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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan | |
| Israel refuses Belgium minister's request to enter Gaza | |
| 2010-01-25 | |
| The Foreign Ministry on Monday announced that it had refused Belgian minister Charles Michel's request for a visa to enter the Gaza Strip. Deputy Foreign Ministry Danny Ayalon told Michel that Israel could not accede to the demand because such a move would be seen as a gesture to the Hamas. Ayalon added that any aide Belgium planned to grant the Islamist movement would fall into the hands of militants, rather than being distributed among Gaza's needy. Michel said in response to the rejection that European officials must be able to visit the territory to take part in the aid projects underway there. "This situation is unacceptable," he told RTL TV. Israel has refused a number of similar requests from foreign ministers of various countries, including that of Turkey, France and the European Union's foreign policy chief. Officials can enter Gaza from Egypt, however.
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| Posted by:Steve White |
| #7 He claimed it was coup de foudre (unforgetable moment) between the two Could be different in Balgium (doubt it) but in France it means definitely "love at first sight" not the kind of things Carla Bruni or her huasaband would be pleased about. |
| Posted by: JFM 2010-01-25 14:48 |
| #6 Precisely TW, haunted for eternity. Even if factual and I doubt it is, gentlemen should never experience le coup de foudre and tell. Falls quite squarely into the never 'monkey with another monkey's monkey' rule of personal conduct. Especially when it's the wife of a president. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-01-25 13:58 |
| #5 Ah. And the silly man will deservedly be haunted by his one-way thunderbolt for the rest of his public career. How lovely for him. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2010-01-25 13:10 |
| #4 Feckless Chas Michel attended an AIDs conference recently and said his eyes met those of Carla Bruni Sarkozy. He claimed it was coup de foudre (unforgetable moment) between the two. She failed to see the humour however and he later retracted. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-01-25 08:26 |
| #3 coup de foudre = love at first sight? Or do you mean something else, Besoeker? My French is very limited. |
| Posted by: trailing wife 2010-01-25 08:04 |
| #2 No coup de foudre for you in Gaza Charles, try another AIDS confernece. |
| Posted by: Besoeker 2010-01-25 07:10 |
| #1 Israel should note that as long as European prosecutors continue to threaten Israeli officials with arrest, using international warrants, Israel can hardly offer free passage to European officials. Quid pro quo, baby. |
| Posted by: Anonymoose 2010-01-25 06:56 |