Israel sealed the Gaza Strip on Monday, imposing the most sweeping restrictions in years, and its troops killed three Palestinians in clashes there, as U.S. Secretary of State Colin Powell wound up a Mideast mission.
POWELL HAD ASKED the Israeli and Palestinian prime ministers to move on the "road map" peace plan; Palestinians are expected to rein in militants, and Israel is to ease restrictions that have caused severe hardships for Palestinians through 31 months of fighting. However, the visit ended without visible results.
| Except for a few bodies strewn here and there, of course... |
Palestinian leaders expressed disappointment that Powell failed to prod Israel to accept the three-year plan. Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon has expressed major reservations and was to air them in a meeting next week with President Bush. Before leaving for Washington, Sharon was to meet with his Palestinian counterpart, Mahmoud Abbas, in what would be the highest-level talks between the two sides in nearly three years.
| Sounds like the same old routine, only with a different face here or there... |
On Sunday, Israel lifted a closure on the West Bank and Gaza, allowing several thousands of Palestinians to return to jobs in Israel, while continuing to enforce travel restrictions between towns. But on Monday, the military barred Palestinians and all foreigners, with the exception of diplomats, from leaving and entering the coastal strip of Gaza. The open-ended travel ban marks the first time in years that foreign nationals, including journalists, are being kept out of Gaza for an extended period. "We've never seen anything like this," said Paul McCann, a spokesman for the United Nations Relief and Works Agency, which assists hundreds of thousands of Palestinian refugees. McCann said UNRWA's operations were being hampered considerably, adding that "this morning, we couldn't even get our diplomatic pouch out."
| Too bad. That's what happens when boomers use your organizations to infiltrate... |
The restrictions were imposed three days after the military announced that foreigners must sign security waivers as they enter Gaza and promise to stay away from "combat areas." Human rights groups have accused the army of trying to prevent monitoring of Israel military actions against Palestinians. The new rules were announced after two Britons traveled from Gaza to Tel Aviv, where one of the Britons blew himself up at a pub on April 30, killing three Israelis. His accomplice remains at large. In tightening restrictions, the military also referred specifically to keeping out members of the International Solidarity Movement, a pro-Palestinian group that has sent foreign volunteers to trouble spots to serve as buffers between troops and Palestinian civilians. Dozens of activists have been deported by Israel.
| A move that looks like good sense from here... |
In the first sign that a thaw might be developing, Israeli Maj. Gen. Amos Gilad met over the weekend with Mohammed Dahlan, minister in charge of security in the Palestinian Cabinet. Such contacts were a key element of interim peace accords but were suspended because of the violence, Israel Radio said. The question of whether Israel will accept the new road map, as Palestinian leaders have, may be clarified only when Sharon sees U.S. President George W. Bush in Washington on May 20. A senior U.S. official travelling with Powell said Bush remained committed to the plan. On Monday, Powell turned to Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak for help in improving Palestinian security forces in an attempt to encourage Israel to move ahead on the Mideast road map. After his meetings with Mubarak and other Egyptian officials, Powell takes the same message to Jordan later Monday and to Saudi Arabia on Tuesday. |