Brussels, 09/12/2010 (Agence Europe) - On Wednesday, Israel announced its decision to relax restrictions to the movement of goods to and from Gaza, especially farm produce. Only exports of flowers and strawberries are authorised at present. Tony Blair, who is special envoy for the Middle East Quartet, was on visit to Jerusalem on Wednesday. He welcomed this significant step but acknowledged there was still much to be done.
Hamas, which controls the Gaza Strip, sees this as no more than a shock announcement. One of the Hamas spokespersons, Sami Abu Zuhri, who was cited by the same media, likens it to “propaganda”. Ashton says this is a positive step but insufficient. Catherine Ashton notes the “positive” change on the part of Israel. In a statement by her spokesperson, the EU high representative for foreign affairs and security policy welcomes this decision as a “further step in the right direction” but says “further efforts and complementary measures are needed to revitalise the Gaza economy, create jobs and strengthen the private sector”. For that, it is necessary to allow full and sustainable deployment of Palestinian exports. She added: “Our objective is to improve the lives of the ordinary people of Gaza while addressing the legitimate security concerns of Israel. We support the Palestinian Authority in their desire to return to their crossings”. (F.B./transl.jl)