 Mahmoud Abbas, the Palestinian president, has assumed security control over the Gaza Strip's border crossings. Al Jazeera said on Wednesday that Abbas issued a presidential decree putting the General Administration for Crossings and Borders department under his responsibility. The decree stipulates that the department must enjoy an independent financial, commercial and security status and be affiliated to the Palestinian presidency.
| That's assuming they ever see any money again, of course... |
The Islamist resistance group, Hamas, which ousted Abbas' long-dominant Fatah faction in January elections on a platform of fighting corruption and Israel, squealed like stuck little piggies decried the move as a violation of power-sharing agreements. Officials close to Abbas said he had been under pressure from the European Union, which threatened to withdraw its monitors from the key Rafah crossing between Gaza and Egypt in response to Hamas's political rise. Citing security concerns, Israel has also repeatedly closed the Karni commercial crossing - a lifeline for Palestinians in Gaza, from which Israel withdrew last year after 38 years of occupation. Israel continues to control major crossings in the West Bank, another territory captured in the 1967 Middle East war and where Palestinians seek statehood.
| I guess if you start a war you should be prepared to either win it or lose territory. |
The Hamas government said Abbas's announcement ran counter to understandings whereby control of borders would remain in the hands of the Palestinian government. "Any attempt to reduce the authorities of the government will harm its performance and its ability to carry out its duties," said cabinet spokesman Ghazi Hamad. |