Palestinians reject Israel's Gaza ploy

Dubai: Hamas on Thursday rejected an Israeli plan to ease its blockade on Gaza Strip and demanded full reopening of its borders with Egypt and lifting of the naval blockade.

"The Israeli move is just a public relations campaign and will not help ease the miserable living conditions of Gazans," Mohammad Shehab, a member of the Legislative Council and leader of Hamas, told Gulf News on the phone.

The Palestinian National Authority also rejected the move, with chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat also calling it a "public relations ploy."

"President Mahmoud Abbas demands the complete lifting of the siege on the Gaza Strip," Erekat said. "He believes there are no partial solutions."

The Israeli decision is seen by many in Gaza as a ‘cosmetic act' following an international outcry over the May 31 Israeli attack on the aid ship Mavi Marmara in which nine activists were killed.

France and Jordan said the decision did not go far enough. "It is the first major progress since the crisis began. But it is not enough," French Foreign Minister Bernard Kouchner said in Paris.

Jordan also said the Israeli decision was not enough and urged a complete lifting of all restrictions.

Jordan "wants Israel to completely lift this unjust blockade," the kingdom's information minister and government spokesman, Nabeel Sharif, said.

Israel announced earlier that it would "liberalise the system by which civilian goods enter Gaza [and] expand the inflow of materials for civilian projects that are under international supervision."

US warns of cost

US lawmakers warned Turkey yesterday that its ties with Washington would suffer if it continued on what they considered an anti-Israel path.

"There will be a cost if Turkey stays on its present heading of growing closer to Iran and more antagonistic to the state of Israel," Representative Mike Pence, the No 3 Republican in the US House of Representatives, said. Democrat Eliot Engel called Turkey's actions "disgraceful", adding that although Ankara was a member of Nato, it had stopped looking westward.

- With additional inputs from agencies