Gaza government regrets Arab summit's failure in breaking the siege

Editorial Note: The following news reports are summaries from original sources. They may also include corrections of Arabic names and political terminology. Comments are in parentheses.

Caretaker gov't regrets Arab summit's failure in breaking siege on Gaza

[ 31/03/2008 - 09:19 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

The PA caretaker government headed by premier Ismail Haneyya expressed regret and dismay at not setting mechanisms to break the Israeli siege imposed on the Gaza people during the two-day Arab summit which only urged the concerned parties to work on getting the siege lifted.

Following the weekly cabinet meeting, Taher Al-Nunu, the spokesman for the government, stated that the government expressed its appreciation for the Arab leaders' positions which supported the Palestinian people's rights and considered the Israeli practices war crimes.

Shifting to another issue, the government held the Fatah faction fully responsible for aborting efforts to revive national dialog through repudiating its signing of the Sana'a declaration as a framework for dialog, expressing thanks to the Arab efforts especially the efforts of Yemeni president Ali Abdullah Saleh in this regard.

The government warned of the Israeli practices to Judaize and Israelize occupied Jerusalem and the West Bank through land confiscation, house demolition, ethnic cleansing and racial discrimination and internal and external displacement.

The government also expressed worries over the repeated meetings held by PA officials with Israelis particularly what had been disclosed by the PA chief about meetings between PA negotiator Ahmed Qurei and Israeli foreign minister Tzipi Livni, considering these meetings contrary to the national consensus.

The government warned the PA leadership of offering free concessions to the Israeli occupation and waiving the Palestinian inalienable rights and constants, and underlined that no one is authorized to cede an inch of these rights.

Barhoum: No excuse for Arab leaders for not breaking siege on Gaza

[ 31/03/2008 - 02:09 PM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

Fawzi Barhoum, a Hamas spokesman in the Gaza Strip, on Monday said that there was no excuse for the Arab leaders for not taking a decision to break the siege on the Strip.

In a press release, Barhoum said that the summit adopted a decision declaring Gaza a "disaster area" but did not translate this decision into practical measures on the ground.

He said that there was no justification for the Arab leaders not to break the siege on Gaza and send assistance to its inhabitants.

The spokesman noted that Khaled Mesha'al, the chairman of Hamas's political bureau, had invited PA chief Mahmoud Abbas to visit Gaza. He added that none blocks or puts conditions before Abbas's visit to Gaza to discuss Palestinian national unity and to unite ranks and political stands.

Meanwhile, a Hamas detained leader in occupation jails warned of the "serious repercussions" of the repeated tours of American secretary of state Condoleezza Rice in the region.

Abdul Nasser Issa, who is held in Hadarim jail, said that Rice's sole concern is to achieve security for Israel and to maintain inter-Palestinian differences.

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