Arabs urge end to Gaza blockade, Egypt tightens border (Roundup)

Jan 21, 2008, 14:17 GMT

Cairo - The Arab League urged the UN Security Council Monday to intervene over power cuts and a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip resulting from an Israeli blockade while exiled Palestinian leader Khalid Mishal made a direct appeal to Egypt to help the Palestinians, according to media reports.

Convening at the Arab League's headquarters in Cairo, permanent delegates called for an emergency meeting of the Security Council for an immediate action to end Israel's blockade.

The blockade has resulted in Israel cutting off shipments of fuel that powers the territory's only power plant and closing border crossings to the Gaza Strip on Friday.

Saudi Arabia is mulling the idea of convening an emergency Arab summit in February to discuss the situation in Gaza, the Dubai-based al-Arabiya TV reported.

The Arab League has declared the Gaza Strip a disaster area and appealed to the international community and international organizations to help the Palestinian people and ensure that humanitarian relief reaches the territory.

The body urged Palestinian powers to close ranks in the current crisis.

The Islamic militant group Hamas has been in control of Gaza over the last seven months after violent clashes with its rivals from the Fatah faction of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

In another development, Hamas' exiled leader, Khalid Mishal, appealed to Egypt to press Israel and the United States to end the blockade.

Mishal telephoned Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Abul-Gheit, and urged Cairo to take up 'its responsibility' towards the Palestinians, according to the Egyptian state news agency MENA.

The agency also reported that Egyptian President Hosny Mubarak has called on Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Minister of Defence Ehud Barak to end measures aimed at tightening the blockade of the Gaza Strip.

Mubarak urged Olmert and Barak in separate telephone conversations to end the military escalation in Gaza and stop measures that target the Palestinian people in the territory, MENA said.

Earlier, Egypt announced it was sending more security forces to its border with the Gaza Strip for fear that Palestinian militants would storm the border after Israel tightened its blockade of the territory.

The Egyptian authorities received information that Palestinian militants may storm the Rafah crossing, which prompted them to send hundreds of security forces for additional deployment along the joint border with the Gaza Strip, security officials said.

Palestinians had previously stormed the crossing through holes rammed in the high concrete wall that marks the border with Egypt.