(Cartoon by Carlos Latuff)
"Quartet Mideast envoy Tony Blair cancelled a planned Tuesday visit to Gaza at the last minute after the Shin Bet personally warned him that it had received intelligence information that Palestinian terror organizations were planning to attack him.
The trip would have marked the highest-level diplomatic visit to the territory since Hamas took control a year ago.
Hamas was to have provided security for Blair's trip. Hamas officials said before the visit was cancelled that they viewed Blair's decision to go to the territory as a sign of their group's emergence from Western isolation.
Security sources told Haaretz that Israel had not prohibited the visit, but since this was a substantive warning, officials had made certain to immediately pass the information to Blair's aides in order to keep him safe from harm.
Blair's spokesman, Matthew Doyle, said the envoy called off the visit due to a "specific security threat which would have made it irresponsible to proceed, not just for those visiting but also the local community.
"He looks forward to being able to go to Gaza again in the future and will of course in the meantime continue to work to improve the conditions for the people there," Doyle added.
Taher Nunu, a Hamas government spokesman, denied there were any security
threats against Blair. "Gaza is still open for all visitors, to break the siege and see the extent of suffering here," he said......"
The trip would have marked the highest-level diplomatic visit to the territory since Hamas took control a year ago.
Hamas was to have provided security for Blair's trip. Hamas officials said before the visit was cancelled that they viewed Blair's decision to go to the territory as a sign of their group's emergence from Western isolation.
Security sources told Haaretz that Israel had not prohibited the visit, but since this was a substantive warning, officials had made certain to immediately pass the information to Blair's aides in order to keep him safe from harm.
Blair's spokesman, Matthew Doyle, said the envoy called off the visit due to a "specific security threat which would have made it irresponsible to proceed, not just for those visiting but also the local community.
"He looks forward to being able to go to Gaza again in the future and will of course in the meantime continue to work to improve the conditions for the people there," Doyle added.
Taher Nunu, a Hamas government spokesman, denied there were any security
threats against Blair. "Gaza is still open for all visitors, to break the siege and see the extent of suffering here," he said......"
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