Dahlan deplores crossing conditions

Dahlan visits Gaza crossings with Quartet’s special envoy for disengagement James Wolfensohn

Reuters | Published: 11.13.05, 15:31

Palestinian Minister for Civil Affairs Mohammad Dahlan deplored the dire conditions of crossings situated along the Gaza Strip border with Israel and Egypt, saying that the “situation at crossings, especially in Karni, is worse than before Israel’s withdrawal.”

Dahlan, who’s the Palestinian Authority’s coordinator for disengagement, visited the crossings with the Quartet’s special envoy for disengagement James Wolfensohn.

“Israel continues to oppose the renewal of Palestinian operations at the crossings, therefore making life more difficult for the Palestinians," Dahlan said.

He said he hoped the arrival of U.S. Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in Israel would help overcome obstacles that would prevent the full reopening of the crossings under PA control.

The young Palestinian minister accused Israel of imprisoning the Palestinians in a large jail called Gaza as it refuses to allow the PA to operate the border crossings and reopen the Gaza Airport and Port.

Wolfensohn praises Palestinian use of Netzarim hothouses

Wolfensohn was glad to see that the hothouses in the former settlement of Netzarim are cultivated, hoping that hothouses in other evacuated settlements would be put to use in the near future.

The former head of the World Bank added that he intends to present a plan for reopening the crossings to Israel and the Palestinians, hoping both sides would cooperate to make life easier for over one million Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip.

Israel, PA at loggerheads over Rafah crossing

Meanwhile, Israeli and Palestinian officials are expected to meet tomorrow night to resolve obstacles related to the Rafah crossing. The Palestinians maintain that the only issue averting an agreement on Rafah is Israel’s demand that cameras be fitted at crossings, allowing its security forces close surveillance.

The Palestinians have said that Israel’s demand to have live recordings of people crossing Rafah is unacceptable.

A Palestinian official familiar with the negotiations told Ynet that Israel’s demand that the PA delivers video recordings of people crossing Rafah within 8 to 14 minutes is but an attempt “to humiliate the Palestinians and continue to control the crossing.”