|
'We'll shoot anyone who crosses border'
A top Hamas delegation crossed into Egypt Thursday to meet up with Egyptian officials wanting to make clear that no further breaches of its border with the Gaza Strip will be tolerated, a security official said. The Hamas delegation, led by Mahmoud Zahar, came at the Egyptian request, after they received reports that the Islamist organization was planning to forcibly reopen the borders again at the end of the month, the official said speaking on condition of anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject. "The Egyptians will tell Hamas bluntly that the old self-restraint manner is over and that Egyptian security guards have been given orders to open fire on any Palestinians trying to cross the border," the official said. A Hamas official in the Gaza Strip confirmed that a meeting with the Egyptians was imminent in part of the resumption of dialogue between Hamas and Egypt "over the future mechanisms for operating the border crossing to allow goods and passengers to travel between Gaza and Egypt freely without restrictions." Hamas wants a role in controlling the border crossing with Egypt, while the international community has affirmed its support for a 2005 agreement involving European and Israeli monitors and not the Islamist organization. Posted by: Fred 2008-02-15 |
| http://www.rantburg.com/poparticle.php?ID=226540 |