Mubarak: Barrier along Gaza border is needed

Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Sunday defended an underground steel barrier along the border with the Gaza Strip as necessary for his country's security. Speaking to senior police officers Sunday, the Egyptian leader said Egypt started to build the wall after a series of terrorist attack on tourist resorts in the Sinai peninsula.

The Hamas rulers of Gaza Strip have been trying to rally Arab public opinion against the barrier, dubbing it the "death wall." According to the AP, protesters have recently demonstrated near the Egyptian embassies in Lebanon and Jordan. Mubarak slammed the protests as "blackmail."