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'Easing' Gaza blockade not enough

Last week, the Israel cabinet announced an “easing” of the blockade, allowing more of what it terms "civilian goods" to get in Gaza. This is certainly positive news for the people of Gaza, 80% of who are dependent on international aid. It should however not be pretext to relaxing pressure on Israel until the blockade is fully lifted. During this past week the EU Council, High Representative and EU Parliament have all called for a firm position and concrete steps to lift the Gaza blockade: A momentum on which to build for putting an end to Gaza’s dangerous isolation and achieving tangible progress for peace in the region.

SOLIDAR members have worked in the Gaza strip since 1987 and witnessed the dramatic effects of the blockade. The current Israeli restrictions prevent the movement of Palestinians through the crossing points from Gaza into Israel in all but a handful of cases, generally in exceptional humanitarian cases. This closure makes it extremely difficult for Palestinians in Gaza to exit even to receive necessary medical treatment and virtually impossible to leave for reasons such as visiting close family members or taking up university places and jobs.  Banning the vast majority of exports, raw materials and the movement of people has destroyed the economy of Gaza, and pushed its population into unemployment, poverty and dependency on aid agencies for survival. These problems will not be solved until the blockade is broken.