Israel Stops Wealthy Palestinian Mediator Masri From Gaza Entry

By Jonathan Ferziger and David Wainer Jun 9, 2014 12:00 PM ET

Israeli border guards barred Munib R. Masri, one of the wealthiest Palestinians, from entering the Gaza Strip after he helped broker the unity agreement aimed at healing the Palestinian Authority’s rift with Hamas.

Masri, chairman of Palestine Development & Investment Co., said he was blocked from entering Gaza by military order after waiting more than two hours at an Israeli crossing point. A spokesman for Israel’s Civil Administration, which runs the heavily guarded facility, didn’t immediately respond to requests for comment by phone, e-mail and text message.

“It’s the first time this happened to me,” said Masri, 80, who said he has been shuttling between Gaza and the West Bank for seven years, trying to bridge the hostile conflict between Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas and the Hamas leaders who rule Gaza. Hamas is considered a terrorist organization by Israel, the U.S. and European Union.

Masri was present when Abbas’s Fatah party and Hamas agreed in April to establish an interim cabinet for the West Bank and Gaza that is to yield to a new joint government in six months, following elections. While Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said he would no longer deal with Abbas because of the government’s Hamas backing, the U.S. and EU said they would because none of the cabinet members belong to Hamas.

Abbas pledged that the interim government would recognize Israel and abide by previous peace agreements even though Hamas is committed to Israel’s destruction and has attacked the country with rockets and suicide bombers. Hamas violently ousted Fatah forces from Gaza in 2007 and set up its own government, leaving Abbas in control of the West Bank.

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http://www.bloomberg.com/news/2014-06-09/israel-stops-wealthy-palestinian-mediator-masri-from-gaza-entry.html