GAZA: Israel opens border for snack foods, but Gazans aren't biting

Let them eat cake -- and cookies, and potato chips and jam.

That’s how many here viewed Israel’s relaxation of border restrictions to permit a variety of new items into the Gaza Strip. The list, announced Wednesday, includes soda, juice, jam, shaving cream, potato chips, cookies, candy and a variety of spices, including coriander.

Israel’s move impressed almost no one in this impoverished seaside territory and even left some embittered, accusing Israel of tossing them a few scraps to score points with the outside world. “We don’t need jam and chips,’’ said Khitam Abdel Hadi, 30, who lives in a refugee camp near Gaza City. “We need jobs. We need houses. We need the freedom to move around. This is nothing.”

At a small grocery store near the Rafah Crossing to Egypt, a shopkeeper pointed to the boxes of cookies, chips and candy, and the cooler of fruit juices. “We have all these things already,’’ he said, noting that food items banned by Israel are routinely brought to Gaza through the network of smuggling tunnels from Egypt.

“Israel is just trying to fix its relationship with the international community after what happened on the flotilla," said Gaza car-parts vendor Samar Attala, 30.

Israel has been facing widespread condemnation over its May 31 raid of an aid-supply flotilla that was attempting to break its naval blockade of Gaza. Nine Turkish passengers were killed when activists aboard resisted the Israeli takeover by attacking commandos with knives and iron bars.

Israeli military officials denied that the new rules were in response to criticism over the raid, saying they’d been discussing the relaxations for weeks. They accused Palestinians of publicizing the new rules in an attempt to embarrass Israel. “They are trying to connect this to the flotilla, but it’s not,” said one military official, speaking on the condition of anonymity.

Israel insists it has been revising and relaxing its rules for the last three months, permitting limited amounts of previously banned items such as shoes, clothing and even cement, as long as an international aid group or U.N. agency promises to monitor how the cement is used.

Israel says its rules barring many items from the Gaza Strip are designed to block “luxury” products or prevent “dual-use” items that might be seized by Hamas, the armed Palestinian group that controls Gaza.

Israel has said it fears Hamas will use cement, for example, to build military bunkers. But critics say Hamas gets all the cement it needs through the smuggling tunnels and the main victims of the restrictions are Gazans, who have been unable to rebuild thousands of homes destroyed during the 2008-09 clash between Israel and Hamas.

Palestinian Authority spokesman Ghassan Khabit called Israel’s new policy a “joke. It shows how ridiculous the Israeli list is.” Gisha, an Israeli advocacy group that has been fighting to lift Israel’s restrictions on goods, called the recent relaxation a “pyrrhic” victory, saying Israel continues to ban more urgently needed items, such as fabric, fishing equipment, spare parts and electronics. But it added, “Gisha is pleased to learn that coriander no longer presents a threat to Israeli security.”

-- Edmund Sanders in Rafah, Gaza Strip 

Photo: Palestinians wait to cross into Egypt, at Rafah border crossing, southern Gaza Strip, on Wednesday. The opening of Gaza's gateway to the world has turned into a scene of extreme anxiety with hundreds crowding around border officials to learn when, and if, they can cross into Egypt. Credit: Lefteris Pitarakis / Associated Press

Comments

[KMansfield]

"Nine Turkish passengers were killed when activists aboard resisted the Israeli takeover by attacking commandos with knives and iron bars."

This is pure speculation on the part of the author, and it ignores facts that would keep a unbiased person from making such assertions.

Men were shot before the commandos boarded the deck.
One professional photographer was shot in the back of the head, and another while taking a picture - was shot in the forehead,
2 of the men on the hour long video have bullet holes have a vertical trajectory- one of them died.
Only one knife had blood on it, and one commando had a cut on his stomach that required stitches. Watch the raw videos. You wont find them coming from Israel.

[truthy]

Liquid , the Zionazi entity elected by Israelis but no one cares because they are right in grabbing Palesitinans land and ethnic cleansing, Only Hamas is problem because they are Muslims, West has completely destroyed its credibility in Muslim world. No one is going to ever believe Zionazis in west.

[Ariely]

Hamas Islamist group has been elected by Gaza people.

For the people that are not acounted to what Gaza people vote for pls read Hamas charter:http://www.mideastweb.org/hamas.htm

Folloing extracts from Hamas Islamist charter:
1:Peace &quiet would not be possible except under Islam
2:Sharia goes for any land the Moslems have conquered by force till the day of judgment
(Hystoric bacground-- Paris to Morocco, Vienna to Istanbul, Caucuses, India, Israel)
3:The day of judgment will not come until Moslems killing the Jews. The trees will say O Moslem,there is a Jew behind me, kill him

The Hamas Islamist charter is a direct treat to pree people worldwide.
Goverments and people should act to protect the free future of the free world

If willing Gaza people can replace Hamas

[Typhoon75]

It is a Shame on us all!! A whole population punished by all means for nothing, for a lie. Incredible but true in 2010.
Israel must listen to the world. Lift the blocade and let the children live!

[Dave]

ok, all of you are missing the point. Why the blockade is caused? Is it caused bec of the innocents? Or all those rockets being fired into israel or those terrorist attacks that used to be on a frequent basis. Now that we have a blockade, not only we can limit all those concrete bunkers by israels borders.

As for all you looking at only at one side.....come on...... check out both sides and then make a judgement.

This blockade didnt happen overnight

[Jehudah Ben-Israel]

The Gaza predicament should and could be resolved relatively simply, based on the implementation, as is, of a major United Nations resolution now.

UN Security Council resolution 242 has been the basis for all peace talks and agreements to date between Israel and the Arab world.

242 calls upon Israel to withdraw its armed forces from territories captured during the June 1967 Six-Day War, which it fully did with regard to Gaza.

242 does not mention or even hints at the need to set up an additional state in the region, Gaza included. It does assume, though, that based on negotiations with Israel for the establishment of secure and recognized boundaries, the relevant Arab state - Egypt in this case - would assume control over territories that Israel vacates.

Therefore, it is high time Egypt, the largest Arab state, shouldered responsibility and absorbed Gaza, the smallest Arab territory, which it had controlled until 1967.

All, and first and foremost the residents of Gaza, will end up benefiting from such a move. So, why not do the obvious and simplest in resolving the Gaza predicament...??!!

[Keith Schroeder]

The Middle East has fought long enough. It is time to find real solutions without more blood. You know, if they continue like this, eventually someone will accidentially push the wrong button and it will no longer matter.

It is okay to disagree. But be civil about it. The more fighting there is the more fighting is needed.

[ABG]

Only 3 comments on the blog piece commemorating Egypt opening its Rafah barrier. The dig in that article is that they told the folks trying to bring in concrete and metal rods that they couldn't. So really, are the comments in this blog about criticism of Israel or just simple Israel bashing?

Frigging duh.

[James X]

What really irks me about Israel is more than its policies. It is their idea that any disagreement with them is not because they are wrong, but because you are a racist.

What they are doing is horrid. I wonder if they still remember how they were treated in WW2? because there is a lot of similarities between their current course of action and their past oppressor.

[michelle]

You are absolutely right Richard, Israel is not only the richest, but the most powerful country on earth - 6 million people surrounded by about 16 BILLION enemies who really don't want any appeasements - just want all the Jews/Israelis to die/disappear/be pushed into the Mediterranean (whatever image you might prefer). So yes, Israel has no problems. Its entire sqare mileage is the equivalent of about 1/4 of the state of Vermont, so I think it should give all that back and apologize for intruding (on its own territory) and just bow out.

[Ericbill]

Guys, come on. With a soda and some coriander, I can easily make some WMDs.

And we all know potato chips may be eaten by children, potentially future terrorists. Yeah future terrorists, not cause their parents and family have been killed, not cause they don't have any freedom, no no, cause they hate our freedom, cause they hate Lady Gaga. (according to the washpost).

At least, we now understand why the flotillas have been stopped, if potato chips and candies are forbidden, and are considered as weapons...
Poor palestinian children, really poor little kids

[DeerMusic]

LVE: No one would ever instantly brand you as anti-Semitic. Clearly, you are auto-branding.

[Wise 'ol geezer]

When the day arrives that Israel somehow, somewhere, and some way comes to its senses, it will realize that it MUST deal with Hamas come hell or high water because Hamas was democratically elected regardless of how repugnant they might appear(and for this reason IT is recognized by the Palestinians as much more legitimate than the Palestinian Authority could ever claim). And no conditions could be imposed meaning forget about insisting that they must recognize Israel's right to exist. And in the meantime STOP being so tightfisted about the allocation of the needed items for all of Gaza's residents.

Anything short of this merely keeps the conflict like a scar that won't heal.

[RaoulDuke]

GAZA: Israel opens border for snack foods, but Gazans aren't biting. Can you blame them? If it's from the
Israelis, it's probally poisoned.

[LVE]

Ah yes, the ever lethal coriander. Wouldn't want that falling into the wrong hands. Perhaps that is why gutless Israeli commandos recently murdered/executed a 19-year-old U.S. Citizen - by shooting him in the back and in the back of the head and in the face multiple times. He probably had a pocket full of coriander. Or perhaps he was trying to defend himself with a Tootsie Roll - as Israel seems to have a fear of candy as well. Of course, you've probably never heard that a U.S. Citizen was capped in the back of the head at very close range by Israel. The U.S. media and the U.S. government don't report things like that for fear of upsetting their Jewish American masters and AIPAC. As we all know, say something bad about Israel in this country and you're instantly branded anti-Semitic. The truth is only convenient when Israel and the U.S. government can twist it to their advantages. You certainly haven't heard Obama providing details about the death of an innocent U.S. Citizen at the hands of Israel; he's bought and paid for by the Israeli lobby like so many of our other politicians. Besides, he's too busy speaking-out about the future of LeBron James to concern himself with one dead American. I hope all of us are beginning to realize that our government (Repubs and Dems alike) cares more about Israel than the people of the United States. Coriander, indeed.

[Your_kidding]

To Omair & Steve,
It's called carrot and stick. West Bank gets the carrot and Gaza Strip gets the stick. This has EVERYTHING to do with Hamas and terrorism! A soda can or bottle can be used as weapon. The Palestinians have free elections so the citizens are the ones that elected Hamas. Now they have live with it. Just like if Jerry Brown gets elected...we deal with it.

[DeerMusic]

Can someone explain, please: the article states that, "...critics say Hamas gets all the cement it needs through the smuggling tunnels..."

Why, then, doesn't Hamas take from the smuggled cement to provide the "Gazans, who have been unable to rebuild"? Could it be that they're holding back the cement to use it as a political weapon? Would they actually do that to their Arab brothers and sisters?

Anyone?

[jerome whitson]

Egypt announced it was lifting its blockade, so why is anyone in Gaza still complaining? Presumably now they will be able to get everything they need to expend their energies on building a prosperous (and peaceful?) economy. Or will Hamas continue to divert resources into terror and repression.

[Harold]

This is a clear violation of the Geneva Convention.

It boggles the mind that Israel, one of the richest countries on earth per-capita, with the world's 4th largest military and nuclear weapons, continues to portray itself as the victim.

[erics]

IDF...

Think that may stand for Israelis Destroying Futures....