Blair cancels Gaza visit after assassination threats, tells Ma'an he's disappointed

~
HMMM ... I WONDER IF SOMEONE DOESN'T WANT HIM TO SEE WHAT'S REALLY GOING ON IN GAZA ...

Ramallah – Ma'an – International Quartet envoy Tony Blair's planned trip to Gaza was cancelled on Tuesday following what was described as "specific security threats" that made the visit impossible.

Blair told Ma'an that he first knew of the threats on his life yesterday evening but was still keen to go ahead with the visit. He said it was when the threats became "more specific and more credible" that he decided to cancel the trip.

"I am very disappointed but this visit has been postponed and not cancelled. I intend to go as soon as I can. It would have been important to go and see for myself firsthand what's happening in Gaza and I will continue to press for help for the people there," Blair said.

Blair was not due to meet the de-facto government, but rather businessmen from Gaza. The Hamas government had however, put security measures in place, delpoying extra police officers and cordoning off areas Blair was slated to visit.

He said he had "no complaints" about the security arrangements the de facto had set up for his visit. "The cancellation of the visit is no reflection on them or on anyone else," he added.

Blair refuted allegations by de facto government spokesman Tahar An-Nunu that the Israeli authorities had pressured Blair not to go to Gaza so he "would not witness the disaster in the Gaza Strip due to the blockade imposed on the sector and its implications and results, as well as the crimes committed by the Israeli forces."

"We were virtually there and had to turn back. The Israeli government did not deliberately stop the visit; they had genuine information. A specific and credible threat was made and we had to assess that," Blair said, adding that the decision not to go was made by his own security team.

Israeli media had reported that the Israeli General Intelligence Services (Shabak) had received information concerning a "very serious" threat to assassinate Blair, which prompted him to cancel his visit to the sector.

The cancellation will be seen as a blow to both Hamas and Fatah.

An-Nunu said that there were parties who also played a role in pressuring Blair to cancel his visit, but An-Nunu did not divulge who they were. He said the de facto government had taken all the necessary measures to ensure security around Blair's visit, but that "other parties did their best to prevent his being in the Gaza Strip."

Hamas spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri also said that Blair's visit was cancelled because of pressure by the Israeli forces as "such visits prove the failure of the Israeli policy of blockade." He adding that Israeli official sources said that Israeli Defence Minister Ehud Barak contacted Blair shortly before the visit was due to start. "This proves the role of the Israelis in the cancellation of this visit," Abu Zuhri concluded.

Prior to the visit, Fatah's spokesperson Ahmad Abdul-Rahman had welcomed Blair's intention to go to the Gaza Strip, describing it as very important.

“This visit is a message from the Quartet to Hamas offering international aid and support to the Gaza Strip if Hamas initiates an end to the [internal Palestinian] split and is willing to return to national legitimacy as well as adhering to its regional and international commitments,” he said.

Abdel-Rahman explained, “Blair’s visit forces Hamas to reevaluate their motives and political and economic stances rather than considering this visit as a recognition of the coup in the Gaza Strip. We applaud this visit and we call on Blair to put pressure on Israel to end the blockade imposed on the Gaza Strip and open the crossings, in addition to providing all the requirements of Gazans.”

“Blair’s visit may form an important step in ending the tragedy in the Gaza Strip if Hamas is willing to deal with its national responsibility and declares its acceptance of Abbas’ initiative to retrieve unity and legitimacy between the two sides and they are wrong to consider such a visit as an acceptance of the coup. International efforts are focused on reviving national unity and legitimacy as a definite first step towards ending the Israeli occupation and establishing an independent Palestinian state with Jerusalem as its capital,” he added.
~
SOURCE
~