In Gaza, Palestinians see fruits of labor die

Greenhouses promised a key source of income

By Rafael D. Frankel, Globe Correspondent | May 26, 2006

NETZER HAZANI, Gaza Strip -- In the stifling heat of a former Israeli greenhouse where he had worked for the past six months, Hattem Samar uprooted a robust pepper plant in preparation for shutting down this once-promising enterprise -- possibly for good.

"Everyone here feels awful," said Samar, 27, shaking sand from the peppers' roots. "If it ends like this, it will be really terrible."

>snip

Their success in growing the produce was unmitigated. Despite widespread looting after the Israeli Army's withdrawal in September, occasional attacks from Palestinian militant groups seeking to claim territory, and the challenge of managing their own crops for the first time, the Palestinians produced more than 12,000 tons this season of what one Israeli exporter who tested the fruit and vegetables called "very high-quality" produce.

But during the height of the harvest, from January until now, Israel frequently closed the main cargo crossing between Israel and the Gaza Strip because of what it said were continuous security threats from Palestinian terrorists. In April, for example, two cars of gunmen attacked the Karni-crossing terminal before they were thwarted by Palestinian security forces.

The result of Karni's closure, Jabir said, is that only 1,500 tons of produce made it out of Gaza during this season.

More at;
Boston Globe

*Again*.

You do realise that the Karni crossing is the import/export terminal that has the capacity to
process hundreds of truckloads of goods per day? You do realise that the Karni crossing is the
*only* import/export terminal that has that capacity? You do realise *why* that's important?
You do realise what happens when the Karni crossing is closed?


'Israel/Occupied Territories: Immediate action needed to avert humanitarian crisis in Gaza

>snip

Lengthy procedures and delays at the Karni/Muntar crossing have significantly increased the cost of imports/exports and the frequent closures have exacerbated this impact, with products being damaged or wasted and Palestinian traders losing business in the export market because they are unable to guarantee that they can get their merchandise to their customers.

The international community, including the UN and the EU, has for years expressed concern at the devastating impact on the Palestinian economy of Israel’s policy of imposing closures and strict movement restrictions in the Occupied Territories. In 2003 the World Bank noted that: “The proximate cause of the Palestinian economic crisis is closure"(1).

The free movement of persons and goods is an essential element of any functioning economy, particularly so for a new economy trying to develop and establish itself against the backdrop of dependency arising from four decades of occupation. In the Gaza Strip unemployment runs at half the labour force and some two thirds of the population live in poverty and rely on international aid. So long as Israel continues to impose such restrictions on the movement of people and goods Palestinians have little hope for a better future.

In recent weeks, Israel has sought to impose a new arrangement whereby goods entering or leaving the Gaza Strip must pass through the Kerem Shalom crossing, near the south-eastern tip of the Gaza Strip. According to the UN Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), this crossing point has only a fraction of the capacity of the Karni/Muntar crossing and is not equipped to handle the large cargo necessary to meet the Gaza Strip requirements (2). In addition, the use of the Kerem Shalom crossing would entail a detour of several kilometres on both the Israeli and Palestinian sides, further adding to transport costs for Palestinians.

http://web.amnesty.org/library/Index/ENGMDE150252006?open&of=ENG-2MD

but since Israel is the doer nation as in "doing it to the Palestinians" -- the Palestinians don't count as human beings. Not allowing a people to sell what they produce -- collective punishment with the resultant starvation of the population THIS is genocide -- it doesn't matter where this happens in reality this is genocide. The whole world knows this -- but there is no mechanism to stop this sort of warfare by the UN or any group of Nations. Even the generally enlightened DU members -- one or two will come forward to excuse Israel's behavior by shutting the boarder during the harvest season so that the Palestinians can get their crops to market. It would seem logical that putting people out of work, starving them would CREATE more anger and thus retaliation by the Palestinians. Thus the Israelis get to pound them back, killing more children. Killing off the population, death due to starvation these are the tools used by the American Government in reducing the numbers of American Indians. These are very old tools and still very effective.

Just stating the facts.

A child is only a human being depending on where the child is born -- or to which race the child happens to be.

Hunger and starvation don't count in Africa either -- and stopping a despot from killing within his own boarders -- the people don't count unless there is oil under the sand of the land ruled by the despot.

geography 101 for those who have trouble reading maps:

gaza has a southern border to Egypt.....it even has a road.....Egypt has ports and roads and ships to the whole world.

but then if we look at those simple facts, we cant blame israel....called the IFS...(israel fault syndrom...like a fanatical religious person) Seems the DU has quite the following.

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

and people who cant read a map is just as pathetic...unless their blind or pretend ot be...

do you know that Egypt and Gaza share a border?...and do you know there is a road that connects the two?


and can you answer why that road cant be used to export vegis?....

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=124&topic_id=126143&mesg_id=126251 to Egypt.

perhaps i should repeat the question?...i doubt it...

its probably one of those: .....even if authentic, proves nothing.

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=124x126139#126186


_____________
I'm not really sure what to make of such an answer i but i would guess (and i'm only guessing) that it would probably fit here as well....

That's what I've done, I've done my best at trying to educate any posters, & if someone doesn't
want to be helped, then there's nothing you can do, really. I'd recommend using the ignore function.
It does make for a much improved DU experience, I don't get to see all of the cognitive dissonance in
action.

if one cant answer direct questions...if one tends to ignore simple geographical facts...its best to cover ones eyes and ears and sing La la la real loud to drown out questions that one cant or that one really doesnt want to answer...it makes for a better life....fantasy land

No offense pelsar, but yr getting quite abusive....

when the acusations keep on flying without any responsabiity.....without the simple courtesy of replying...when simple geographic facts MUST be ignored....not even acknowledged

perhaps you can explain it to me why that is?......

I think if someone genuinelly wants an answer to a question, they're much more likely to get a response if they ask in a civil manner. Yelling at people and stuff isn't going to get people anywhere...

Violet...

It looks like I'm not missing out on much, it looks like the decision to just switch off the Talking
Points by using the ignore function was the correct decision in this instance. As I said, I've done
all I can, by using the best sources I can find, & if anybody wants to ignore those *facts*, or not
understand what's being posted, then I can't help that. If the decision has been made by any posters
that they want to take the piss, frankly, then there's nothing I can do, & I don't want to see such
efforts, or engage with such posters.

Why am I not surprised. If one has no ability to respond rationally without ackowleging that--just perhaps--some of ones assumptions may be in error--then solve the problem by simply 'ignoring' the arguments that cannot be logically answered, that one is impotent to debate. So we will 'ignore' the only (I think) participant on this board who actually lives in the area, has day to day knowlege and experience of the issues we debate, is obviously not a 'fanatic' or a religious nut, and for whom all these issues are not simply abstactions but directly impact his actual life and the life of his family. Well done!

I get my info about Gaza from amnesty international, HRW, the World Bank, B'Tselem, UN OHCHR,
media outlets such as the BBC, the Guardian, Haaretz & the Boston Globe, &tc. While an anonymous
internet poster *could* be a source of useful info, if there is a conflict between the info provided
by the listed orgs & an anonymous internet poster, who do you think has the greater credibility?
Hint; it's not the one calling people 'religious fanatics'.

Message removed by moderator. Click here to review the message board rules.

As if we lack any.

http://www.savethechildren.org.uk/img/GAZAFactSheet.pdf
PDF file.

International non-governmental organizations (NGOs) are witnessing a rapidly deteriorating situation in the Palestinian territory. While the situation in the West Bank remains challenging due to continued construction of the Wall, expansion of Israeli settlements, and restricted movement and access, it is the humanitarian situation in Gaza that is of utmost concern to International NGOs at present. Six months after the Israeli redeployment to the periphery of Gaza, we have come together to express our deep concern over the rapidly deteriorating humanitarian situation in Gaza.

Despite initial hopes following the redeployment in September 2005, the humanitarian situation in Gaza has not improved. In fact, the situation has deteriorated due to three key factors:
• The continued and increased closure of border crossings and restrictions on movement, which
have decimated the economy and seriously depleted stocks of essential goods in Gaza;
• The withholding by the Israeli government of Palestinian tax revenues, which provide roughly
half of the Palestinian monthly revenue; and
• The suspension of direct aid to the Palestinian Authority (PA) and the shifting donor priorities to channel humanitarian assistance through United Nations and NGOs, which seriously
undermines the PA's ability to deliver essential services to the Palestinian population.

With the PA providing services to 80% of the Palestinian population, these factors seriously
undermine the PA's ability to provide these services. The UN and international and local NGOs
cannot fulfill the core public sector responsibilities by setting up parallel mechanisms. More
practically, the UN and NGOs do not have the capacity to coordinate, manage and administer the
wide range of essential social services in the West Bank and Gaza, only to complement and support existing public sector structures as in the case of a humanitarian crisis.

This Report is a must read.

in the whole report there is not a single line about how food and medical supplies have been brought in from Egypt on at least two occasions and that there is a border to Egypt that can be used to allevate the problems...NOT A SINGLE LINE!

what! they too either cant read a map, or dont know that in the past food has been brought in on trucks from Egypt?

or is it the "lets ignore facts" since that would mean we cant blame israel..so we'll pretend Egypt doesnt exist.

Page 2 "Gaza is one of the most densely populated areas in the world, with a total Palestinian population of 1.3 million people living in an area of only 365 square km. There are two main crossing points between Israel and Gaza: Erez in the north, and Karni in the center, with an additional crossing point to Egypt at Rafah."

No one here has denied that there is a crossing at Rafah. The point of the report is to look at the overall situation, and their determination, along with the number of organizations cited elsewhere, is that the opening at Rafah is inadequate to provide with the needs of 1.3 million people who have suffered such devastation after years of occupation (and continued occupation, as Palestinians are not soverign over even just Gaza).

So the question becomes, why is it that all the aforementioned organizations have stated such concern?

Is it that they are all so ignorant? Is it because they all just want to "blame Israel" and can so they will ignore any information that conflicts with that assumption... are they also "religious fanatics"?

Or is this concern based on the full reality of the situation?

so since the Rafah crossing is "inadequate" it shall not be used?...what does "inadequet mean?....does it mean less trucks per hour?...in which case the report is saying that they prefer ZERO trucks to a lesser amount?

Since Karni is closed and Rafah is open, and can provide SOME of the needs, its preferable to not bother with it?..the humanitarians of the world prefer to whine about karni and not send limited food stuffs via Rafah?

and what does inadequet mean?...At karni the trucks have to be scanned, goods transfered etc do to security reasons..Egypt and the palestenians are not at war, hence i dont believe they need all that complex process.

the road exists....open land exists to park and inspect and list the contents...so what exactly is "inadequet"?

at the mexican/american border where the goods are inspected at both sides (randomly) each "booth" can do 4-5 trucks an hour....all that is required is parking, simple road system and the system.....shouldnt take more than a few weeks tops to put that together at Rafah..

whos stopping it?....and why?...and why wasnt that in the report? I thought its supposed to be a "crises"...that means emergency measures correct?.....so what part of Rafah cant help out to relieve the crises?

--No one here has denied that there is a crossing at Rafah. The point of the report is to look at the overall situation, and their determination, along with the number of organizations cited elsewhere, is that the opening at Rafah is inadequate to provide with the needs of 1.3 million people who have suffered such devastation after years of occupation (and continued occupation, as Palestinians are not soverign over even just Gaza).--

Which I have mentioned before, I'm sure, that Rafah's a red herring, & Karni is the viable
cargo terminal that is a lifeline for the populace of Gaza, & the other crossings are not. I've
posted artcile after article, & report after report, that have explained that point, that Karni
is the lifeline for Gaza. If anyone still thinks that it's acceptable for Karni to be closed, or
ignored, then I would suggest that those folks are supporting the policy of the 'diet', & collective
punishment. Closing Karni means that the economy/populace of Gaza will suffer, Peretz has accepted
that;

'Israel opens Gaza cargo crossing

Israel's new defence minister has ordered the main cargo crossing with the Gaza Strip to be re-opened.

The Israeli army has shut the Karni crossing on and off for much of this year, citing safety concerns.

Correspondents say the decision by Amir Peretz follows concerns that Israel's tight border security is causing humanitarian problems for Palestinians.

Palestinians import much of their food through Karni and use it to export goods, especially agricultural produce.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4989396.stm

that in a humanitarian crises one looks at ALL of the options....and a viable option is RAFAH since egypt has already sent trucks to the palestenians on at least 2 occassions via Rafah

the question really is why hasnt rafah been expanded, its open...why is it not being used if its a crises?...

trucks can physcially travel the road in...so its better to let palestenians go hungry, without medical care rather than send in trucks today via Rafah?...

isnt less far better than nothing.....?

and why cant it be expanded?...isnt it a crises?

and why hasnt egypt volunteered to open up the crossing?

Weisglass's desire to put Palestinians "on a diet" take precedence
An objective look at the situation, like the dozens of organizations and individuals cited here, leads them to conclude that more trucks through Rafah will not alone solve the problem, at best it can only be part of the solution. Even more humanitarian aid through other crossings will not alone solve the problem.

I hear your frustration, it is very clear, that you have not been able to convince so many, of what you see is the simple solution. Perhaps, however, that is because it is not the solution, and not because these organizations are "religious fanatics", a ludicrous charge leveled against some posters here at DU too often.

However, these are the facts that is causing the Gaza crisis. All problems will not be solved by better operations through Rafah.



And again, these are the organizations that you have failed to convince that Israel bears no responsibility for the crisis. It is not just the handful of individuals debating you on DU, but the following as well:



From B'Tsalem


From Human Rights Watch
Emphasis Mine

and where is the report that says the Rafah border CANNOT be enlarged?


And where are the reports condemning Egypt for keeping it closed to intl aid?


and where are the reports going through the details of what CAN be brought in through Rafah?

WHERE??????

as far as Israel punishing the palestenains...well i would ask them (and those that support them).. Whats your problem?...why in the hell are you letting the israelis "punish you'...tell egypt to open the gates...tell egypt to expand the terminal....quit crying and whining that your victims and helpless and do something constructive like pressure your arab brothers to pressure egypt to start sending in supplies

unless of course doing its better to suffer and cry about how bad the israelis are.....

___________________
and once again your using either out of date info or wrong information...you choose what you want to call it:

{i]israel controls the entry of foreigners into Gaza...israel doesnt....or do i have to once again explain how the gaza/egyptian border works...
thats the frustrating part...simple geographical facts that happen every day (passage of people from egypt to gaza) are ignored as if they arent happening

So in addition to human rights organizations like Amnesty and Human Rights Watch World Bank, and B'Tselem and people like Jimmy Carter and so many more, we have the following who say that Israel needs to take immediate action to avert a humanitarian catastorphe.
List of signatories:
1. ACSUR Las Segovias
2. Asamblea de Cooperación por la Paz (ACPP)
3. Campaign for the Children of Palestine
4. Comitato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo dei Popoli (C.I.S.P)
5. Centro regionale d'Intervento per la Cooperazione (CRIC)
6. Diakonia
7. EDUCAID
8. Enfants du Monde - Droits de l'Homme
9. Enfants refugies du monde
10. FCD Solidarité Socialiste
11. Gruppo Volontariato Civile (GVC) Italy
12. HAGAR Centers for Rehabilitation
13. Handicap International
14. International Christian Committee
15. International Relief Fund for the Afflicted and Needy (IRFAN - Canada)
16. Italian Consortium of Solidarity
17. Japan International Volunteer Center
18. Medical Aid for Palestine (MAP-UK)
19. Médecins du Monde France
20. Médecins du Monde Suisse
21. Médecins du Monde Greece
22. Mennonite Central Committee
23. Mercy Corps
24. Merlin
25. Middle East Aid
26. Movimiento por la paz, el Desarme, y la Libertad (MPDL)
27. Norwegian Church Aid
28. Norwegian People's Aid (NPA)
29. Quaker Service- Jerusalem (American Friends Service Committee)
30. Save the Children Sweden
31. Save the Children UK
32. Solidaridad Internacional
33. Swedish Organization for Individual Relief (SOIR)
34. Swedish Cooperative Centre (SCC)
35. Volontariato Internazionale per lo Sviluppo (VIS)
36. World Vision Jerusalem

Recommendations:

The humanitarian situation in Gaza has deteriorated since the Israeli redeployment to the periphery,
and may deteriorate even further if current and additional humanitarian and development activities
are jeopardized.

The international relief and development agencies represented here therefore recommend that:

• The international community and donor governments continue to provide essential
humanitarian assistance to the Palestinian people, as well as the Quick Impact Economic
Programs and other development activities aimed at improving the socio-economic wellbeing
of Gazans.
• The administrative, management, and coordination responsibilities of public sector institutions
are not replaced by NGOs or UN agencies. Setting up parallel systems of public service
delivery through NGOs or UN agencies is not viable. UN agencies and NGOs do not have the
capacity or the responsibility to administer public services, in particular when there are capable
administrative structures already in place.
• The Government of Israel and the Palestinian Authority uphold the Agreement on Movement
and Access of 15 November 2005 in relation to the movement of people and goods through
the main crossing points, particularly by extending the operating hours and raising the
productivity of Karni trade crossing.
• All parties uphold International Humanitarian Law, and ensure the protection of civilians in the
occupied Palestinian territory.

take precedent...thats also part of the origninal agreement...fact is israel cant be relied upon to keep karni open...better to find and develop the alternative: Egypt.

whats stopping that?

to control its borders. if they dont want people/goods crossing it, that is their right as a sovereign nation.

the palestinian people can sell their produce via the southern border, ie egypt. but then again historically many arab countries have done little to actually help the palestinian people thrive.

It doesn't look like any of the 'facts' presented are relevant, they appear to be referring to some
other incident, & not the issue raised in the article about the economy in Gaza, & how the Karni
imnport/export terminal is a lifeline for the economy for Gaza.

By 24 April, 298 trucks of flour, sugar and rice had been received in the Gaza Strip with the Rafah terminal authorities estimating that all assistance pledged from Egypt will have been received by the end of today.


http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/VBOL-6P9BGX?OpenDocument
_____________

i doubt that simple facts like the above will actually have an affect on the "religious" ones here......after all, they're just facts.

As an Atheist, I find it very offensive when attempts are made to portray people who support the Palestinians as religious zealots....

Violet...

That's a priceless abuse of language, posters who rely on actual, reality-based, fact-based,
myth-busting, objective sources are 'religious zealots' now?

you've misunderstood, the fanatics are not those that "support the Palestinians " (for lack of better definitions) the religious fanatics are those that believe in something even though the most basic facts refute their belief-they either ignore the facts or make up a story...

For instance, and this is where it started: GAZA

.....why in all of these discussions about gaza..all of those who keep claiming that with karni closed the Palestinians will now starve etc.. Rafah seems "not to exist"?
I have to actually write that there is an asphalt road from egypt to gaza, that trucks can travel on that road and have...yet the assertion that without karni the israelis are now committing "genocide" (one poster) remains a constant

explain to me how that is not the view of the religious fanatic?



i dont get much of an explanation, which so reminds me of similar discussions that i've had with religious fanatics i've spoken with, and i noticed how similar they are, hence my definition....it fits.

just try asking some of the posters here if the gaza/palestenian border exists and if truck can pass through and if so why cant it carry food an medicine..and if the trucks can return to egypt loade with vegis as well.( one-mango-wrote that before he can answer that he needed to see a study of the area......had to clean my keyboard and screen after that one).

i cant get an answer...perhaps you can.

just cause i'm very interested in the subject:

how the egyptian/palestenian border is ignored...a border that has in the past brought in food stuffs for the palestenians and that can be ignored when one wants to claim israel is 'starving the palestenians"...


and how those people who ignore such simple geographical facts are so similar to the fanatical religious....if it dont fit the belief, either ignore it, or make up a story to show how its irrelevant.
_____

anybody want to help me out here?....leaving gaza was brilliant, for those who have to blame israel for everything, gaza seems to clarify things, unless of course they cant read a map (which seems to be far more prevalent that i ever imagined)

everything that needs to be said, doesn't it?

n/t

the Karni bordercrossing can be closed by israel anytime it wants. israel has every right to control its own borders. if it wants a border closed. then it is closed. that is their right as a sovereign nation.
gaza has an airport, it has a border crossing with egypt. two ways it can get is produce out of gaza.

Since the GoI has control over the Isreal/Gaza borders, airspace, &tc. Whether it's legally or
morally justified is another question, the GoI has responsibility for the populace of Gaza, &
closing the lifeline trade terminal is an eg of collective punishment, even the Israeli Defense
Minister has accepted that. Gaza = OPT, Isreal = Occupier.


--gaza has an airport, it has a border crossing with egypt. two ways it can get is produce out of gaza--

Why are you ignoring the Karni trade terminal? That is baffling, these red herrings about the
non-functioning airport, & Egypt, where the border doesn't have a viable export/import trade terminal
that could cope with hundreds of truckloads of goods each day. Karni is the main cargo crossing, as
the article which started this thread stated. There isn't any mention of the airport, or any cargo
crossing on the Egypt border in this article, because they're either non-existant, or non-functioning
& they're both irrelevant.

'The airport with no planes

Families in Gaza are relying on jobs that don't exist - paid for by international handouts

Chris McGrea in Gaza airport
Thursday April 13, 2006
The Guardian

Tawfiq Musmar takes up his place behind the lost luggage desk at Gaza international airport each morning, checking all is in order at the baggage carousel before wandering off to spend much of the day chatting with the "land hostesses" at the check-in counters.

Not a single flight has landed since Israeli army bulldozers tore up the runway in 2001 at the beginning of the Palestinian uprising, and Mr Musmar wonders how long he will be paid to do nothing. "There were lots of flights to all the Arab capitals, even Moscow," he said. "Now we get paid but these are not real jobs. Maybe now the jobs are going to disappear like the planes."

For five years the Gaza airport staff have collected their salaries from the Palestinian Authority, not because they earned them but because so many other people depend on the money to survive.

Mr Musmar, 43, earns about £250 a month from which he supports his parents and children. At the check-in desk, Reem Nisreen is paid about £140 a month which pays the rent and feeds her unemployed husband, two children and members of her extended family.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1752731,00.html

kind of like "see no terminal" hear no terminal"..since it interfers with the "israel must be at fault" syndrom

or any cargo crossing on the Egypt border in this article, because they're either non-existant, or non-functioning
& they're both irrelevant.

except that rafah crossing does function and does exist.....

By 24 April, 298 trucks of flour, sugar and rice had been received in the Gaza Strip with the Rafah terminal authorities estimating that all assistance pledged from Egypt will have been received by the end of today.

http://www.reliefweb.int/rw/rwb.nsf/db900SID/VBOL-6P9BGX?OpenDocument

hmm what do we call such an acusation which is obviously wrong?.......


how about more?

60 trucks enter Palestinian territories and they entered in ONE DAY...60 TRUCKS and that was in nov 2005
http://www.arabicnews.com/ansub/Daily/Day/050611/2005061136.html

so trucks CAN and DO enter via Rafah when the egyptians and palestenains agree to it......

its been months since israel pulled out of gaza, why hasnt the PA rebuilt the runways?

why should israel have to open its borders to gaza?

for a long time we heard from many people that israel needed to pull out of the west bank and gaza. well that is half way done. gaza no longer has any israeli forces within it.

now it is being demanded that israel lose control of its borders and allow palestinian produce and workers in? why? why should israel be the only country in the world that isnt allowed to control its own borders?

After all, it's Israel that ripped it up in the first place. Also, don't you think something like major repairs to destroyed runways might just take a fair amount of time, that's if those who have to repair the destruction that Israel caused had the funds for it in the first place?

Israel built Karni in around 1993. It's been used to export goods from Gaza bound for the EU since then. In the article that started this thread, an Israeli spokesman says they understand the importance of Karni, and that they're doing their best to keep Karni open. The position of the Israeli govt seems to be at odds with that of a few posters in this thread who all insist that Karni shouldn't be used for the purpose for which it was built in the first place. This suggests to me that the spokesman in the article and the Israeli govt may have much more of a clue as to the realities of border crossings than anyone in this thread does...

I found some information on the agreement between Israel and the PA on the border crossings. The documents say that Rafah was to be used to export goods bound for Egypt as soon as it was up to an international standard. It doesn't say that goods bound for the EU or the West Bank were to go via anywhere else but Karni. Could this be because Karni is set up to facilitate the crossborder movement of large volumes of goods and Rafah isn't? Pelsar has said a few times it's as simple as driving a truck across a border. I suspect it's a fair bit more involved than that...

From the document I found:

The parties have agreed that:

The passages will operate continuously. On an urgent basis, Israel will permit the export of all agricultural products from Gaza during this 2005 harvest season.

The new and additional scanner will be installed and fully operational by December 31. At that time, the number of export trucks per day to be processed through Karni will reach 150, and 400 by end-2006. A common management system will be adopted by both parties.

http://usinfo.state.gov/mena/Archive/2005/Nov/15-381874.html

There's been a lot of stuff about how Hamas must stick to already existing agreements between the PA and Israel, something I agree with. But this runs both ways, and Israel must also stick to already existing agremeents. Israel agreed to this back in November, which explains why the Israeli spokesman in the article isn't echoing pelsar's sentiments...

Violet...

and far more sophisticated for the transfer of goods....its also a place that the palestenians cannot depend upon, for it can be closed off for a any security reason...like a soldier hearing sounds of digging....that will close it for a week....

thats the reality of karni today, there is no longer any reason for israel to risk it citizens lives when there are risks or rumors of risks...all of which are part of the agreement (which is why the palestenains are guarding their side of the border...sort of)

However if the problem is a humanitarium one and because karni is closed the palestenian are starving to death, as the accusations have been flying, then i would think that the lack of some scanners wouldnt stop the flow of supplied via rafah.

in fact the supplies are low and medical supplies are running out...and emergency supplies STILL arent coming via egypt....and all they have to do is drive a truck via Rafah.....in an emergency situation it is that simple.

'>snip

Just before the uprising, the Palestinian Civil Aviation Authority had worked out an agreement for flights to and from Rome, according to Captain Salman Abu Halib, the airport’s director-general and chairman of the Palestinian Civil Aviation Authority.

The heady days of air travel, however, were short-lived. As fighting intensified from 2000 onwards, Israel tightened restrictions on Palestinians moving in and out of Gaza and the West Bank and shut the airport.

Through 2001 and early 2002, Israeli air strikes chipped away the shiny edges of what was once an emblem of prospective statehood.

Amid Israel’s concerns that the Palestinians would attempt to smuggle in weapons and terrorists, the runway, radar station, and exterior camera security system were all destroyed.

But, the Israelis were very thorough; they sent armoured bulldozers onto the runway to dig up the concrete into 17 separate pieces.

http://www.msnbc.msn.com/id/7900217/

It's Alice in Wonderland time again, when those responsible for any illegal action that causes
millions of dollars of destruction, get a free pass. I note that the question of who destroyed the
runways has been completetly ignored, & the PA is being asked to foot the bill for said destruction.
Why should it be acceptable that any Govt, in this case, Isreal, behave in this fashion? The
deliberate & systemic destruction of the runways at Gaza airport was a vindictive decision, it's
baffling that anyone should think that the wilful destruction of the runways by the occupying
power is something that should be supported.

A PA source formerly involved in the negotiations over the crossing said Palestinians want full sovereignty over Rafah for both goods and people, but attempts to institute this unilaterally have failed because Egypt has been succumbing to Israeli pressure to prevent this from happening, and EU monitors have threatened to leave their posts, which would annull the agreement and shut down the crossing, and possibly result in a Jericho-type Israeli siege. Further, the source added, even if they pass through Rafah, goods will still have to be re-routed to Kerem Shalom for Israeli inspection,

http://electronicintifada.net/v2/article4566.shtml

a few corrections: Since Egypt never succumbs to "israeli pressure"....its an Egyptian choice to prevent the importing/exporting of goods...which is made clear when its mentioned that "the goods will still have to be re-routed from israel"...when in fact the goods can actually COME from Egypt and by pass israeli ports.

fact is nothing is mentioned of a physical problem with importing or exporting via Rafah, though not as capable as karni, for a "humanitarian/medical crises seems to me it can bring in supplies and be expanded...its all politics, egytian politics....

A fact you may have forgotten.

you have also forgotten Israeli authorities taking responsibilty for "putting Palestinians on a diet".

A UN official said, on the condition of anonymity, that the closure was very obviously political in nature, since it had become clear that there were no direct security threats to Israel on the crossing.

Israel authorities say the crossing has been closed due to "security threats", specifically, fears that tunnels had been built under the crossing. ...
At the request of the Israeli army, Palestinian security services dug four trenches, totaling more than 1.5 kilometres in length around the crossing, but no tunnels were ever found, Israeli and PA sources say.

does egypt succumb to US pressure?...human rights?.....

so your blaming the US for keeping Rafah closed?......interesting theory...or perhaps its israel pressuring the US pressuring Egypt?

A UN official said, on the condition of anonymity, that the closure was very obviously political in nature, since it had become clear that there were no direct security threats to Israel on the crossing


and they have intelligence units in Gaza?...kind of like in Lebanon correct?....


try to be a bit serious next time....posts like the above have no real content..... (the UN knows about palestenain attack plans......really?)

An Interim Assessement of Passages and Trade Facilitation

Prepared by the World Bank Technical Team, February 28, 2006

http://web.worldbank.org/WBSITE/EXTERNAL/COUNTRIES/MENAEXT/WESTBANKGAZAEXTN/0,,contentMDK:20844212~pagePK:141137~piPK:141127~theSitePK:294365,00.html#Assesement_Passage