MIDDLE EAST:The Israeli government yesterday declared the Gaza Strip a "hostile entity" and threatened further cuts to fuel and electricity supplies if militants continue to fire Qassam rockets at Israel, a decision backed by the US.
The decision was described by Palestinians and international agencies, including the UN, as collective punishment, which is illegal under international law. Hamas said the policy was a declaration of war.
In a statement, the Israeli government said that Hamas had taken over the Gaza Strip and turned it into a hostile territory. It said: "Additional sanctions will be placed on the Hamas regime in order to restrict the passage of various goods to the Gaza Strip and reduce the supply of fuel and electricity." Further restrictions on the movement of people in and out of Gaza would also be implemented.
Gaza is already under pressure because Israel has reduced the amount of goods going in and out to a minimum. Private businesses are unable to import raw materials or export finished products and more than 1.1 million of the Strip's 1.5 million inhabitants rely on food from the UN.
While Israel withdrew its troops and communities from Gaza in 2005, it remains the occupying power under international law, which entails responsibilities for the wellbeing of the civilian population.
Israel placed an economic blockade on Gaza in June, following Hamas's takeover, but economic sanctions have been in place since Hamas was elected to run the Palestinian Authority in January of last year.
At a press conference with US secretary of state Condoleezza Rice in Jerusalem yesterday, Tzipi Livni, the Israeli foreign minister, said that the government decision was in response to the firing of Qassam rockets at Israel from Gaza. She said Israel would continue to supply Gaza with its humanitarian needs but nothing beyond that.
Dr Rice said she supported Israel's decision and added: "Hamas is a hostile entity to the United States as well." She added that the US had no intention of "abandoning the innocent Palestinians in Gaza".
Israel's decision was condemned by both Hamas and Mahmoud Abbas, the president of the Palestinian Authority.
Fawzi Barhoum, a spokesman for Hamas in Gaza, said: "They aim to starve our people and force them to accept humiliating formulas that could emerge from the so-called November peace conference" - a reference to a proposed summit in Washington between Mr Abbas and Ehud Olmert, the Israeli prime minister. "It is a declaration of war and continues the criminal, terrorist Zionist actions against our people." Ban Ki-moon, the UN secretary general, said: "There are 1.4 million people in Gaza, including the old, the young and the sick, who are already suffering from the impact of prolonged closure.
"They should not be punished for the unacceptable actions of militants and extremists. I call for Israel to reconsider this decision." - (Guardian service)