Border will reopen for some goods, Lieberman announces
ISRAEL IS to partially reopen Gaza’s only commercial border, Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman has confirmed.
The Kerem Shalom border crossing — the main export-import conduit for Gazans — lies at the point where the territory’s borders with Israel and Egypt meet.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu closed the crossing for all imports — bar humanitarian supplies — on July 9 in response to a spate of airborne firebombs launched into Israel from Gaza.
A statement by the Israeli Defence Ministry said that the crossing will only be partially opened because Hamas “has not put a complete end to terrorism, but is trying to maintain a low level of incendiary balloon launches and friction on the border fence.”
During the closure, the number of lorries delivering humanitarian aid fell from more than 1,000 a day to roughly 140.
Mr Lieberman said: “My message to the residents of Gaza is therefore responsibility, and the key in part is the pressure that you, the Gaza residents, apply on the Hamas leadership.
“The key is quiet — calm, no incendiary balloons, no friction along the bor- der, and no rockets, or heaven forbid, [weapons’] fire. I hope that we have two days of calm ahead of us.
“Despite the blazes and the fires, we still continue to ship food and medicine. We cannot go beyond that and, as I said regarding merchandise, goods, agricultural products, textiles — all of these things [will be allowed in] only if total quiet is maintained on our side, without balloons, kites or provocations.”
On Monday, Gaza’s electricity provider announced its only power station had stopped functioning, meaning residents would go without power for 18 hours a day instead of 16.
Supply in Gaza now relies on power from Egypt and six lines from Israel, one of which has been out of commission for a week.