Protesting Egyptian police close Israeli border
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Egyptian police on Sunday blocked their Awja border with Israel in protest of the abduction of several of their colleagues by suspected Israeli militants on Thursday.
Ahmed Osman, a civil servant living in Awja spoke to AP and told them of some 40 trucks, laden with goods, being stuck at the border.
On Thursday, in the tumultuous Sinai peninsula, seven Egyptian policemen were abducted by suspected militants hailing from Israel. Security officials believe the kidnapping aims to secure the release of incarcerated militants.
Egyptian officials said that the official negotiations with the kidnappers have currently reached a standstill. Meanwhile, Israeli officals had no comment on the matter.
In a further act of retalitation for Thursday's events, protesting Egyptian police also closed down Egypt's main conduit into the Gaza Strip on Friday. This stopped anyone entering or leaving Palestinian territories, despite there being no implication that Palestine was involved in the initial incident.
© 2013 Al Bawaba (Albawaba.com) Rate Article:
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