Al Jazeera, 19/09/07. Israel's security cabinet has declared the Gaza Strip an "enemy entity", opening the way for cuts in fuel and other vital supplies to the territory. Hamas issued a statement in response, saying that the security cabinet's announcement on Wednesday amounted to a "declaration of war". The office of Ehud Olmert, Israel's prime minister, said his security cabinet approved the "enemy entity" classification and there would be "limitations on imports to the Gaza Strip and a reduction in the supply of fuel and electricity". Israel's said its move, coinciding with a visit to the region by Condoleezza Rice, the US secretary of state, to promote a US-proposed Middle East peace conference, was a response to frequent cross-border rocket fire by armed groups in Gaza. With Israel maintaining tight control over Gaza's borders, air space and coastal waters, as well as withholding Palestinian tax revenue, the strip is largely reliant on Israel for utilities and humanitarian aid imports. By formally defining the Gaza Strip as an enemy entity, Israel could argue that it cannot be bound by international law governing the administration of occupied territory to supply power to the its population of 1.5 million.
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