Israel to ease Gaza blockade

Palestinian children at an ice-cream cart in Jebaliya, Gaza. Israel is to expand the number of products allowed into the territory.

 • Human rights groups say measures do not go far enough
• Construction materials among products to be allowed in

Israel will ease much of its land blockade of the Gaza Strip, it was revealed today.
The Israeli government is hoping to silence growing international criticism following the assault on a flotilla of aid ships bound for Gaza in which nine activists were killed.
A statement from the office of the prime minister, Binyamin Netanyahu, said Israeli leaders decided today to expand the number of products Israel will allow into Gaza, including construction materials. The naval blockade will remain.
"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," the statement, which did not specify any product list, read.
The new arrangements, decided upon in a series of meetings between the Middle East Quartet envoy, Tony Blair, and Netanyahu, are expected to cover three areas:
• A list of prohibited goods not allowed into Gaza, replacing the current system of a list of approved goods
• Agreement to allow construction materials for UN-sponsored projects
• Israel to consider allowing EU monitors to be stationed at crossings between Israel and Gaza
An Israeli military official told the Associated Press that all foods would be freely let in to Gaza with immediate effect. Israel has previously allowed a narrow and constantly changing list of authorised food items.
Outside Israel, the announcement received a cautious welcome – although human rights groups said it did not go far enough. Hamas dismissed it as "window dressing."
"What is needed is a complete lifting of the blockade," spokesman Sami Abu Zuhri said. "Goods and people must be free to enter and leave. Gaza especially needs construction materials, which must be allowed to come in without restrictions."
The EU said the Israeli announcement was "a step in the right direction", but the EU foreign policy chief, Catherine Ashton, said officials wanted to see how it was carried out, adding: "The detail is what matters."
She said 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 enable people to get on with ordinary lives".
Oxfam welcomed the move, but described it as "a far cry from the full lifting of the blockade that is urgently needed".
"Only a full opening of all crossings to people and goods, including exports, can be the breakthrough that will enable Gazan civilians to restore their economy and escape the poverty the blockade has entrenched," a statement read.
"The international community must press for the blockade to be fully lifted, rather than only eased."
Gisha, an Israeli human rights organisation, questioned whether the blockade had been effective.
"The time has come for Israel to ask serious questions about how three years of closure have promoted the goals it declared for itself and what has been the effect on 1.5 million people whose right to travel and to engage in productive work has been denied," the organisation said.
"We don't need cosmetic changes. We need a policy that recognises the rights of Palestinian residents of Gaza not just to consume but also to produce and to travel."
Salam Kanaan of Save the Children UK said Gazan families should be allowed to move freely across the border. "Save the Children would welcome any increase in urgently needed supplies into Gaza. More nutritious food, medical supplies and building materials in particular will make a significant difference to the quality of life of children living there," he said.
"But simply easing the blockade by allowing more goods in is not enough. What about sick children who need life-saving medical attention out of Gaza? Will they and their families be allowed to move freely across the border? Family businesses, orchards and crops have been destroyed by years of conflict and three years of life under a strict blockade. The people of Gaza need to start rebuilding their destroyed economy by exporting their goods out."