TEL AVIV, February 7, 2008 (WAFA)-European Union special envoy to the Middle East Marc Otte said that Israel's policies in the Gaza Strip are likely to turn the territory into Somalia, Haaretz reported on Thursday in an interview.

"Israel's tactics in the Gaza Strip did not work," Otte said. "The blockade and the sanctions against the population failed, and only strengthened Hamas and weakened [Prime Minister Salam] Fayyad and [President Mahmoud Abbas] Abu Mazen."

Otte added that "the implications of Israeli activity may be that Gaza becomes Somalia."

"The pressure on the population did not cause them to throw Hamas to the sea," he said. "The blockade and its results did not harm Hamas, only made things more complex for Israel and Egypt and created unnecessary tension between the two states."

"It is time for Israel to decide what it wants to do," Otte said. "I believe that Israel needs to agree to the Fayyad plan, because this will put the pressure on Hamas, forcing them to decide whether to continue preventing the opening of the crossings.

"Israel needs to understand that it will not get anything better than Salam Fayyad. I understand that the army and the Shin Bet are worried about security in the short term, but they must look a little forward and this is the role of the leadership," Otte said.