Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas is opposed to lifting the naval blockade of the Gaza Strip because this would bolster Hamas, according to what he told United States President Barack Obama during their meeting at the White House Wednesday. Egypt also supports this position.
| So the ineffectual Mahmoud Abbas has more sense regarding Gaza than does Bambi. Why am I not suprised? |
The issue of the Gaza flotilla and lifting the Israeli blockade of the Gaza Strip was the main topic of discussion between Obama and Abbas last Wednesday night.
| The Gazans are mainly Egyptian, while the West Bankers are really Jordanian, etc, as I recall. So Abbas doesn't care about the supposed suffering of the Gazan people. |
European diplomats updated by the White House on the talks said that Abbas had stressed to Obama the need of opening the border crossings into the Gaza Strip and the easing of the siege, but only in ways that do not bolster Hamas.
| How exactly does one accomplish that? Any border opening will be exploited by Hamas to ship in weapons, ammo, concrete, etc. |
One of the points that Abbas raised is that the naval blockade imposed by Israel on the Strip should not be lifted at this stage. The European diplomats said Egypt has made it clear to Israel, the U.S and the European Union that it is also opposes the lifting of the naval blockade because of the difficulty in inspecting the ships that would enter and leave the Gaza port.
Abbas told Obama that actions easing the blockage should be done with care and undertaken gradually so it will not be construed as a victory for Hamas. The Palestinian leader also stressed that the population in the Gaza Strip must be supported, and that pressure should be brought to bear on Israel to allow more goods, humanitarian assistance and building materials for reconstruction. Abbas, however, said this added aid can be done by opening land crossings and other steps that do not include the lifting of the naval blockade.
Netanyahu: Naval Blockade Will Not Be Lifted
...but is willing to ease blockade. With this declaration, Netanyahu rejected the proposal made by the foreign ministers of France, Spain and Italy, who suggested that in the future, Gaza-bound ships be searched by European inspectors in Cyprus.
| I wouldn't trust European inspectors, either. |
Abbas denies Haaretz report that he had asked Obama to prevent the lifting of the naval blockade on Gaza. Abbas' spokesman issued a denial on Sunday in response to the morning's report, explaining to the Palestinian Wafa news agency that the Palestinian president had told Obama that the lifting of the blockade on Gaza was like the peace process in the sense that "the president [Abbas] has raised the demand to lift the blockade in all his meetings with world leaders."
"The world should take advantage of the events of the Gaza flotilla to push Israel to lift the blockade and end the suffering of Gaza's inhabitants," The spokesman, Nabil Abu Rudaina, added.
| Caught with his trousers down, methinks, and is trying to deny the evidence. |
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