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Israel threatens to retake Gaza border
Several Israeli cabinet ministers have called for a military operation to retake control of Gaza's southern border with Egypt. They said the operation was necessary to stop Palestinian fighters smuggling in weapons from Egypt. Eli Yishai, the Israeli industry and trade minister, told reporters on Sunday: "Action must be taken without hesitation. Any hesitation is dangerous and we must act immediately. When we left the Philadelphi corridor, I said that abandoning it is a doorway to hell."The Philadelphi corridor is the Israeli term for the 12km-long border zone. Yishai's call to move back into the corridor, a year after Israel pulled troops and settlers out of the Gaza Strip, was echoed by two other cabinet ministers and a senior commander of military forces in the area. Ghazi Hamad, a Palestinian government spokesman, denounced the proposal as a potential ruse for an Israeli reoccupation of Gaza. He said: "The call to retake the border is a serious escalation and an incitement for more Israeli aggression." Israel claims that tonnes of munitions, including advanced shoulder-fired missiles, have been smuggled from Egypt in a network of underground tunnels since their withdrawal from Gaza. Posted by: Fred 2006-10-23 |
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