The Gaza Strip: "enemy entity"

     The security cabinet declared the Gaza Strip an "enemy entity" on Wednesday, voting among other things to disrupt the power and fuel supply to the Strip as a response to the ongoing Qassam rocket fire at Israeli communities.Defense Minister Ehud Barak presented the plan to the cabinet on Wednesday morning. Barak reportedly told the cabinet that, at present, he favored cutting off electricity but not water to Gaza's 1.4 million residents.The security cabinet unanimously approved a number of sanctions to be imposed on the Gaza Strip should the rocket fire continue.In the first stage, Israel will respond to rocket fire by disrupting the supply of electricity to the Gaza Strip. The decision to disrupt Gaza's power supply was in part based on the fact that the electricity is used to power the metal workshops in which Qassam rockets are manufactured.Hamas spokesman Fawzi Barhoum said that Israel's decision constituted a "declaration of war." Hamas spokesman said. "This is a dangerous escalation of the attempt to legitimize destroying Palestinian land, criminal behavior and bringing a humanitarian disaster on the Palestinian people. This is Israel attempting a knock-out blow against Hamas following its successes in taking control of Gaza. "I find the silence and cooperation of the man in Ramallah (Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas) with the enemy to be very curious indeed," said Barhoum. (13.06)