Blair Cancels Visit to Gaza Due to Pressures from the Israeli Occupation Government

Blair's Gaza visit cancelled after assassination threats

Date: 15 / 07 / 2008 Time: 12:17
Ramallah – Ma'an –

International quartet envoy Tony Blair's planned trip to the Gaza was cancelled on Tuesday following what was described as "specific security threats" that made the visit impossible.

The Israeli daily newspaper Ha'aretz reported that the Israeli General Intelligence Services (Shabak) had received information concerning a "very serious" threat to assassinate Blair, which prompted him to cancel his visit to the sector.

Blair's spokeswoman told Ma'an, "It would have been irresponsible to go ahead not just for him, but for the local community as well. He's looking forward to going in the future."

The cancellation will be seen as a blow to both Hamas and Fatah. The de facto government in the Gaza Strip commented on the cancellation of the visit saying, "The difficulties imposed by the Israeli forces and other sides are responsible for the cancellation of Blair's visit."

De facto government spokesman Tahar An-Nunu said that the Israeli authorities had pressured Blair not to go to Gaza Strip so he "would not witness the disaster in the Gaza Strip due to the blockade imposed on the sector and its implications and results, as well as the crimes committed by the Israeli forces."

An-Nunu said that there were parties who also played a role in pressuring Blair to cancel his visit, but An-Nunu did not divulge who they were. He said the de facto government had taken all the necessary measures to ensure security around Blair's visit, but that "other parties did their best to prevent his being in the Gaza Strip."

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri also said that Blair's visit was cancelled because of pressure by the Israeli forces as "such visits prove the failure of the Israeli policy of blockade." He adding that Israeli official sources said that Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak contacted Blair shortly before the visit was due to start. "This proves the role of the Israelis in the cancellation of this visit," Abu Zuhri concluded.

He said the "specific security threat" to the visit was false. "The allegation made by Blair's office that the visit was cancelled because of a security threat is untrue and inappropriate because the Palestinian security, along with the Palestinian police had preparations in place to secure and facilitate the his visit," Abu Zuhri said.

Prior to the visit, Fatah's spokesperson Ahmad Abdul-Rahman welcomed the visit describing it as very important.

“This visit is a message from the Quartet to Hamas offering international aid and support to the Gaza Strip if Hamas initiates an end to the [internal Palestinian] split and is willing to return to national legitimacy as well as adhering to its regional and international commitments,” he said.

Abdel-Rahman explained, “Blair’s visit forces Hamas to reevaluate their motives and political and economic stances rather than considering this visit as a recognition of the coup in the Gaza Strip. We applaud this visit and we call on Blair to put pressure on Israel to end the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip and open the crossings, in addition to providing all the requirements of Gazans.”

“Blair’s visit may form an important step in ending the tragedy in the Gaza Strip if Hamas is willing to deal with its national responsibility and declares its acceptance of Abbas’ initiative to retrieve unity and legitimacy between the two sides and they are wrong to consider such a visit as an acceptance of the coup. International efforts are focused on reviving national unity and legitimacy as a definite first step towards ending the Israeli occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital,” he added.

Blair was not due to meet the de-facto government, but rather business men from Gaza. The Hamas government had however, put security measures in place. It is not known when the visit will go ahead.

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