Posted on 08/27/2007 5:27:50 AM PDT by SJackson
Jerusalem (CNSNews.com) - Egypt is backing Hamas by failing to prevent weapons smuggling from the Sinai Desert into the Gaza Strip, Israel's Public Security Minister Avi Dichter said on Monday.
"Any rational person -- Israel or Palestinian -- who witnesses the Egyptians' failure to act against arms smuggling can see that it is in their interest to strengthen Hamas," the Jerusalem Post quoted Dichter as saying in a radio interview on Monday.
The deputy head of the Shin Bet, Israel's security service, told Israeli lawmakers on Sunday that Hamas has smuggled some 40 tons of explosives into the Gaza Strip since taking over the area in June.
That is half the amount of explosives that have been smuggled into the Gaza Strip since Israel pulled out two years ago.
Egypt is considered a strong U.S. Middle East ally, and Cairo has been heavily involved in trying to broker deals between Hamas and the Fatah faction of Palestinian Authority Chairman Mahmoud Abbas.
In June, the House of Representatives made $200 million in foreign military aid to Egypt conditional on Cairo taking action to stop Palestinian weapons smuggling. (The sum $200 million represents about 15 percent of the $1.3 billion that the U.S. provides Egypt in military aid each year.)
In other news, Abbas is scheduled to meet with Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert in Jerusalem on Tuesday, an Israeli official confirmed.
The two are scheduled to discuss cooperation in the fight against terror, among other issues of mutual concern.
Israel on Monday carried out an air strike against a rocket-launching squad in the Gaza Strip after a Kassam rocket was fired into Israel, the army said. It's the latest sign of growing trouble in the area.
Earlier, Israeli soldiers shot a Palestinian suspected of planting an explosive device.
The incidents follow a weekend infiltration attempt from the Gaza Strip, in which Israeli troops killed four Palestinians. Two managed to cross the security fence and were planning to carry out a terror attack, the army said
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