Gaza a 'base for terrorism'

2005-08-10 19:54

Jerusalem - Benjamin Netanyahu, who quit Israel's cabinet at the weekend, said on Wednesday the Gaza Strip could be turned into a base for terrorism under his archrival Prime Minister Ariel Sharon's pull-out plan.

Former finance minister Netanyahu said allowing Egyptian security forces to take control of the Gaza-Egypt border crossing after Israel's departure and the likely opening of a Mediterranean seaport would lead to the territory being flooded with arms.

Netanyahu said: "A port could represent a mortal danger."

He said: "We are allowing the creation of an independent terrorist base in Gaza to which arms will flow from Syria, Afghanistan, Iraq.

"We are facing a global enemy which threatens not only Israel, but Egypt and Jordan as well. Who will stop this terrible danger? Apparently not the Israeli government which is blindly stumbling" towards disengagement.

Israeli-Egyptian relations 'improved'

While Israel had intended to keep a small contingent on the Rafah border, which had been a major conduit of arms smuggling, it had since reached a tentative agreement for 750 Egyptian border guards to man the crossing after the pull-out.

Israeli-Egyptian relations had improved significantly in recent months, with both countries keen to ensure that the pull-out did not create a vacuum to be subsequently filled by the radical Islamist movement, Hamas.

Netanyahu said the agreement with Egypt was riddled with holes and would not prevent arms reaching the Palestinians.

He said: "Egypt has committed itself to stopping arms smuggling, but it has not said it will not authorise the delivery of weapons."

Netanyahu, a former prime minister who harboured ambitions of returning to high office, was a consistent critic from within the cabinet of Sharon's disengagement plan which was due to start in earnest in a week's time.

Polls published on Wednesday showed that he would likely triumph in a run-off with Sharon in any contest to lead their right-wing Likud party.

- AFP