Israel permits Gazan exports to West Bank

Israel has allowed a shipment of foodstuffs to be exported from Gaza  to West Bank schools, Haaretz reports. This is the first time since the 2007 coup that brought Hamas to power in Gaza that Israel has allowed the sale of Gazan goods to Israel or the West Bank; the move is part of a program sponsored by the UN World Food Programme.

According to an Israeli military official quoted in Ynet News, a permit was granted for two trucks of date bars to be sent in a “one-off, pilot program, not a renewal of free exports from Gaza.” Other sources reported that the permit granted 13 truckloads of food to be exported in total.

According to Gisha, an Israeli NGO working for freedom of movement for Palestinians in Gaza, before 2007, 85 percent of Gazan exports headed to Israel or the West Bank. The group’s website states that due to Israeli restrictions more than 80% of Gazan factories are currently idle or are working at less than 50% capacity.

Since the start of this year, an average of two truckloads of export goods are allowed each day from Gaza, but these are destined for foreign markets and are heavily subsidized by the EU.