Israel removes the ban on civilian commodities: foods, toys, building materials, etc.

reply to post by LieBuster


It's a start. While it is too late, it's not too little.
From here we can only move forward.

The nine killed tell no lies. It's the ones standing around them who are.

reply to post by 13th Zodiac


What is there to buy? It was wrong to punish the people of Gaza for electing hamas.
This is a good start.
It has everything to do with the international pressure. Good. I don't care. As long as good things happen..

We all know this won't stop the flotillas, and we all know the goal of these flotilla is not to carry aid into Gaza.
Israel and Egypt offered them to dock and deliver their aid for free.
Israel delivers more aid in less than one week in what was on these ships.

Bring on the flotillas, just know that your protests are not supposed to be violent..

reply to post by ~Lucidity


True.
But as I said, a lot has changed in the last 6 years...
My god things have almost turned upside down...

Hate to say told you so ! here is a cut and paste from International Middle East Media Center .

Israel Closes Gaza Trade Crossings
Saturday June 19, 2010 01:06 by Saed Bannoura - IMEMC & Agencies

Despite Israel’s Thursday decision to “ease restrictions on Gaza”, the Israeli Authorities closed all trade crossings leading to the coastal region. The closure, unless extended, will last until Sunday.

File - Palestine-Info


Fattouh of the Border Crossings Authority in Gaza, said that Israel declared the crossings open on Thursday and shut them down Friday, and added that Israel allowed the entry of 200 sorts of goods in recent weeks, while most goods allowed into Gaza are food products in addition to wood, aluminum and glass.

Fattouh added that the allowed goods do not fill the real need in the Gaza Strip as construction materials are still not allowed into Gaza, in addition to materials needed for factories and other basic supplies.

Israel recently agreed to allow the entry stationary supplies for students, cooking tools, toys for children and some types of furniture.


So who's smater than the average bear Boo Boo ? Well that lasted didn't it ?

Israel announces let-up to Gaza siege - but only in English.

Two official statements came out of the Prime Minister's Office in regard to the security cabinet meeting -- one in Hebrew for the Israeli media and another in English for the foreign media and foreign diplomats.

The English version said that "It was agreed to liberalize the system by which civilian goods enter Gaza [and] expand the inflow of materials for civilian projects that are under international supervision."

The Hebrew version addressed mainly remarks made by Netanyahu, but failed to mention any decision or agreement.

reply to post by jimmyx


lol, and Israel has never conducted a Premtive strike???

Ya kidding me right????

Originally posted by warequalsmurder
I'm a very vocal critic of Israel. But this is a move in the right direction for them.

I applaud Israel's apparent beginning steps to a return to sanity.

My compliments to Israel.

Don't be fooled, they aren't doing it off their own volition. They aren't doing it because they're suddenly born again humanitarians. They are doing it due to external pressures. Left to their own devices, The Israelis would have the Palestinians forever living in the dark ages on rations and scraps.

IRM

reply to post by InfaRedMan


They admitted to doing this in exchange for a whitewash of the Floitilla investigation....

reply to post by virgom129


Do you have a link mate?

IRM

reply to post by InfaRedMan


I did, I posted it in another thread, will try to find it for you..

I don't want to ruin the party, Eliad, but I've got some info for you:

The office of Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu released a statement yesterday that promised to "liberalize the system by which civilian goods enter Gaza." The announcement from Israel's security cabinet came after widespread international pressure on Israel following a deadly Israeli naval raid on a humanitarian flotilla trying to break the three-year old blockade of Gaza.

U.S. media echoed the Israeli press release in headlines like "Israel to Ease Gaza Land Blockade" (New York Times, 6/17/10) and "Israel Eases Restrictions on Goods Bound for Gaza Strip" (Washington Post, 6/18/10). (CNN--6/17/10--at least attributed the claim in its "Israel to Ease Blockade of Gaza, Cabinet Says.")

But corporate news coverage in the United States omitted an important aspect of the story that undermines the narrative that Israel is "easing" its blockade of Gaza. The Israeli daily Ha'aretz (6/17/10) reports:

The prime minister's office announced on Thursday that the security cabinet had agreed to relax Israel's blockade on the Gaza Strip, but as it turns out, no binding decision was ever made during the cabinet meeting.

The prime minister's office issued a press release in English following the meeting, which was also sent to foreign diplomats, was substantially different than the Hebrew announcement--according to the English text, a decision was made to ease the blockade, but in the Hebrew text there was no mention of any such decision.

U.S. corporate media have apparently decided to ignore the Hebrew press release that told a far different story about the blockade of Gaza. Even if their correspondents in Jerusalem don't speak Hebrew, the online English version of Ha'aretz reported the news about the dual statements loud and clear yesterday afternoon.

Only time will tell which statement is true and whether Israel is really easing its land blockade of Gaza. (The naval blockade will remain in place, according to the New York Times story on the Israeli statement.) Even if the English version were true, though, it doesn't seem like it will squelch criticism of the blockade--Israeli human rights organization Gisha (Guardian, 6/17/10) called the announcement "cosmetic changes," and said that "we need a policy that recognizes the rights of Palestinian residents of Gaza not just to consume but also to produce and to travel." Such viewpoints, however, are unlikely to get much of a hearing in the U.S. press.

source

[edit on 21-6-2010 by Mdv2]

Here is a update , cut n paste from antiwar.com
Shoes ?

HNetanyahu Vows to ‘Tighten’ Gaza Blockade
Pasta, Coriander May Flow, But Blockade Here to Stay
by Jason Ditz, June 20, 2010
Email This | Print This | Share This | Antiwar Forum
Hours after the Israeli government announced that it was intending to issue a new “banned goods” list for the Gaza Strip, focused on placating international demands to allow more food and humanitarian goods into the tiny enclave, Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu delivered a pledge that the move would actually “tighten” the blockade.

“Our friends around the world are getting behind our decision and giving international legitimacy to the security blockade on Hamas,” Netanyahu insisted, adding again that “dual use” goods would continue to be barred from Gaza.

Israel’s military has claimed broad swathes of goods to be “dual use” in the past, including imposing a three year ban on shoes under the claim that shoes could theoretically be made the part of a military uniform, and therefore had a military use.

Officials say that banned luxury goods like pasta and cordiander will be allowed into the Gaza Strip under the new list, but so far the government has been mum on the most needed item, cement. Israel has barred all cement from the strip as a “dual use” good as well, leaving the homes in the region in ruins since the January 2009 invasion despite massive pledges of foreign aid. It seems the changes in the blockade may end up being superficial, and done purely for to score points internationally.