Israel says it will impose 'aerial siege' on Gaza

The Daily Star - Politics - Israel says it will impose 'aerial siege' on Gaza


QOREI WITHDRAWS HIS NAME FROM POLLS


Compiled by Daily Star staff
Saturday, December 24, 2005


Israel will enforce a new off-limits zone in the Gaza Strip with artillery, helicopter and gunboat fire, its latest response to rocket attacks on Israeli towns, defense officials said Friday, drawing condemnations from the Palestinian Authority. If enforced, the aerial barrage would mark some of Israel's toughest military action in Gaza since it withdrew from the coastal strip in September. Palestinian officials on Friday promised to send in more security forces to the border area to prevent the rocket attacks.

On the political front, former Palestinian Prime Minister Ahmad Qorei has decided to abandon his bid for a seat in parliament less than two weeks after resigning to contest, senior Palestinian officials said on Friday.

Israel's deputy defense minister, Zeev Boim, said the no-go zone was part of Israel's stepped up response to the rocket fire.

Israel hopes the Palestinians "will get the message and that this will stop the rocket squads," Boim told Israel Radio. "If we must, we will have to tighten the screw further."

But Boim ruled out a major ground offensive in Gaza.

The Defense Ministry said the army had already been ordered to restrict movement within the belt along the border and security sources said that meant intensified air strikes.

But Premier Ariel Sharon's office said the no-go zone was not yet being enforced.

"We will consider employing that plan and using all our resources from the air, the sea and the ground to create a sort of buffer which will be controlled by fire, not by the presence of troops," said spokesman Raanan Gissin.

Palestinians condemned the idea.

"Israeli threats, escalation and the re-occupation of Gaza will not solve the problem, it will create problems," said top Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat.

Palestinian forces said they had refused an Israeli request to evacuate the border zone and were continuing their own efforts to prevent rocket firing from amid the rubble of former Jewish settlements at the border.

"We will not move one inch," said Assayed Shaaban, commander of forces in northern Gaza.

The "no-go zone" will be 1.5 miles deep and run along the northern and eastern edges of Gaza, defense officials said. Gaza is about 25 miles long and six miles wide. The officials said the areas are uninhabited, though they include Palestinian farmland.

Abbas has ordered the deployment of additional security forces along the border in a bid to restore calm, Erekat said.

Israeli security sources said further steps were being considered if the rocket fire did not stop. These include cutting off Gaza's electricity - a proposal denounced by human rights groups as collective punishment.

Militants said they would keep up the barrages whatever Israel did. "We will not tremble from these threats," said Abu Abir of the Popular Resistance Committees.

Israel's move comes amid Palestinian and Israeli election campaigns. Fatah has also been weakened by infighting between party veterans and its disgruntled "young guard," which split from the party last week and presented a separate list of candidates under the name "Future."

Eager to bring the young guard back, Abbas agreed to award top slots on the Fatah list of candidates to younger activists who did well in recent primaries. Qorei, upset with the compromise, has decided not to run for parliament, officials speaking on condition of anonymity said Friday.

They said Qorei had sent a letter to Abbas to say that he wanted the elections postponed and that he opposed the plan. He was not immediately available for comment.

The officials conceded Qorei would likely fail to win a seat in his east Jerusalem district. However, Qorei would still seek to be appointed a minister in the next government. The officials refused to be identified because they weren't authorized to speak to the media.

Qorei had to resign as prime minister under a law that stipulates that candidates for election cannot hold official posts. - Agencies