Israel to open Karni crossing to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza

[Behind the Aegis]

By Reuters

The Israel Defense Forces is expected to reopen the commercial terminal of the Gaza Strip's main Karni crossing point as early as Thursday, following international pressure warning that food supplies in the Strip were dwindling and likely to run out.

"There are preparations underway for the opening of the (Karni) crossing in the near future, within the next few days," an Israel Defense Forces official said.

Israel closed the crossing for 21 days between January 15 and February 5. It was closed again on February 21 after a mysterious explosion in the area and has remained closed because of "continued security alerts," an IDF spokeswoman said.

But stocks of wheat, sugar and cooking oil are dwindling in Gaza and could begin to run out within two or three days unless Israel reopens the strip's main crossing point for goods, United Nations officials said on Wednesday.

more...

[Scurrilous]

1. Israel reneges on commitment to reopen Karni crossing to aid

<snip>

"Defense Minister Shaul Mofaz has decided the Karni crossing into the Gaza Strip will remain closed on Thursday, despite earlier promises to open it indefinitely to humanitarian aid for Palestinian residents, Israel Radio reported.

Senior defense officials will meet Thursday to discuss plans to open the crossing in light of terror warnings originating from the Gaza Strip.

The IDF had been expected to reopen the commercial terminal following mounting international pressure warning that food supplies in the Strip were dwindling and likely to run out.

Israel closed the crossing for 21 days between January 15 and February 5. It was closed again on February 21 after a mysterious explosion in the area and has remained closed because of "continued security alerts," an IDF spokeswoman said."

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/689086.html

[Englander]

2. Israel keeps Gaza crossing closed

Thursday, 2 March 2006, 17:24 GMT

The Israeli authorities have delayed re-opening the main goods crossing into Gaza, despite warnings of shortages of essential supplies for Palestinians.

On Wednesday, the Israeli army had issued a statement saying the crossing would open again on Thursday.

Israel has kept the crossing closed for nine straight days due to security concerns, officials say.

Palestinians describe the closure as collective punishment, while the UN says it has caused severe shortages.

"This is getting to precarious levels," said David Shearer, head of the UN Office for the Co-ordination of Humanitarian Affairs, in an interview with Reuters news agency.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4765808.stm

[Englander]

3. From Haaretz;

'Karni crossing between Israel and Gaza remains closed Tuesday

By Aluf Benn and the Associated Press

Israel closed the Karni cargo crossing between Gaza and Israel on Tuesday, less than a week after re-opening it in the wake of a two-week closure.

The Israel Defense Forces said the latest shutdown, based on unspecified security warnings, would continue until further notice.

Karni is critical for the Palestinian economy because it is the only conduit for Palestinian exports, and the main gateway for goods entering Gaza.

http://www.haaretzdaily.com/hasen/spages/694046.html

[Name removed]

4. Deleted message

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

[Englander]

5. Israel briefly reopens Gaza crossing to let in aid

By Haaretz Service and Reuters
Israel opens Gaza crossing to allow in aid

Israel reopened the main commercial crossing into Gaza on Monday to allow trucks to deliver food following warnings of an impending humanitarian crisis in the Palestinian area, Palestinian police said.

Israel has closed the crossing on and off for the past two months, citing security concerns. It was last shut on March 13. Palestinians have reported shortages of bread and other staples in Gaza because of the closure.

But Israel's policy chief for the territories on Monday denied that the situation in Gaza amounted to a humantarian crisis, saying that the Palestinians bore responsibility for the scarcity of needed goods.

IDF Major General Yosef Mishlab, coordinator of Israeli activities in the territories, was speaking with President Moshe Katsav as Israeli and PA officials prepared to open the crossing point for the passage of aid supplies to the beleaguered Strip.

Bread is already in severely short supply in the Gaza Strip, and there are fears that stocks of milk and dairy products will soon be exhausted.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/696264.html

On edit;

'Briefly' added to headline.

[bemildred]

6. Lifting the seige.

Can we have a Gaza airlift?
Ich bin ein Gazan?

Where is JFK when we need him?
How much was lost when that bullet entered his head?
I am so tired of these vicious, incoherent sparrowfarts.

[Scurrilous]

7. "Ich bin ein Gazan?"

:thumbsup:

[bemildred]

8. Hey, political posturing is fun ...

:-)

[Englander]

9. Yeah, a Marshall plan for the new century...

sonic booms, closures & missiles are the new humanitarian relief, for the
humanitarian age...

[bemildred]

10. Well, the analogy is not bad.

You have shooting back and forth,
no-mans lands and fortifications,
sallies back & forth, and closure
to outside access.

But there are flaws in that too.
It must drive the Israelis bonkers.
(As one can see.)

I do wonder what is up with the
boundary with Egypt? Why can't supplies
enter that way? What is up with that?
I suppose it is just that Gaza is still
very much in a colonial state economically,
and perhaps Egypt hopes to stay out of
it as much as they can.

[Englander]

11. It's vested interests, most likely, re Egypt.

Also, I think the Rafah crossing is a lot smaller than Karni, it's not an actual
terminal that could cope with trucks, &tc, I think that's correct. Personally, I'd
like to see the blockade lifted, & all the crossings opened, but that's a hopelessly
optimistic view, clearly.

[pelsar]

12. there are several entrances to egypt via israel...

and rafah can easily be take in the trucks...what it doesnt have is the infrastructure for "checking them" which is what karmi has. But the food can easily go via israel to egypt...go 10km east to refah and enter gaza.....its all very very simple, and its whats israels been suggesting for the last month or so....

the problem lies with the palestenians and egyptians.....

[Englander]

13. Links? n/t

[pelsar]

14. lets see...

Karen Shalom is the famous one in the news recently...

there are a couple more with simple roads for security purposes...no more than a mere gate seperating the two countries - 10km east of Eilat...there is taba which is the major entrance from Israel to Egypt

(so thats at least 3) Egypt has security road running the length of the border.....

as far as getting trucks in.....vehicles do pass throught taba, Rahah, Karen Shalom and the security openings....and thats all whats needed.

links these are just the two commerical ones
__________________________
There are two border crossings between Israel and Egypt: one runs from Cairo via El Arish to Rafiah on the north Sinai coast; and the other from Cairo via Suez and Taba to Eilat.

http://www.iexplore.com/dmap/Egypt/Do's+and+Don'ts

[Englander]

22. The link's broken.

Are any of those crossings commercial terminals? Can any of those crossings cope with
150 cargo lorries, which, apparently, is the capacity at Karni? What's the capacity at
Kerem Shalom?

'An Interim Assessement of Passages and Trade Facilitation

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

>snip

Movement of Goods and People in Gaza

5. The Karni crossing, the only existing crossing for the export and import of goods serving Gaza’s 1.4 million people, has evolved through a turbulent period in bilateral relations from a gated gap in the Gaza perimeter to today’s complex, haphazard and inefficient facility.



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

[pelsar]

23. they all can handle traffic....

what they dont have is customs and security checks......and systems for taking money from the companies (income source for the PA)

if they're coming from egypt and egypt has no problem with passing them through..then there is no crisis....and if fact there isnt a real one....its all a cynical PR ploy

[Englander]

24. Links? (ones that work, please).

Since I find those claims incredible, irrelevant, & extremely biased. (But not in that order.)

[pelsar]

25. irrelevant? biased?

roads going from israel to egypt are now irrelevant?

taba:
http://www.atoris.net/eilat/borders.htm

you will note that cars CAN enter, i.e there is a road


Keren Shalom terminal:
"Keren Shalom, which is a joint Israeli-Egyptian crossing, where Israel would monitor the entry and exit of goods and residents."

link doesnt work...but if you look up in google this....you get to it
Omar Suleiman Urges Commitment to Truce and Palestinian Unity ...



and like i mentioned: a security access as well....but two should suffice...or are these access roads irrelevent because it means the problem is a palestenain problem created by the palestenians...and that really really ruins the BLAME Israel routine..and exposes the palestenain authority as starving their own to create a pseudo crises?...because that is precisly what is going on....or Egypt is refusing to help the palestenians and they are therefor to blame....

[Englander]

26. Blah? Blah? Blah-blah. Blah-blah-blah. &tc, &tc, &tc. n/t

[pelsar]

28. which means....

this has been translated to me before: blah blah translates as:

i dont have an answer to what you have written because it is based on simple facts that i cannot refute, but at the sametime I do not want to change my opinon, therefore i have no choice but to write nonsense.....


originally the "blah blah" was was explained to me when i suggested that the F16 is a very good recon platform...and instead of listing as to why its not...i got a blah blah.

I assume such is the case here: since access to gaza does exist for trucks from israel to egypt to rafah to gaza....hence the "crises" is all made up


perhaps a list of why anybody listing those access points is "biased or why they are irrelevant?.. might be appropriate? (if even possible......)

[Englander]

29. No. Here's a quote, & a definition, think about their relevance;

"The nationalist not only does not disapprove of atrocities committed by his own side, but he has a remarkable capacity for not even hearing about them."

George Orwell.

________________


Ingenious is used of something done with ingenuity, that is, cleverly or enterprisingly: Sally had an ingenious method of keeping the bread fresh.
Ingenuous applies to something done innocently or artlessly: Timmy's an ingenuous child: he asked if the eggs were the same colour as the chicken that laid them.
Disingenuous means devious or dishonest, or pretending to be ingenuous: She's being rather disingenuous, telling you that her car has nothing wrong with it.

http://www.tiscali.co.uk/reference/dictionaries/english/data/d0082270.html

Also, extremely biased opinion = not facts.

Here's a fact, as opposed to extremely biased opinion;

'The Karni crossing, the only existing crossing for the export and import of goods serving Gaza’s 1.4 million people...'

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=show_mesg&forum=124&topic_id=117499&mesg_id=119545

[pelsar]

30. so perhaps an explanation is required....

why cant 150 trucks pass through the road from israel?

its an open road...(2 wide lanes)....i dont recall seeing any tank traps there in the way.....so what would prevent the trucks from passing through and delivering food?

[Englander]

33. So, explain it, then. n/t

[pelsar]

34. that there is no problem....except that the palestenians say no.....

150 trucks can easily pass through the two lane road that crosses the border from keren shalom.....and thats neither bias, nor irrelevant if the issue is to bring food to those in gaza.

now its your turn to explain how such an option is irrelevant and bias........(without the blah blah)

[Englander]

41. That's complete nonsense.

Because, it misses the point, ignores established facts, & displays opinions that are
extremely biased.

Karni is the only export/import cargo terminal, that's been established, that *fact* has
been established, is there some reason why yer ignoring that? The issue is not just to
bring food, the issue is to create/sustain a viable economy for Gaza, have you not
understood that? So, obviously, to create said economy, the Karni crossing should be
used.

[pelsar]

43. two issues....

the immediate food crises...has been manufactured by the palestenians...since the refuse to let trucks in via Keren....simple fact.....

or is that in dispute?

as far as long term economy karni would certainly help them...but then certain factions of some of the palestenanians who may or may not be affiliated with various security organizations who live in gaza seem to want to blow it up...and have tried to do that in the past.....

so why should israel bother with it?

and perhaps the egyptians would open up Rafah to let the palestenains export more?......or are they to be ignored so one can blame israel for the palestenain economy (btw...is there a problem with not trading with the palestenians?.....seems other arab countries boycott israel...or is that not a double standard?)

[Englander]

44. That's complete nonsense, for the same reasons as before. n/t

[Spinoza]

51. Great point.

[bemildred]

31. Here is a link I ran across today:

Israel has only itself to blame: after all, it could have allowed the Rafah crossing, the only independent Palestinian border crossing to Egypt, to be used for more than just human traffic. But fearing it would be used to transport terrorist supplies, the Israeli-Egyptian agreement on the Rafah crossing is that is only for people, not goods. The Palestinians meanwhile don’t want to use the Kerem Shalom crossing, arguing it is too small, and too slow for their needs. They will only accept it if Karny is also kept running."

http://www.democraticunderground.com/discuss/duboard.php?az=view_all&address=124x119550

[Englander]

32. Further explanation;

'>snip

Israeli officials say the crisis has been created by Palestinian officials who declined an offer to use a second crossing near the Egyptian border rather than at Karni.

The Palestinians say they fear such a precedent would lead to Israel redirecting all future traffic to the smaller Kerem Shalom crossing which is not suitable to cater for Gaza's long-term needs.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4828706.stm

Is the Kerem Shalom crossing an export/import terminal? I haven't been able to discover that,
the World Bank site only refers to Karni as a viable terminal.

[pelsar]

37. as far as i know...its not.....

Karni was designed for the import/export security checks....keren was a secondary far less sophisticated.

but for a humanitarin crises...and for trucks entering with food.....there is little problem...they just have to drive across the border. If the PA wants to stop and check them, its their business.

as far as "exporting" via israels borders....thats a different issue. Egypt and the PA control the rafah border, they've already broken all the agreements about monitors etc (israel no longer even bothers to watch the late videos, the euros left-dont know if they're back-but they complained they just wasting their time....)...and goods are passed through....and if its a "humanitarium problem"......the border can be used.....

[Englander]

40. So, it isn't a viable crossing.

Viable = able to sustain economy for 1.4 mill.

[pelsar]

36. so its too small...so instead the palestenains should starve?

odd behavior....since karmi is closed and NO trucks are going through the palestenains authority would prefer NOTHING as oppossed to a slower movement of goods via karmi...

oh...that really makes sense doesnt it.....Let the palestenians starve because the simply dont want to use the two lane keren shalom crossing.....and this makes it israels fault?

[bemildred]

38. Well, I was addressing the issue of Rafah, in that post.

The business with Karmi does see a bit less clear.
Edit: It does not say they won't use Karmi, it says they don't want to.
How much that has contributed to the shortages I don't know.

I don't see why you would think I want the Gazans to starve.

[pelsar]

39. i was refering to the PA.....

they're complaining that there will no more food in a day or two....yet refuse to let trucks in carrying food via Keren Crossing....that strikes me as very cynical use of the "crises".......which in turn seems to be just a ploy.

[bemildred]

48. I know that, that is why I wondered why you were talking to me.

(Since I was on a different subject.)

[Englander]

42. So, open Karni. Crisis solved. n/t

[pelsar]

46. and have israelis be in danger......

but then if perhaps the palestenain security organizations would take some responsability and actual guard and protect something that is important to their own economy.....crises would be solved.

dont see why israelis should endanger their lives to help the palestenain economy.....

[Englander]

47. Wtf? n/t

[barb162]

20. Something wrong with Rafah? Kerem Shalom?

[Scurrilous]

18. Briefly =30 to 40 minutes.

http://www.haaretz.com/hasen/spages/696264.html

<snip>

"The Karni cargo crossing between Israel and Gaza briefly reopened Monday, but was shut down again 30-40 minutes later due to new warnings of planned attacks on the terminal."

[barb162]

19. Why is PA so averse to using other crossings?

[Englander]

27. Was it worth it?

'About 10 vehicles carrying foodstuffs were able to enter the Strip, but no trucks carrying exports have left.'

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/middle_east/4828706.stm

[pelsar]

35. Egypt?

seems to have been forgotten......why should israel even trade with gaza?.....israels neighbors never traded with her.....

[Englander]

45. Cognitive dissonance sux, don't it? n/t

[Scurrilous]

15. Left to rot in Gaza

Strip's Economy Suffers as Trade Passage to Israel Remains Sealed

<snip>

"The harvest is underway inside a row of greenhouses here on the grounds of a razed Israeli settlement. But most of the tomatoes and sweet peppers, usually shipped to European markets, will rot in a nearby ravine.

"We keep getting it, but we don't know what to do with it," said Abdul Fatah al-Eilah, the greenhouse manager, as workers stacked boxes of vegetables in a storage shed while tractors towing flatbeds full of produce lined up to enter.

The main trade passage between the Gaza Strip and Israel has been closed for much of the year, despite an agreement brokered by Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice in November that required Israel to "ensure the continued opportunity to export." Israeli security concerns, heightened by Hamas's parliamentary victory in January and the almost daily rocket fire from Gaza, have rendered the deal largely moot.

To protect Gaza's small farmers from competition by Eilah's Palestine Economic Development Corp. and its 1,000 acres of greenhouses, the corporation is barred from selling its produce locally. But without regular access to the outside world, the corporation has had to donate some produce to local charities and dump the rest. Losses so far add up to millions of dollars.

"The government will likely have to give this away," Eilah said of an operation once considered the key to Gaza's economic future. The lost harvest is the most recognizable sign of Gaza's declining fortunes six months after Israel's evacuation. It is also a telling indicator of Israel's evolving policy toward the Palestinian territories as Hamas, known formally as the Islamic Resistance Movement and at war with the Jewish state, prepares to take political power."


http://www.freshplaza.com/2006/20mrt/2_ps_rottentomatoes.htm

[pelsar]

16. what happend to Egypt?

er theres a border crossing into egypt called Rafah...and theres a port 20min south capable of handling vegis.....or if we remember that we cant blame israel?

[barb162]

21. One would think Egypt disappeared off the face of the earth

[pelsar]

17. so gaza cant trade with its neighbor....?

so big deal....israel couldnt from day one and still cant trade with its neighbors (most).....time to find some initiative and find other markets and methods....

[Englander]

49. Gaza rations food as Israel cuts supplies

· Bakeries close and shelves empty as supplies dwindle
· Israel denies border action revenge for Hamas victory

Chris McGreal in Jerusalem
Wednesday March 22, 2006
The Guardian

Widespread bread rationing has been introduced in the Gaza Strip because Israel has cut off deliveries of flour and other foodstuffs to the Palestinian territory for most of the past two months.

The military reopened the main cargo crossing into Gaza yesterday under US pressure to allow in humanitarian supplies, but the UN said the terminal was working at only a fraction of capacity. The Israelis say that the closure has been forced by security warnings but the Palestinians accuse them of using the crossing as a political tool after the Hamas election victory, and in breach of pledges to the US.

"The bakeries are rationing bread," said John Ging, director of UN operations in Gaza. "People queue and they're given a coupon and a rationed amount ... The shelves are quite empty. There's no sugar, oil, milk, the basics. The shops are really depleted on those essential items."

The Palestinian deputy economy minister, Nasser Sarraj, said about two-thirds of Gaza bakeries had closed due to lack of flour, and many restaurants have shut. Fuel shortages have also contributed to sharply rising commodity prices.

On Monday, Israel allowed Karni crossing to open for less than an hour to permit deliveries of wheat, Coca-Cola and crisps. Before that it was operating only intermittently for almost two months.

http://www.guardian.co.uk/israel/Story/0,,1736439,00.html

[bemildred]

50. You have to wonder why "Security" did not require this before Hamas won?

I think it's that prick Mofaz trying to discredit Hamas at the expense of Palestinian women and children.