Besieged Gazans Forced To Freely Import, Export Tons Of Goods

In addition to the trade restrictions, Israel also allows humanitarian medical cases in for treatment, a policy that Gaza leaders say is oppressive.

Gaza City, January 17 – Businessmen and growers in the Gaza Strip are complaining that Israel’s blockade of the coastal territory has become so bad, they are forced to import and export thousands of tons of goods via Israel with barely any restrictions, trade representatives said today.

A spokesman for the Gaza Chamber of Commerce told reporters that the siege, which Israel imposed after Hamas took over the territory via a violent coup in 2007, gives Gaza residents no choice but to sell their flowers, produce, and consumer goods to such places as the West Bank and Europe, which they used to do before the blockade was imposed, as well.

“It is stifling us,” said Ayman Idyit. “We used to be able to send our strawberries to the West Bank through one of the crossings into Israel. Now we’re forced to sell hundreds of tons of them instead to the West Bank through one of the crossings into Israel. The international community has been silent on this, and it’s unconscionable.”

Idyit also cited statistics demonstrating the effects of the siege on imports to Gaza. “Thousands of apartments were just built here, in a project sponsored by the government of Qatar,” he explained. “Without the Israeli siege, they would have brought in the building materials – concrete, steel, tiles, whatever – via the Kerem Shalom crossing from Israel, by the truckload. What they actually did was bring in truckloads of the stuff via the Kerem Shalom crossing instead, which, as you can imagine, caused all sorts of problems.”

In addition to the trade restrictions, Israel also allows humanitarian medical cases in for treatment, a policy that Gaza leaders say is oppressive. “They only allow people who need Israel’s superior medical services to receive them,” lamented Minister of Health Imyun Nalji. “That amounts to hundreds of cases every year of Gaza residents receiving care they cannot receive locally – and we are made to witness this cruelty.”

Israel claims its restrictions on imports are meant to prevent Hamas and other violent groups from obtaining or manufacturing rockets and other arms to be used against Israel. The restrictions target so-called dual-use items, which can have either a civilian or military application. Because of the restrictions, Gazans have resorted to importing all the goods and materials they need, a situation that Hamas finds unacceptable.

“The current situation is untenable,” said Ministry of Agriculture representative Faira Qassam. “Being forced to live like human beings, allowed to import and export only everything we need or want with a few limited exceptions – this is the stuff of nightmares. I foresee it is only a limited time before the people of this land rise up again and fight the occupier.”