[Ramallah, Jerusalem] United Nations Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon expressed concern over an Israeli cabinet decision to declare the Gaza Strip a “hostile entity.”
The cabinet on Wednesday approved a series of recommendations put forth by the defense establishment, including military options and other sanctions such as disrupting fuel and power shipments to Gaza. It will not upset the flow of water.
Israel’s decision to interrupt the provision of essential services to Gaza contravenes it obligation under international humanitarian and human rights towards the civilian population in the area, Ban said.
He called on the Israeli government to reconsider its decision.
However, he said the continued indiscriminate rocket fire from Gaza into Israel was “unacceptable.”
“I understand Israel’s security concerns over this matter,” Ban said.
Following the lead of Defense Minister Ehud Barak, the cabinet also decided to restrict the passage of various goods to the Gaza Strip.
All members of the security cabinet rejected the possibility of an immediate massive military operation in the Gaza Strip.
According to a cabinet announcement following the meeting, the sanctions will be enacted “following a legal examination, while taking into account both the humanitarian aspects relevant to the Gaza Strip and the intention to avoid a humanitarian crisis.”
The ministers discussed the continuing rocket attacks onto nearby Israeli communities from the Gaza Strip, as well as last week’s attack on a military base located five miles north of the Gaza Strip, in which 69 soldiers were wounded.
“Every day that passes brings us closer to an operation in Gaza,” Barak said after the meeting. Nevertheless, Barak said Israel would first exhaust the full range of possibilities before resorting to that option.
The 13-member security cabinet’s decision was unanimous. However, not all members of the Knesset – Israel’s parliament – agreed with the planned measures.
Ephraim Sneh, a member of Israel’s parliamentary Committee for Foreign and Security Affairs, told The Media Line that while he did not think the decision was a mistake, he was not sure about its effectiveness.
“Nobody knows if the anger of the population of Gaza would be aimed against Hamas, which actually imposed this situation on them, or against Israel. But it is worth trying,” Sneh said.
He added that “the solution to the problem of Gaza does not lie in tactical measures, or in these kinds of punishments. The question is how you remove the despotic regime of Hamas in Gaza. It can be done only through combined political, economic and military measures.”
Hamas officials attacked the decision fiercely, saying it was a "declaration of war" by the State of Israel.
“This decision by Olmert came as an attempt to empty the fall [peace] conference from its content,” Sami Abu Zuhri, a Hamas spokesman in Gaza, told The Media Line.
“We’re going to contact our Arab and international friends to counter this decision. The Palestinian resistance will continue,” he added.
The Palestinian government headed by Salam Faya’d also rejected the Israeli announcement. Speaking on behalf of the government, Justice Minister ‘Ali Khashan told The Media Line that, “the decision is null and void and aims to punish the Palestinian people in Gaza, which is suffering from both sides – Israel and Hamas. The government will stand by the people and will continue to help them in every way possible.”
United States Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice supported the Israeli security cabinet decision.
“It’s no secret that the United States declares Hamas a terrorist organization and that we have been troubled by the fact that Hamas did what they did in the Gaza [Strip] against legitimate Palestinian institutions,” Rice said.
“We will not abandon the innocent Palestinians in Gaza and indeed we will make every effort to deal with their humanitarian needs,” Rice concluded.