Israel transfers 10 tons of mail to Palestinians after 8-year delay
Mass delivery part of one-time confidence building measures after the two sides agreed on a postal entry deal ‘about a year ago’, IDF says.
The parcels, dating from between 2010 and this year, had been prevented by Israel from entering the West Bank via Jordan but were released in a one-time deal, the officials said.
Palestinian Telecommunications Minister Allam Mousa accused Israel in a statement of having blocked the delivery and of delaying the implementation of an agreement on postal services.
Israeli authorities confirmed the packages had been transferred and said an agreement was in the works, but did not comment in detail.
Ramadan Ghazawi, an official at the sorting centre in Jericho, said he understood some items had been blocked for security reasons, while others were barred on administrative grounds.
"A few days ago Israel allowed more than 10 tons of postal parcels that were stuck in Jordan," he told AFP.
He said it would take his staff another two weeks to sort through all the parcels and get them delivered to their recipients.
Israel controls all entrances and exits to the West Bank and can prevent goods passing through as it sees fit.
While the delays in the delivery of innocuous goods happen, Israel argues that the delays are necessary for security reasons, fearing that parcels can be used to deliver items used for terror activities.
Palestinian officials say such control cripples their economy and freedom of movement.
In the sorting centre, hundreds of bags were piled on top of each other as workers picked through them.
Ghazawi said that the parcels and letters, mostly the former, had been sent from all over the world.
COGAT, the Israeli defence ministry body responsible for civilian coordination in the Palestinian territories, said the release was part of confidence building measures after the two sides agreed on a postal entry deal "about a year ago".
It said while the deal had not yet gone into force for future deliveries, it had "allowed a one-time transfer of approximately ten and a half tons of mail that had been held in Jordan".
