Fuel truck on way to crossing
Photo: AP
State to form new Gaza policy
Minister Katz to outline new plan for transfer of goods to Strip, including more open crossings
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu ordered
Transportation Minister Yisrael Katz to form a plan outlining the transfer of goods to the Gaza Strip, in accordance with a new policy being devised by the government.
Katz's office said Sunday the new orders would apply to all of Gaza's border crossings, including air, water, and land. The plan will also be coordinated with security officials and the Egyptian government.
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Israel currently allows the entrance of 100 trucks of supplies into the Strip on a daily basis. However some of the crossings, including Erez and Karni, have been closed and the state will now consider their reopening.
Katz however has objected to the move and clarified that he would like all of the Gaza crossings to remain closed, including Rafah, which borders with Egypt. He has also called for the transfer of goods by air and sea to be under Egypt's charge.
The minister has also expressed hope that within a year Israel will have handed all responsibility over Gaza and its residents to Egypt, which would supply the Strip with food and electricity.
Katz added that the Oslo Accords, which stipulated that Israel would be responsible for allowing goods into the Strip, had expired. "It was written there that until we reach a permanent agreement no Jewish settlement would be evacuated. After the (Gaza) pullout they are no longer valid," he said.
On Wednesday, in light of international pressure stemming from an IDF raid on a Gaza-bound flotilla, Israel eased restrictions on the Strip and allowed some previously prohibited food products into the Strip.
