Egypt to move its embassy from Gaza

CAIRO, June 19 (UPI) -- The takeover of the Gaza Strip by Hamas militants has pushed Egypt to transfer its embassy from Gaza to Ramallah in the West Bank.

Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmad Abul Ghait decided to dispatch his ambassador to the Palestinian territories, who has been based in Gaza for the past 12 years, to Ramallah, according to the Egyptian Middle East News Agency.

It said a group of Egyptian diplomats have already moved to the West Bank town, where the PA's new emergency government led by Prime Minister Salam Fayad is based.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas last week dissolved the so-called national unity government led by Hamas after its Islamist militants fought fierce battles that dismantled the Fatah-dominated security and government institutions.

The Egyptian move, which came a week after it pulled out its ambassador from Gaza to protest the Hamas takeover, is a clear indication of Cairo's support for Abbas and Fayad's government. The Islamic group, which swept the January 2006 elections, has refused to recognize the emergency Cabinet in Ramallah.

However, many Arab countries, as well as the United States among others, have recognized Fayad's government and vowed to resume economic assistance to the PA in the West Bank for the first time in 20 months.