German minister prevented from visiting Gaza

More on Ummid: International l National l Regional l Politics l Business l Religion l History l Culture l Education




JDU-BJP rift: Modi pulls out of Nitish's functions
GoM ends fourth meeting, report before PM Monday: PC
VC flags off team to Kerala special centre
Govt. Scholarships: SIO questions government's approach
Mumbai college bans 'tight jeans'
Yusuf Raza Gilani: Pakistan wants good relations with India
Hezbollah: Israel terrified of women's flotilla
Iran hangs 'armed Iranian Sunni Muslim group' leader

Zakir Naik to challenge British entry ban: Zakir Naik, the Indian Muslim preacher banned by the home secretary from entering the UK for his ..... Read Full Muslim Council: Zakir Naik exclusion order serious error of judgment	On Ventilator for 20 hrs, Anees cracks SSC board, tops school: Despite being on ventilator for most of the time - in a phenomenal display of grit and determination - Anees Faruqui cracked the SSC exams and secured ..... Read Full Maharashtra SSC Results: Sayyad Afsha scores 99% marks


Human shield at Anwarsseri to protect Madani from police arrest: The PDP and the supporters of Madani are on the move to make the inmates, including the children of Anwarsseri .... Read Full	Yusuf Raza Gilani: Pakistan wants good relations with India: Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that his government wants good neighbourly .... Read Full
Rahul Gandhi turns 40, Cong observes 'Sankalp Diwas': Congress youth icon Rahul Gandhi's 40th birthday was today observed as 'Sankalp Diwas' by .... Read Full	Gujarat reminds Bihar about interest amount on flood aid: Within hours after Chief Minister Nitish Kumar returned the Gujarat government's Rs five crore contribution .... Read Full


Maharashtra SSC Results: Sayyad Afsha scores 99% marks: In an impressive show of talent Sayyad Afsha Sayyad Yusuf of Pusad scored 99% .... Read Full	Hindus in Northwest Pakistan demand basic rights: The minority Hindu community in Northwest Pakistan has demanded that it should be provided the .... Read Full
National Integration: The Way Forward: National Integration Council (NIC) is the apex body deliberating on the issues pertaining to overcoming the divisive ..... Read Full	Bhopal Gas Tragedy: GoM to finalise recommendations on Monday: The Group of Ministers on Bhopal gas tragedy will finalise its report on Monday making its .... Read Full
At least 400,000 displaced by Kyrgyzstan unrest: UN: Deadly inter-ethnic clashes that erupted in Kyrgyzstan a week ago have forced at least .... Read Full	UP Madrasa Board modifies syllabus to avail opportunities: To improve what it calls as 'job prospects of Madrasa students', Uttar Pradesh Board of Madrasa Education ..... Read Full

Monday, June 21, 2010 08:14:10 AM, Agencies

Hezbollah: Israel terrified of women's flotilla: One day after Israel threatened to attack a new Gaza-bound aid ship with only women activists on board, the Lebanese resistance movement of Hezbollah highlights Israel's fear, saying its military ability is "deteriorating." .... Read Full

Berlin: Germany on Sunday slammed Israel for preventing Development Minister Dirk Niebel from entering the Gaza Strip to meet with Palestinian refugees during his current visit to the region.

"Refusing a German development minister entry to the Gaza Strip is a great foreign policy mistake on the part of the Israeli government," Niebel told the online edition of the Leipziger Volkszeitung newspaper. "I am saddened that Israel is making it so difficult for its truest friend to understand its actions."

Niebel wanted to visit the Hamas-run Palestinian territory Sunday to meet representatives of the United Nations Relief and Works Agency for Palestine refugees.

German Foreign Minister Guido Westerwelle said in a statement in Berlin that he also "regretted" the decision by the Israeli government, and underlined that Germany and the European Union want to see an end to the Gaza blockade.

Israel maintains that the blockade — imposed when one of its soldiers was captured by Palestinians in a June 2006 cross-border raid and tightened a year later when Hamas took over the territory — is needed to ensure its security.

Niebel said time was running out for Israel to move away from hard-line policies in light of international protests over its Gaza policy and faltering efforts to achieve a viable peace deal with the Palestinians.

"For Israel, it is five minutes to 12," he said, adding that the country must take the opportunity "to stop the clock while it can."

"If the Israeli government wants support for its new Gaza strategy then it must ensure more transparency and a new partnership," he said. The blockade "is not a sign of strength but rather evidence of unspoken fear."

The deputy leader of Chancellor Angela Merkel's Christian Democrats' parliamentary group, Andreas Schockenhoff, said Israel was only "hurting its own interests" with such moves and demanded "unfettered access" to Gaza for international guests and officials.

On Sunday, Israel said it would "as quickly as possible" publish a list of banned goods, and that all items not on the list would be allowed into Gaza. Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu announced the plan together with international Middle East envoy Tony Blair, who had been lobbying Israel to restrict its embargo to a list of specified items.

Home | Top of the Page

Comment on this article

Name:
E-mail Address:
Write here...

Ummid Business: Advertise with us | Careers | Link Exchange

Ummid.com is part of Awaz Multimedia & Publications providing World News, News Analysis and Feature Articles on Education, Health. Politics, Technology, Sports, Entertainment, Industry etc. The articles or the views displayed on this website are for public information and in no way describe the editorial views. The users are entitled to use this site subject to the terms and condition mentioned.