Israel on Monday redefined the rules of its Gaza Strip embargo, spelling out on the eve of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu’s White House visit what will be restricted from entering the territory under a much-eased land blockade.
http://www.todayszaman.com/tz-web/news-215227-israel-completes-list-of-items-banned-in-besieged-gaza-strip.html
Israel has been under intense international pressure to loosen its three-year choke hold on Gaza since Israeli commandos killed nine Turkish activists in a May 31 raid on a blockade-busting flotilla. President Barack Obama, who was meeting with Netanyahu on Tuesday, has said the blockade is unsustainable and has called for it to be significantly eased. Other world leaders have demanded the embargo be lifted entirely. Israel and Egypt closed Gaza’s borders after Hamas took over control of the territory three years ago. Under the old blockade rules, Israel permitted only a few dozen types of products, including basic food and medicine, into the territory.
Now, everything will be allowed into Gaza, except for items on the list. The new rules will bring some relief to Gaza’s 1.5 million residents, who have become accustomed to shortages of basic items like instant coffee, spices and fresh meat, or been forced to depend on erratic deliveries of goods smuggled through tunnels along the southern border with Egypt.
