Egypt sends weapons to shore up embattled Abbas

Egypt has sent a large shipment of weapons to the Gaza Strip to shore up embattled Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas, Israeli security officials said today.

The shipment, consisting of 2,000 automatic rifles, 20,000 ammunition clips and two million bullets, was approved by Israel and sent through Israeli territory in four trucks accompanied by a military police escort, the officials said.

Trucks then crossed into the Gaza Strip through the Karni checkpoint.

The weapons are meant to strengthen Palestinian security services affiliated with Abbas’ Fatah movement, engaged in a violent struggle for power with the Islamist Hamas group, which controls the Palestinian parliament and Cabinet.

The shipment was a clear signal of Israeli and Egyptian support for Abbas.

Israel had long been reluctant to send weapons to the Palestinians, fearing they would be used against Israelis. But a recent warming of contacts between Abbas and Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert and Israel’s desire to see Abbas prevail against Hamas seems to have overridden those concerns.

According to the daily newspaper Haaretz, the details of the shipment were settled by Olmert and Abbas at their first summit, held in Jerusalem on Saturday night.

Saeb Erekat, a spokesman for Abbas, declined to comment, as did Olmert spokeswoman Miri Eisin and the Israeli Defence Ministry.