By HISHAM ABU TAHA & MOHAMMED MAR'I
Published: Jun 17, 2010 23:01
Updated: Jun 17, 2010 23:01
Courtesy Of "The Arab News"
GAZA CITY/ RAMALLAH: Israel announced Thursday it is easing its blockade of the Gaza Strip, but its allies and Arab neighbors said it did not go far enough and demanded a complete lifting of the embargo.
In a statement issued by the Israeli prime minister's office, the government said it had agreed to expand the range of goods that could enter Gaza. The statement emphasized that the materials are for civilian projects and the transfer will be under international supervision.
The new Israeli-approved product list includes all food items, toys, stationary, kitchen utensils, mattresses and towels, according to the Palestinian coordinator of supplies in the Gaza Strip, Raed Fattouh.
But Israel will maintain its sea blockade, a ban on exports from the coastal strip and a prohibition against the commercial import of building materials that are vital to wide-scale reconstruction after the December 2008-January 2009 Gaza war.
The Israeli government statement added: "The Cabinet will meet in the near future to decide on steps to implement this policy. Israel expects the international community to work for the immediate release of Gilad Shalit."
In Gaza, Hamas, which controls the territory, dismissed the Israeli decision as "media propaganda". Sami Abu Zuhri, spokesman for the group, said in a statement that "the Israeli decision to increase varieties and quantities of goods to Gaza is aimed at decorating the blockade and ensuring its continuation ... in addition to misleading the international public opinion by giving the impression of easing the blockade."
"What is required is not to allow entry of additional quantities of good but to lift all forms of the embargo by opening the border crossings around Gaza and to ensure the freedom of movement for individuals and the needed goods, especially construction materials," Abu Zuhri added.
In Ramallah, chief Palestinian negotiator Saeb Erekat dubbed the Israeli decision as a public relations trick. Erekat said after a meeting with the European Union's envoy to the Middle East, Mark Otte, that the Israeli blockade "constitutes a flagrant violation of international law." He added that the blockade, targeting the lives of 1.5 million people in the Gaza Strip, is the worst form of collective punishment.
Jordan said the Israeli plan was not enough and urged a complete lifting of all restrictions. Jordan "wants Israel to completely lift this unjust blockade," the kingdom's information minister and government spokesman, Nabil Sharif, said at a news conference in Amman. "Any decision to ease the pressure on Gaza is a step in the right direction, but the Israeli plan is not enough. Cosmetic measures do not solve problems," he added.
A Turkish Foreign Ministry official said Ankara wanted to evaluate the Israeli move. "However, our attitude on the issue is obvious: we expect that the blockade be lifted altogether."
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton said the European Union hoped "the in-principle statement by the Israeli government can now be followed up very quickly with the detail which we shall look at with interest".
Italian Foreign Minister Franco Frattini said in Rome Israel "has understood that a blockade strategy is counterproductive", echoing Israeli and foreign critics of the embargo who have said such pressure only rallies Gaza residents around Hamas.
European diplomats had said a plan drawn up in coordination with Middle East Quartet envoy Tony Blair called for Israel to move from banning the entry of many commercial goods to accepting all products and prohibiting only a list of specified items. Blair held talks last week with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.
Israel imposed the blockade soon after Hamas won a Palestinian election in 2006. Restrictions were tightened after Hamas' takeover of Gaza.
No comments:
Post a Comment