Israel Matzav

Breaking: 'Palestinians' detained at Egyptian border; UPDATE: Another suitcase full of cash!; UPDATE Olmert more than makes it up

Israel Radio has just reported that the Hamas delegation to the 'ceasefire' talks in Cairo is being detained at the Rafah border crossing back into Gaza - apparently because the Egyptians were not pleased with the manner in which the 'Palestinians' conducted the talks.

Heh.

UPDATE 5:58 PM

And now we know why the Hamas delegation was detained. One of them, Ayman Taha, had a few extra things in his luggage. Eleven million of them.

Egyptian authorities prevented senior Hamas member Ayman Taha from returning to the Gaza Strip on Thursday because he had more than $11 million in cash in his bags, police sources said.

Taha was part of a Hamas delegation which has been in Cairo this week for talks with Egyptian intelligence on a long-lerm truce between Israel and armed Palestinian groups in Gaza.

...

The police sources at the Rafah border crossing into Gaza said the border authorities were contacting the Egyptian finance ministry to ask for instructions on Taha's money.

They said the money comprised $9 million in U.S. dollars and 2 million euros.

The five other members of the Hamas delegation, including Jamal Abu Hashim and Salah el-Bardawil, were allowed to cross.

The mess grew bigger, every single day....

UPDATE 6:31 PM

YNet reports that the money wasn't all in Taha's bags, but that 'one member of the delegation' stayed behind in Egypt (Taha according to Haaretz linked above) to deposit the money in a bank (according to Israel Radio).

The official said the group initially refused to be searched by Egyptian authorities at the Rafah border crossing.

When authorities finally searched the delegation's suitcases, they found nine million in dollars and two million in Euros.

The official spoke on condition of anonymity because he was not authorized to speak to the media. One member of the delegation stayed in Egypt with the money while the remaining members of the group went into Gaza.

Meanwhile Hamas' best smuggler - Mahmoud al-Zahar - has apparently disappeared off the face of the earth, and rumor has it that he was injured in Operation Cast Lead and is hospitalized somewhere in Egypt.

UPDATE 7:00 PM

Israel Radio just reported that at the request of the Hopenchange administration, Prime Minister Ehud K. Olmert has ordered the transfer of NIS 170 million (NIS 4.05 = $1) to Gaza to pay 'salaries.' The approval was over the objections of both foreign minister Tzipora Livni and defense minister Ehud Barak. Livni and Barak are both standing for election on Tuesday; Olmert is not.

Hopenchange! If we give them money, they'll use it for bread sugar weapons.

UPDATE FRIDAY 8:20 AM

More here.

posted by Carl in Jerusalem @ 3:12 PM