Quartet" --
the US, UN, European Union and Russia -- for a border terminal
without Hamas involvement and with cameras permitting Israel to
monitor the crossing.
However, Mr Mubarak would find it hard, not least for his image
in the Arab world, to be seen as party to a renewed siege of the
Palestinians.
Israel says it will continue its siege until the rocket firing
ceases, with an invasion of Gaza a likelihood if the rocketing
does not cease.
Copyright 2008 News Limited
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