Israel opposes start of Gaza-West Bank convoys
AFP
Date: 12-18-05
JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli Defence Minister Shaul Mofaz has been reported to have ruled out the rapid establishment of a bus link between the West Bank and Gaza that should already have been launched under a US-brokered deal.
Mofaz was quoted by public radio Sunday as telling the weekly cabinet meeting that "the security conditions are not ready for these convoys at the moment".
The convoys across Israel should have begun operating last Thursday under the terms of the agreement overseen by US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice that also led to the opening of the Rafah border crossing between Egypt and Gaza.
However Israel decided to freeze all talks on the link in the aftermath of a suicide attack on December 5 in the coastal city of Netanya that killed five Israelis, accusing the Palestinian Authority of doing nothing to rein in militant groups.
The United States is understood to have placed heavy pressure on Israel to allow the bus convoys as soon as possible.
Under the terms of the agreement, Israel should also allow convoys of trucks to travel between the Gaza Strip and the West Bank from January 15.
Since Israel's pullout from Gaza over the summer, the Palestinians have warned that the territory will become a "giant prison" if its residents are not allowed regular access to the occupied West Bank.
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