Gaza could be 'giant prison'

U.S. Mideast envoy James Wolfensohn has warned that Gaza was in danger of becoming a "giant prison" after Israeli withdrawal.

The former chairman of the World Bank foresaw that possibility, he said, unless there was swift agreement on freeing the passage of goods and people through border crossings.

He reportedly was critical of both Israelis and Palestinians, saying he had heard reports of explosive devices being taken across Karni in lorries.

Wolfensohn, the West's special envoy on post-disengagement Gaza, spoke out as U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice arrived to seek to inject new momentum into border talks.

Former U.S. President Bill Clinton, in Israel with his wife, Sen. Hillary Clinton, D-N.Y., for the commemoration of Yitzhak Rabin's assassination, praised disengagement from Gaza. Clinton also urged the Israeli Prime Minister Ariel Sharon to pursue dialogue with Palestinians, UPI reports.

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