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Israel eases restrictions on Gaza exports and exit permits
Israel yesterday increased the number of permits for those exiting the Gaza Strip, in a further sign that restrictions on movement are being eased to aid reconstruction.
The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT), the Israeli body responsible for coordinating movement at the Gaza border crossings, said that the number of entry permits for Gaza merchants to the West Bank and Israel would be increased from 3,000 to 5,000 a month, while the number of daily exit permits from Gaza to the West Bank and to Israel has been doubled from 400 to 800 per day.
COGAT also said it intended to expand “the agricultural and industrial exports from Gaza, such as textile products and furniture.” Towards the end of 2014, COGAT also facilitated the export of significant Gaza produce, in particular cucumbers and fish to the West Bank, an important market for the Gaza economy. Since the end of Operation Protective Edge in August, COGAT said that more than 62,000 tons of construction supplies have entered Gaza and 43,000 Gazans have purchased material to rebuild their homes following the conflict.
Israel has placed restrictions on movement from the Gaza Strip since 2007, as Hamas violently seized control of the area and then used imported materials to construct weapons and military infrastructure. However, since a ceasefire brought an end to Operation Protective Edge, Israel agreed a mechanism with the Palestinian Authority (PA) and United Nations (UN) to facilitate the entry of construction materials into Gaza.
However, the pace of reconstruction has been slow. Earlier this week, former British Prime Minister and current Quartet Middle East envoy Tony Blair visited Gaza and called on more to be done to facilitate rebuilding. He asked that Israel increase its efforts but also said that Palestinian internal political differences must be resolved to smooth the process. Blair also specified that Egypt must receive security guarantees, having closed the Rafah Crossing with Gaza over Hamas’s material support for terror attacks in Sinai.