Israel to 'liberalise' Gaza embargo

More on Ummid: International l National l Regional l Politics l Business l Religion l History l Culture l Education




Polling begins for 18 Rajya Sabha seats
SSC results in Maha: Girls shine again, Mumbai top in 8 divisions
VHP trying to relaunch campaign for Ram Mandir
Israel will fall in 20 years, says a CIA report
14-year-old girl delivers in school toilet, expelled
'Will maintain law and order if Madani arrested'
Rains toll in Maharashtra rises to 46
Heavy rains lash Mumbai, claim 9 lives

No reason to get upset if someone doubts your Indianness: IAS topper to Muslims: All India topper at UPSC civil services exam Dr .... Read Full Muslims should opt for civil services as mission: Shah Faisal	UP girls become Gujaratis: Symbolic or Zionist mindset at work?: No, not Amitabh Bacchan or Sanjay Datt. These are .... Read Full Modi's pro-Muslim ad in Bihar: Website claims photos from UP


'Violence in Kyrgyzstan orchestrated and well-planned': The United Nation has found evidence of bloody intent behind the chaos in Kyrgyzstan .... Read Full	DGP Maharashtra admitted lapses in Pune blast probe: Hours after German Bakery blast ‘prime suspect’ Abdus Samad Bhatkal granted bail by a .... Read Full
Saudi Arabia will not allow use of its territory for attack on Iran: Saudi Arabia today rubbished reports that it would allow its territory to be used by Israel to launch .... Read Full	Crucial amendment to Nuclear Liability Bill withdrawn: In the face of stiff opposition from BJP and Left, the government .... Read Full


Court grants bail to Abdus Samad: A Sessions court today granted bail to the February 13 German Bakery bomb blast suspect Abdul Samad, arrested for .... Read Full	Raj Thackeray gets Quran as birthday gift: In the line of fire from uncle Bal Thackeray, Raj Thackeray had unexpected visitors with equally surprising gift .... Read Full
Saudi Arabia will not allow use of its territory for attack on Iran: Saudi Arabia today rubbished reports that it would allow its territory to be used by Israel to launch .... Read Full	Decision to establish special centres historic, has no legal hurdle, says AMU VC: The Vice Chancellor of Aligarh Muslim University .... Read Full
Jugglery of the Communists and the Indian Muslims: The recently concluded Municipal bodies elections in West Bengal seems to have brought firebrand Mamata Banerjee, whose Trinamool .... Read Full	205 ancient mosques of national importance in India: There are 205 ancient mosques declared as of national importance within the jurisdiction of Archaeological Survey of India. Gujarat ..... Read Full
Thousands of Uzbeks flee ethnic riots in Kyrgyzstan: Mobs of rioters slaughtered Uzbeks and burned their homes and businesses in Kyrgyzstan's worst ethnic .... Read Full	'Human rights abuses against Palestinians prevalent': The death toll in Israel and the occupied Palestinian territories was "much lower" in 2009 ..... Read Full

Thursday, June 17, 2010 09:56:51 PM, Al Jazeera

MV Rachel Corrie seized by Israeli forces: Just five days after a brutal attack by Israel on the Gaza Freedom Flotilla, the Israeli military says its forces have .... Read Full

Muslim groups demand closure of Israeli embassy in India

Israel shows no remorse, says will halt fresh bid to bring aid to Gaza

Sidelined by the world Israel cries foul, drags India into row

Jerusalem: Israel's security cabinet has agreed to ease the land blockade imposed on Gaza following an international outcry over a deadly raid on an aid flotilla convoy.

An official Israeli statement said on Thursday that "it was agreed to liberalise the system by which civilian goods enter Gaza [and] expand the inflow of materials for civilian projects that are under international supervision".

But Hamas, the Palestinian group which controls the territory, rejected the Israeli announcement as "propaganda".

"Our request is that the border should be open completely. This new Israeli system is not acceptable," Ahmed al-Kord from the Hamas-run Gaza government's ministry of social affairs, said.

Al Jazeera's Ayman Mohyeldin, reporting from Jerusalem, said the statement made no reference to the naval blockade that Israeli also imposes on Gaza.

"Looking at the statement in its entirety, the international community cannot be pleased with this, as they have been asking for a lifting of the blockade," he said.

Thursday's announcement appeared to indicate that Israel would allow international organisations, such as the UN, to import previously banned building materials, vital to reconstruction after its war on Gaza.

While an exact list of the products that will be allowed into Gaza has not been released, the Ha'aretz newspaper reported the Israeli-approved items could include all food items, toys, stationery, kitchen utensils and mattresses .

Details matter
"The detail is what matters," Catherine Ashton, the European Union's foreign policy chief, said in response to the Israeli decision.

The security cabinet, which began its discussions to ease the embargo on Wednesday, noted that "existing security procedures to prevent the inflow of weapons and war material" would continue.

Israel must "make sure that many, many more goods can get in to Gaza to enable people to reconstruct their homes, to build schools, to place infrastructure, and also to enable people to get on with ordinary lives," Ashton said.

The Israeli annoucement did not mention lifting or easing bans on exports from Gaza.

The blockade that Israel imposed in 2007 after Hamas took control of the territory has destroyed Gaza's economy, shuttering hundreds of factories and forcing many of the region's 1.5 million residents to depend on food aid.

'Relieving pressure'
Ismail Radwan, a senior Hamas leader, also dismissed the Israeli decision as an attempt to "relieve the pressure" following the attack on the aid flotilla on May 31.

Israel has faced mounting international callsto ease or lift the blockade after its soldiers attacked a Gaza-bound aid ship and killed nine pro-Palestinian activists in international waters.

"We in Hamas reject the Zionist decision, which is an attempt to obscure the international decision to completely lift the siege on the Gaza Strip," Radwan said.

In the West Bank, the Palestinian Authority which rivals Hamas, also called for a complete end to the Gaza blockade.

"The siege is collective punishment and it must be lifted," Saeb Erekat, a spokesperson for the Palestinain Authority led by Mahmoud Abbas, the president, said.

Israel says the blockade is necessary to prevent arms smuggling to Hamas.

But the International Committee of the Red Cross has described it as illegal.

Home | Top of the Page

Comment on this article

Name:
E-mail Address:
Write here...

Ummid Business: Advertise with us | Careers | Link Exchange

Ummid.com is part of Awaz Multimedia & Publications providing World News, News Analysis and Feature Articles on Education, Health. Politics, Technology, Sports, Entertainment, Industry etc. The articles or the views displayed on this website are for public information and in no way describe the editorial views. The users are entitled to use this site subject to the terms and condition mentioned.