11:57AM IL: Ruti Winterstein, a spokeswoman for Quartet Mideast envoy Tony Blair announced a short time ago that Blair will be canceling his planned visit to Hamas-controlled Gaza, which was to have taken place today.

Blair would have become the highest-ranking diplomat to visit Gaza since it came under the current Hamas regime. He announced he was hoping to meet with officials towards advancing a Quartet plan for additional funding of projects in Gaza.

Apparently the cancellation is the result of credible specific threats and not due to general concerns for Blair�s security in Gaza.�

The Quartet is made up of the United States, European Union, Russia and the United Nations. (Yechiel Spira � YWN Israel)