Brussels, 02/07/2010 (Agence Europe) - Israel has announced the situation for carrying humanitarian aid to Gaza will be relaxed. The general responsible for such operations in the West Bank informed the Palestinian Authority of this decision on Tuesday 29 June in order to allow a “significant rise” (50%) in the number of lorries carrying aid to Gaza, i.e. 150 each day. Israel, Haaretz reports, plans to increase this to 250.
Israel thus plans both to attenuate international pressure, which remains strong further to the attack on Gaza at the end 2008, and to encourage President Mahmoud Abbas to renew contacts directly. “We are now in the midst of proximity talks (under the aegis of the United States) … as a corridor to direct talks”. “I think the time has come for direct talks”, said Benjamin Netanyahu, as reported by Haaretz, who met US Envoy George Mitchell on Wednesday 30 June. He went on to add: “And I call on President Abbas to come to Jerusalem. I am prepared to go to Ramallah. I think that this is the only way that we'll solve the intricate problems that we're discussing”. In his view, direct talks were also the “best way” to persuade the Israeli public of Palestinian peace intentions.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas said in an interview with Israeli media that he would not start direct peace talks with Netanyahu unless progress were made in US-mediated contacts on the issues of borders and security. He does not rule out the presence of a NATO force but said that only a state already formed could accept, which is not yet the case for the Palestinians. There should not be a “single Israeli soldier”, he stressed, affirming moreover that the Palestinian people is beginning to lose faith in the two-state solution. (F.B./transl.jl)