Blair's Gaza visit useless unless blockade stops: official

A senior Palestinian official said on Sunday the visit by Tony Blair, an international Quartet envoy, to Gaza Strip is useless as long as the Israeli blockade on the coastal enclave still exists.

Jamal al-Khudari, an independent lawmaker and chief of the Popular Committee to Confront the Israeli Siege, told reporters in Gaza "Blair's visit to Gaza won't be fruitful as long as Israel still closes Gaza crossings."

Blair, former British prime minister, visited Gaza earlier on Sunday. He met with Palestinian ministers in the unity government and discussed the difficulties facing reconstruction process in the war-torn enclave.

He said the visit could only be "fruitful" if Israel agrees to open the crossings and allowed large amounts of construction materials into the Gaza Strip.

On July 8, Israel waged a large-scale military air and ground offensive on the Gaza Strip, which lasted for 50 days and left large destruction in housing and infrastructure, as well as the killing of 2,200 Palestinians with 11,000 more wounded.

After a meeting with the unity government, Blair told reporters that leaving the situation in Gaza as it is "is a big crime against humanity and the peace process as well a crime against Gaza populations."

"It's the mission of everyone. We must recognize our responsibilities as an international community, the other surrounding countries and the politicians in both Israel and Palestine," said Blair.

Blair, who paid a sudden visit to the Gaza Strip, did not meet with any officials with the Islamic Hamas movement, who rules the Strip. He stressed that "Gaza should not be isolated from the entire Palestinian territories."

"I came here to Gaza to see if there is a possibility to do anything possible that helps making a real change with a real implication," Blair told reporters before his departure. Enditem