Rice to Israel: Open border crossings
U.S. Secretary of State tells Israel borders 'need to get freed up so economic program we all want to see in Palestinian territories' can begin
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, speaking in Canada's capital, Ottawa, suggested Tuesday that Israel should loosen controls at border crossings to allow freer passage for Palestinians and economic development in the Gaza Strip.
Gaza, now under Palestinian control, is on the other side of Israel from the larger Palestinian-controlled areas of the West Bank.
``It is very clear that the crossings issues need to get resolved,'' Rice said.
Borders ``need to get freed up so that the kind of economic program we all want to see in the Palestinian territories'' can begin, Rice said.
Middle East envoy James Wolfensohn is ``asking the parties to do everything they can now that the Israelis are out of the Gaza to make sure that the Gaza is going to be a place where Palestinians can see a different kind of life and therefore start to build the foundations for a Palestinian state,'' she said.
In an Oct. 17 letter to the U.N. secretary-general obtained by The Associated Press, Wolfensohn criticized Israel, claiming it was slow to negotiate with the Palestinians.
IDF: Sa'adi was planning more attacks
But Israeli officials have said security considerations alone were responsible for the status of border crossings.
The Islamic Jihad terror organization fired Qassam rockets at Israel on Monday evening, after its top operative, Louie Sa'adi was killed in Tul Karm. The IDF said that Sa'adi, responsible for a recent series of deadly suicide bomb attacks that killed ten Israeli civilians and injured dozens more, was planning further major attacks within Israel.
Wolfensohn acknowledged Israel's security concerns, but claimed that Israel and the Palestinians should be able to quickly resolve differences over borders.
