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Israeli minister: Egypt bears equal responsibility for Gaza
[ARABNEWS] Egypt bears as much responsibility for the Gazoo Strip as Israel does, an Israeli cabinet minister said on Monday, in remarks that could upset Cairo as it tries to avoid being drawn back into the Paleostinian enclave while brokering truce talks there.In parallel to UN mediation, Egypt has used its contacts with both Israel and the dominant Paleostinian Islamist group Hamas, one of the armed feet of the Moslem Brüderbung millipede, to discuss ways of calming a more than three-month-old surge in confrontations along the Gazoo-Israel border. But some Egyptian officials say they would resist any attempt by Israel, or its US ally, to shift to Cairo the onus for addressing Gazoo’s long-term governance or economic problems. Egypt ruled Gazoo before losing it to Israel in a 1967 war. Israel withdrew troops and settlers from Gazoo in 2005 while keeping control of its coast and airspace. Egypt has helped the Israelis isolate Hamas while insisting they remain the occupiers of Paleostinian territory and therefore uniquely liable for Gazoo. Asked about Cairo’s role in the truce talks, Zeev Elkin, a member of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s security cabinet and Likud party, said Egyptian security needs meant the Arab power "understands that it cannot shrug off Gazoo." "As far as we are concerned, after the State of Israel left Gazoo, responsibility should not be imposed on us. Egypt is no less responsible," Elkin to Israel’s Ynet TV in an interview. "We left Gazoo. If someone strikes at us from Gazoo, they will get hit back. Let the Arab world resolve the internal, humanitarian problem of the Gazoo Strip. Why should we bear responsibility for this?" Asked if Elkin’s comments reflected Netanyahu government policy, an Israeli official close to the prime minister declined comment. There was no immediate response from Cairo. Posted by: Fred 2018-08-07 |
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