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Politics : Foreign Affairs Discussion Group -- Ignore unavailable to you. Want to Upgrade?

To: Lou Weed who wrote (246674)	10/25/2007 4:21:21 PM
From: Ruffian	Read Replies (1) \| Respond to of 281500

Israel defence minister approves Gaza power cuts by Jacques Pinto Thu Oct 25, 1:12 PM ET JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak approved electricity and fuel cuts against Palestinians living in the Hamas-run Gaza Strip on Thursday in an effort to curb rocket attacks on the Jewish state. ADVERTISEMENT The decision was likely to overshadow talks on Friday between Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Palestinian president Mahmud Abbas that have already been coloured by mutual recriminations in the run-up to a Middle East meeting. Barak took the decision after reviewing a series of sanctions recommended by army top brass and defence officials in the wake of Israel's classification of the already impoverished Gaza Strip as a "hostile entity" last month. "Defence Minister Ehud Barak approved the recommendations from defence officials for periodic cuts in electricity and limitations on fuel supplies, given the continued rocket attacks," his ministry announced. Officials did not say when the measures would come into effect, but implementation requires no further government approval. The hardline Islamist movement Hamas slammed the move. It seized control of the Gaza Strip in a bloody takeover in June, prompting Israel to declare the territory "hostile" in September to pave the way for sanctions. "This is part of the collective punishment meeted out by the occupation government against Palestinian residents in Gaza. This is a new crime against the 1.5 million Palestinians who live in Gaza," Hamas spokesman Taher Nunu said. Israel says it wants the new sanctions to raise pressure on Gaza's already impoverished population in a bid to force Palestinian militants to stop rocket attacks against southern Israel that the army has struggled to curb. Gaza is already reeling from a Western freeze on direct aid after Hamas won elections in 2006, and more than 80 percent of its population depends on foreign aid. Since Hamas captured control of the strip in June and routed its political rivals from Abbas's moderate Fatah party, militants have fired around 1,000 rockets and mortar shells towards Israel. Although the rockets frequently explode without causing damage or casualties, Israelis in communities near the border live in fear and are furious with the government for not halting the attacks. Israeli soldiers killed three Palestinian militants in the Gaza Strip on Thursday, one near Beit Hanun in the north and two overnight outside the southern town of Khan Yunis. Human rights organisations and Palestinians charge that cutting power and fuel supplies would be collective punishment of the civilian population, crammed into the narrow coastal enclave, and in breach of international law. Barak's decision came on the eve of talks between Abbas and Olmert aimed at preparing for the meeting scheduled in Annapolis, Maryland. The Israeli premier has already sought to lower expectations ahead of the US talks. "We don't want to mislead anyone that Annapolis is the event that would conclude peace between us and the Palestinians. We are not there yet," he told Jewish fundraisers on Thursday. Israel has accused the Palestinians of stalling efforts to reach an agreement ahead of the conference by trying to exceed agreed parameters, and said that talks had not yet broached the actual content of such an accord. "We are still stuck at talks on the rules of engagement because the Palestinians want to discuss other things that go beyond the mandate Abbas gave them," a government official told AFP under cover of anonymity. "There is no real progress on the concrete issues of what the document will look like and how to tackle the core issues," the official added. "The obstacles and difficulties are clear in Israel's refusal to come to a document defining the basis of a permanent solution with a timetable to implement it," responded Palestinian presidential spokesman Nabil Abu Rudeina. Israel wants a "vague document not getting into core issues and not imposing a timetable," he charged in reference to the most intractable problems of the conflict such as borders, refugees and the status of Jerusalem. "The Israeli position is not contributing towards success at the planned international meeting," Abu Rudeina added. Amid the disagreements, US National Security Adviser Stephen Hadley met Abbas on Thursday before separate talks with Olmert during a rare visit to the region as Washington ups its efforts to ensure a substantive conference.