Israel 'must speed up effort to reopen borders'

A top Middle East envoy has criticised Israel in especially tough language for moving too slowly on negotiations to open Gaza’s borders, saying the country is behaving almost as if the withdrawal from the Gaza Strip never happened.

James Wolfensohn, a special envoy working on behalf of the United States and other foreign mediators, said in a report obtained today by The Associated Press that without dramatic progress soon, a rare chance to revive Gaza’s shattered economy – and the peace process – will be lost.