Israel suspends peace envoy for Olmert tirade

Outgoing Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert has suspended his point man for the Gaza truce talks in Egypt for launching a scathing tirade against the outgoing premier last week.

The move came several days after Amos Gilad, a senior defense ministry official who has shuttled between Egypt and Israel for weeks, blasted Olmert for changing his position in talks to forge a lasting Gaza truce with Hamas.

The Maariv tabloid newspaper quoted Gilad on Feb. 18 as saying the Olmert government had an inconsistent approach to the talks that was "insulting" to the Egyptians. Gilad pointed to Olmert's demand that Hamas agree to free a captive Israeli soldier before Israel eases a blockade on Gaza, as demanded by the Islamists.

"The prime minister decided to suspend Amos Gilad from his functions as negotiator with Egypt as he no longer enjoys his confidence," a senior government official said.

"The straw that broke the camel's back was the public interview last week for Maariv," one official said. "It was totally unprofessional and unseemly for a civil servant to publicly attack his boss."

The straw that broke the camel's back was the public interview last week for Maariv...It was totally unprofessional and unseemly for a civil servant to publicly attack his boss."

Israeli official

In paper quoted Gilad as warning that the new Israeli position risked alienating Egypt, which was the first Arab nation to sign a peace treaty with the Jewish state in 1979.

"Until now the prime minister hasn't involved himself at all. Suddenly, the order of things has been changed. Suddenly, first we have to get Gilad. I don't understand that. Where does that lead, to insult the Egyptians? To make them want to drop the whole thing? What do we stand to gain from that?"

"I don't understand what it is that they're trying to do," Maariv quoted Gilad as telling a close associate. "To insult the Egyptians? We've already insulted them. It's madness. It's simply madness. Egypt has remained almost our last ally here."

The Defense Ministry had no immediate comment on the Gilad fracas, which underscored long-running tensions between Olmert and Barak, his junior partner in a coalition government.

The government has been functioning in a caretaker capacity since a Feb. 10 election to choose Olmert's successor. The prime minister has pledged to exert all efforts to return of Gilad Shalit, the soldier abducted by Palestinians to Gaza in 2006.

Until now the prime minister hasn't involved himself at all. Suddenly, the order of things has been changed. Suddenly, first we have to get Gilad. I don't understand that. Where does that lead, to insult the Egyptians? To make them want to drop the whole thing? What do we stand to gain from that?

Amos Gilad

Gaza raid

Meanwhile the Israeli army carried out an air raid in central Gaza after a military patrol came under fire from Gaza, witnesses said.

There were no reports of casualties from the raid on the Maghazi refugee camp.

An army spokesman said that the incident was sparked when "two armed gunmen were identified planting an explosive device near the security fence."

"And IDF (Israeli Defence Forces) arrived at the scene on the Israeli side of the fence, the Palestinians opened fire at the force and the force pursued the gunmen inside the strip.

"They asked for aerial support and the force directed an air strike."

A rocket was also fired from Gaza into southern Israel on Monday, the army said, adding the little-known Hezbollah Brigades Palestine claimed the firing.