JERUSALEM - Israel announced on Thursday that it accepted a United States plan to place international observers at a key border crossing between itself and the Gaza Strip. The plan is aimed at improving living conditions in the Gaza Strip and is as part of the efforts by United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to strengthen moderate Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas opposite the ruling, Islamic militant Hamas movement.“I announced that I plan to help implement the ’Dayton Plan’ for building a Palestinian passage next to the Israeli Karni passage,” Israeli Defence Minister Amir Peretz said after meeting Rice in Jerusalem on Thursday.
Under the plan formulated by Lieutenant General Keith Dayton, the US security coordinator for the Palestinian areas, some 90 international observers would be stationed at the Karni commercial crossing, which would be run by the AbbasÂ’ presidential guard.
| We have a security coordinator for the Paleo areas? Who drew the short straw? |
A modern terminal would be built on the Palestinian side with special equipment for scanning trucks, some 400 of which would be able to pass through daily. The plan is based on the model of the Gaza-Egypt border crossing of Rafah, which under an agreement reached in November last year opened under the supervision of European Union observers.
| And boy howdy has that ever worked well. |
Rice had earlier Wednesday met with Abbas and pledged to press Israel to improve the humanitarian conditions in the Palestinian areas. “I will of course see what I can do that some of those crossings will open longer hours and with greater frequency,” she told a joint news conference in Ramallah.
Speaking after his parley with Rice, Peretz said Thursday that he viewed improving the living conditions in the Palestinian areas and strengthening Abbas as an Israeli security interest. “I’ve made clear that we intend to do everything to improve the living conditions in the Palestinian Authority,” he said according to a transcript from his office.
| And you'll have to do it because the Paleos are too busy buying guns and ammo. Then they'll thank you by trying to kill your kids. |
Israel has frozen the transfer of the funds since the Hamas- dominated Palestinian parliament was sworn in in February. “We have no intention of opening a path for transferring money that will eventually serve Hamas,” Peretz said, adding that the “key” for releasing the funds was the release of an Israeli soldier held captive in Gaza by Hamas militants since June 25.
| And throwing Hamas out of power, don't forget that. |