Former head of the International Atomic Energy Agency Mohamed ElBaradei has expressed support for Palestinian resistance, calling Gaza the world's largest jail.
In a report published by UPI on Tuesday, ElBaradei described resistance the only path open to the Palestinian people, because the Israeli occupation only understands the language of force.
| This is the man who was supposed to keep North Korea, Libya, and Iran from developing nukes. Personally, I wouldn't trust him to fetch me a dozen eggs and a gallon of milk from the grocery store -- we'll see whether the Egyptians trust him to run the country when President-for-life Mubarak wanders off into the vasty Beyond. |
"The peace process has become a stupid joke which we talk about without achieving any progress," the Egyptian diplomat reportedly said,
| True enough. Perhaps it's time to give it a rest, remembering that Egypt achieved its peace ages ago while acquiring the Sinai with its tourist developments and small amount of oil. |
adding that the Arabs should back their negotiation option with force and deterrence.
| That's been tried a number of times, Dr. Elbaradei. Quite, quite unsuccessfully. It seems to me Israel occasionally comes across another couple of tanks the Egyptian soldiers left in the desert the last time they were involved in such adventures. |
He also criticized Cairo's construction of a steel wall along the border with the Gaza Strip, aimed at disrupting Palestinians' "survival" tunnel network, as harmful to Egypt's reputation.
| My dear man, the local Egyptians are quite happy to be cut off from the Gazans thieving ways. You've been gone for a couple of decades or you'd know that. |
He described Egypt's construction of the wall as joining Israel in its closure of the strip, which he said "has become the world's largest prison."
"The logical solution to the problem would be to close the tunnels and open border crossings while creating a free trade zone in Rafah where Palestinians can trade and then return to Gaza."
More than two years of a crippling Israeli blockade has pushed some 1.5 million Gazans on the verge of starvation
| But only the verge, as can be seen by the choice of smuggling potato chips and automobiles instead of flour and cooking oil... |
and has irreparably hurt Gaza's economy as the siege totally cuts off the territory from the outside world. | Gaza has lived off of UN largess instead of local industry since the 1950s. There's no proper economy to harm. |
As Israel refuses to open Gaza border crossings it has closed since 2007, the Rafah crossing -- the only terminal not under Tel Aviv's control -- is sealed off by Egyptian officials.
The 67-year old ElBaradei is largely expected to run in Egypt's 2011 presidential elections, as opposition parties are seeking to pressure President Hosni Mubarak for democratic reforms. |