From the Wire
Blair Assassination Threat Cited In Postponement Of Gaza Trip
Posted on July 15, 2008 at 11:41 AM.
BEIT LAHIYA, Gaza Strip — Mideast envoy Tony Blair on Tuesday called off what would have been the first visit of a top Western diplomat to Hamas-ruled Gaza, after Israel's Shin Bet security service said he might come under attack there.
The Shin Bet security service said it had received "pinpoint information that Palestinians were planning to attack Blair in Gaza, so the relevant services alerted him to the fact."
Blair told The Associated Press that the threat was "specific" and "credible," forcing him to call off the trip but he said it was a postponement, not a cancellation.
"I intend to go to Gaza as soon as I can, and I will continue to press for help for the people there," he said.
Blair's visit Tuesday was to have included a tour of a Gaza waste water project and meetings with traders and U.N. officials, but not with leaders of Hamas, the Islamic militant group that seized Gaza by force more than a year ago.
Hamas made security arrangements for Blair, setting up checkpoints in areas he was expected to tour, banning cars from using roads and lining streets with black-clad policemen carrying AK-47s.
Since the Hamas takeover, Gaza has been virtually sealed off from the world by Israel and Egypt, a policy that has received tacit international backing.
Blair has said in recent weeks that a new policy toward Gaza needs to be developed, pointing to the growing suffering of Gaza's people, but has not offered a plan. The options are limited because much of the international community considers Hamas a terrorist group and has shunned its government.
Blair's spokesman, Matthew Doyle, said the envoy called off the visit "due to a specific security threat which would have made it irresponsible to proceed, not just for those visiting but also the local community."
Blair denied that the Israeli government pressed him to call off the trip. "It was a pity, because it would have been important to go and see for myself the situation in Gaza," he said.
Taher Nunu, a Hamas government spokesman denied there were any security threats against Blair. "Gaza is still open for all visitors, to break the siege and see the extent of suffering here," he said.
Although the once lawless Gaza has been mostly pacified under Hamas' stern rule, there are still shadowy extremist Muslim groups in the territory. On an Islamist forum popular with Gaza residents, some users slammed Blair's expected visit, but there were no direct threats of violence against him. Those comments were later removed from the Web site.
A key stop on Blair's trip would have been a northern Gaza waste water project being built with international funds. The Mideast envoy had not been expected to meet officials from Hamas, which is committed to Israel's destruction and is considered a terrorist group by the U.S., European Union and Israel.
"We are very disappointed," said John Ging, Gaza director of the U.N. agency in charge of aiding Palestinian refugees.
Blair, a former British prime minister, is trying to revive the struggling Palestinian economy to lay the groundwork for a future independent Palestinian state. He represents the Mideast Quartet _ the U.S., Russia, the EU and the United Nations _ which is trying to push the Palestinians and Israel toward a peace agreement.
Blair also canceled a visit to Sderot expected on Tuesday, a town in southern Israel which is the frequent target of rockets fired by Palestinian militants in Gaza.
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