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Egyptian forces clashing with Palestinians at the Rafah border last month. (AP / Archives)
Last update - 21:27 07/02/2008
Egyptian FM: Whoever breaks border will have his legs broken
By Reuters
Tags: Israel, Hamas, gaza, Egypt

The Egyptian foreign ministry on Thursday warned Palestinians against attempts to breach the Gaza Strip border, saying, "whoever breaks the border line will have his legs broken."

The ministry issued this warning two weeks after Palestinian militants blew holes in a section of the barrier wall separating the Gaza Strip from Egypt prompting hundreds of thousands of Gazans to pour across the frontier.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed Aboul Gheit said in comments carried by the state-run Middle East News Agency (MENA) on Thursday that Egyptian efforts were continuing with Israel and the European Union to re-open the Rafah border crossing "in a legal way."
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Aboul Gheit blasted Hamas for recent fighting with Israel that it called "cartoonish and comical".

He said Hamas rockets that were "lost in the sands of Israel" were simply prompting Israel Defense Forces to strike at Gaza, causing harm to Palestinians.

Aboul Gheit also reiterated his warning to Palestinians not to provoke the Egyptian soldiers positioned on the Gaza Strip border.

Egypt had made the same warning to Hamas on Tuesday, a day after clashes between Palestinians and Egyptian border police erupted.

After allowing hundreds of thousands of Palestinians to cross into the Sinai peninsula last month, Egypt on Sunday closed the border to Palestinians seeking entry.

A day later, one person was killed and dozens more wounded in clashes between Egyptian border guards and Palestinian militants. Security sources said several thousand Palestinians in Egypt would be returned to Gaza in organized groups.

Earlier this week, Aboul Gheit also called on Hamas, which seized control of the Gaza Strip in June, to allow Palestinian Authority personnel to oversee the Egypt-Gaza border at Rafah, and warned Gazans not to test Egypt's patience.

Egypt does not want to be seen as aiding the blockade of Gaza but is under U.S. and Israeli pressure to take control. It also fears the spread of Islamist influence in Egypt.

The Rafah crossing was run by Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas' forces under EU supervision, with Israeli security agents vetting travelers via video link.

Egypt shut down its side of the terminal after Hamas's violent takeover of Gaza last June. Hamas wants to participate in supervising the crossing, but Abbas has rejcted their demand.

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  • Egypt arrests 17 Palestinian militants in Sinai over weekend
  • Report: Egypt thwarts suicide terror attack against Israel
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      1.   Risky business 14:18  |  Baz Mann 07/02/08
      2.   Those Stupid Rockets Keep Hamas In Power 14:34  |  dyinglikeflies 07/02/08
      3.   #1 - Israel should cut itself off 100% from Gaza! 14:43  |  redmike 07/02/08
      4.   Living on another planet! 14:48  |  Nabulsi 07/02/08
      5.   # 4 Nabulsi...such stupidity 15:01  |  Lynn 07/02/08
      6.   Well said,Redmike 15:15  |  Minda 07/02/08
      7.   #4 i agree with you on one thing 15:15  |  ayman 07/02/08
      8.   To Nabulsi #5 15:20  |  Ahmose The Egyptian 07/02/08
      9.   Strang feeling 15:34  |  Egyptian citizen 07/02/08
      10.   Of Broken Hearts and Feet...Shame Egypt..Tsk. 15:41  |  Stephen. 07/02/08
      11.   FM Ahmed Aboul Gheit`s life span? 15:43  |  spyguy 07/02/08
      12.   rockets cause no casualty, idf murders. 15:52  |  /\/\/\/\/\/\/\ 07/02/08
      13.   comical 15:53  |  Max 07/02/08
      14.   Egyptian regime is a disgrace 16:04  |  Moise 07/02/08
      15.   Hamas remember black Sept. in Jordan !! 16:08  |  Jean 07/02/08
      16.   Question for Nabulsi. While it is true that Arabs in Gaza 16:15  |  bat yam 07/02/08
      17.   Impossible to avoid... 16:27  |  george 07/02/08
      18.   gazans 16:29  |  jeff 07/02/08
      19.   #4 16:32  |  Ben 07/02/08
      20.   Nabulsi is on another planet 16:33  |  bobby 07/02/08
      21.   Now that is an Egyptian solution 16:40  |  ottomatik 07/02/08
      22.   oh yah and if you believe this propoganda i have a bridge to sell 16:48  |  ralph 07/02/08
      23.   not really a risky business 16:56  |  Robert 07/02/08
      24.   Sic luceat lux. 17:01  |  Charles Smyth 07/02/08
      25.   Egypt was too afraid to invistigate the murder of its soldiers 17:02  |  El-Birawi 07/02/08
      26.   Nablusi # 4 _ re Egyptian Army`s Failures 17:02  |  Eli 07/02/08
      27.   #3 - redmike 17:04  |  Russ 07/02/08
      28.   What shocking thing to threaten anyone with 17:08  |  Dutch 07/02/08
      29.   Dutch, Durson, POP, Indraya where are you? 17:08  |  dovale 07/02/08
      30.   Egypt is not on the table for Bargain!!!! 17:23  |  Sharif Hafez 07/02/08
      31.   now now, that`s no way to treat the arab brothers 17:30  |  matt 07/02/08
      32.   # 3 If we don`t have an interest at stake, ... 17:30  |  Sharif Hafez 07/02/08
      33.   Nablusi 17:34  |  Philip 07/02/08
      34.   Self Defeating Palestinians 17:48  |  danite 07/02/08
      35.   To Nabulsi #4 LIVING ON ANOTHER PLANET 17:58  |  Egyptian Arab 07/02/08
      36.   Apparently Dutch thinks that only Israel reserved 18:02  |  Gabriel 07/02/08
      37.   nobody wants them 18:04  |  alan 07/02/08
      38.   Question for Nabulisi. Your claim that the Arabs... 18:10  |  bat yam 07/02/08
      39.   Israel - double standard 18:23  |  consorts 07/02/08
      40.   Not so tought now anymore ha, you palestinian terror lovers 18:25  |  Johnny 07/02/08
      41.   #1 Baz 18:27  |  Assem 07/02/08
      42.   #6 & #11 18:29  |  Nabulsi 07/02/08
      43.   #14, Alan 18:35  |  James Rassouk 07/02/08
      44.   even Egyptians understand the kind of people palis are!!! 18:38  |  Igor D. 07/02/08
      45.   #14 18:41  |  Nabulsi 07/02/08
      46.   #6 Eli, What the Palestinians have 18:46  |  dutch 07/02/08
      47.   Dying Like Flies 18:56  |  George W. Bush 07/02/08
      48.   Nabulsi 19:01  |  George W. Bush 07/02/08
      49.   Nabulsi lost his head 19:11  |  Rory 07/02/08
      50.   Nabulsi 19:14  |  alan 07/02/08
      51.   EGYPTIAN WARNING ON FENCE 19:18  |  ELI GOLD 07/02/08
      52.   Capo to capo talk, Dutch 19:22  |  Aphemia 07/02/08
      53.   to eli and phillip 19:24  |  fahim 07/02/08
      54.   A solution for the USA/MEXICO border problem ??? 19:27  |  Ali 07/02/08
      55.   #8 dutch which would you rather be the victim of,broken legs or 19:28  |  terrornator 07/02/08
      56.   to # 10 Sharif Hafez,no Egypt is Arab,what are you trying to say? 19:29  |  Zaki 07/02/08
      57.   Islamist pressures 19:32  |  FZ 07/02/08
      58.   pals need to learn that when you s88t in your nest,eventually 19:33  |  terrornator 07/02/08
      59.   18 Nablusi,19 Dutch,Nablusi,well said!Egypt has to act like a 19:33  |  lakshmi 07/02/08
      60.   #14 Nabulsi "Egypt has a moral obligation to help the 19:38  |  terrornator 07/02/08
      61.   dutch,is it a palestinian law that allows animals to strap bombs 19:43  |  terrornator 07/02/08
      62.   I have a dream,and a question to Hamas 19:45  |  Zaki 07/02/08
      63.   #2 dyinglikeflies 19:50  |  Rowan Berkeley 07/02/08
      64.   Sharif Beh, the ancient Egyptian 19:54  |  Ex-countryman 07/02/08
      65.   Question for Nabulisi 4. Although the Arabs... 20:11  |  bat yam 07/02/08
      66.   Olmert should learn from Aboul 20:12  |  Jimmie 07/02/08
      67.   DUTCH calm down! 20:17  |  Gil 07/02/08
      68.   #21 20:28  |  Nabulsi 07/02/08
      69.   Israel Keep Your Border Sealed! 20:33  |  Gina 07/02/08
      70.   #27 No, we are not Arabs! #35 Happy to have a Shallow mentality 20:42  |  Sharif Hafez 07/02/08
      71.   Wake Up O` Israel! 20:43  |  Jimmie 07/02/08