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Israel, US sign anti-Gaza arms smuggling deal
2009-01-16
WASHINGTON (AFP) - US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice and Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni signed a deal here Friday aimed at halting arms smuggling into Gaza as part of efforts to clinch a ceasefire. Rice, who blamed Hamas for sparking a 21-day military offensive by Israel, said at a signing ceremony in Washington that the deal aims to ensure that "Gaza can never again be used as a launchpad" for rocket and other attacks. Flanked by Livni at the hastily-arranged gathering, Rice said the memorandum of understanding "provides a series of steps that the US and Israel will take to stem the flow of weapons and explosives into Gaza." Livni thanked her US counterpart for completing this "historic MOU in record time" after she was sent to Washington by Prime Minister Ehud Olmert late Thursday. "There must be an end of smuggling of weapons to Gaza," the Israeli chief diplomat said, adding that the MOU is "a vital component for the cessation of hostilities." It was not immediately clear how soon a ceasefire could take place. Rice told reporters that she hoped for a "ceasefire very, very soon" but could not promise one would be sealed in time for January 20, when President George W. Bush hands the White House over to his successor, Barack Obama. "We're working ... on as quick a timeline as we possibly can in support of the Egyptian mediation," she said. In Jerusalem, a senior Israeli government official said Olmert's security cabinet is expected to vote in favor of a proposal at a meeting on Saturday night under which Israel would silence its guns even without a reciprocal agreement from the Islamist movement Hamas, which has controlled Gaza since ousting forces loyal to the US-backed Palestinian Authority in June 2007. Under the agreement, both sides said they understand that they will work with neighboring and other countries to "prevent the supply of arms and related material to terrorist organizations," according to a released copy. It mentions Hamas as well as other unspecified "terrorist" groups. The United States will work "with regional and NATO partners" to halt arms smuggling to such groups in Gaza, "including through the Mediterranean, Gulf of Aden, Red Sea and eastern Africa," the document said. Livni said the deal would involve North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO) and Middle Eastern countries in efforts to stop the weapons flow to Hamas from Iran. "It starts from Iran," Livni said during a separate press conference later. Livni did not reveal details of the measures when asked if they involved having US and other warships board suspected ships in the Gulf near Iran. The document only speaks of "enhanced intelligence fusion with key international and coalition naval forces and other appropriate entities to address weapons supply to Gaza." Israel launched its Operation Cast Lead on December 27 to stop Palestinian militants in Gaza from firing rockets on southern Israel. Livni said Israel had shown restraint for years under such attacks, but Hamas had held "Gaza hostage" and finally had to pay "a high price for terror." At least 1,188 Palestinians have been killed and another 5,285 wounded in the Israeli onslaught, according to Gaza medics. Some 600 civilians have been slain, including 410 children, they said.
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