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Haniya calls for urgent meeting on Gaza with Abbas, Egypt
Hamas leader Ismail Haniya on Wednesday called for an emergency meeting with Palestinian President Mahmud Abbas and Egyptian officials on opening the Gaza border crossings.We are ready to sit down with our Egyptian brothers and the brothers from Ramallah during an emergency meeting in Cairo to establish arrangements to open the Rafah border crossing, as well as all other border crossings, Haniya said in a televised address. Hamas and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbass Fatah party have not had official contacts since mid-June, after the Hamas took control of Gaza from rival Fatah after a week of street clashes. Hamas, which has controlled the narrow coastal strip since last June, did not take responsibility for knocking the border wall down, but its fighters quickly took control as Egyptian border guards stood aside. Hamas police funneled the crowds through two sections of the border and inspected bags, confiscating seven pistols carried by one man returning to Gaza. Palestinian gunmen began blowing holes in the border wall running through Rafah at dawn. There were 17 explosions in all, Hamas security officials said. About two-thirds of the 12km wall was demolished, at one point with the help of a bulldozer. Hamas expressed support for the move, saying: Blowing up the border wall with Egypt is a reflection of the ... catastrophic situation which the Palestinian people in Gaza are living through due to the blockade. Posted by: Pappy 2008-01-24 |
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