Press Center | Freight Shipping Logistics News
Jul 7, 2010
General
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Although almost all civilian goods are now allowed into the impoverished territory, where a majority of the 1.5 million population relies on foreign aid, the new regulations do not allow exports from Gaza.
JERUSALEM, July 7, 2010 - Israel said on Wednesday that its moves to ease its blockade on Gaza do not include relaxing regulations on Palestinians looking to travel out of the enclave, court documents showed.
The new rules governing Israel's four-year-old blockade "did not say anything about expanding the current policy," which only allows for travel out of Gaza "in humanitarian cases," the defence ministry said in a statement to the Supreme Court.
"To be clear: this decision does nothing to expand the criteria, and it certainly does not permit passage for purposes of master's degree studies."
The statement was submitted in response to a petition filed on behalf of human rights lawyer Fatma Sharif, 29, who has been prevented from leaving Gaza to further her studies in the West Bank.
"There will be no real improvement in Gaza until all persons -- including students, families, workers and patients -- are able to travel freely," said Heger Nomi, a lawyer working for the Israeli human rights group Gisha, which filed the petition.
Israel gave the go-ahead on Monday for the international community to import construction materials into the Hamas-run Gaza Strip provided it supervises the projects for which they are used.
The move followed intense international pressure after a deadly Israeli raid on a fleet of ships trying to deliver aid to the beleaguered territory.
The blanket ban on importing building materials has meant there has been very little reconstruction in Gaza since Israel's devastating 22-day offensive, which ended in January 2009.
Although almost all civilian goods are now allowed into the impoverished territory, where a majority of the 1.5 million population relies on foreign aid, the new regulations do not allow exports from Gaza.
The new rules governing Israel's four-year-old blockade "did not say anything about expanding the current policy," which only allows for travel out of Gaza "in humanitarian cases," the defence ministry said in a statement to the Supreme Court.
"To be clear: this decision does nothing to expand the criteria, and it certainly does not permit passage for purposes of master's degree studies."
The statement was submitted in response to a petition filed on behalf of human rights lawyer Fatma Sharif, 29, who has been prevented from leaving Gaza to further her studies in the West Bank.
"There will be no real improvement in Gaza until all persons -- including students, families, workers and patients -- are able to travel freely," said Heger Nomi, a lawyer working for the Israeli human rights group Gisha, which filed the petition.
Israel gave the go-ahead on Monday for the international community to import construction materials into the Hamas-run Gaza Strip provided it supervises the projects for which they are used.
The move followed intense international pressure after a deadly Israeli raid on a fleet of ships trying to deliver aid to the beleaguered territory.
The blanket ban on importing building materials has meant there has been very little reconstruction in Gaza since Israel's devastating 22-day offensive, which ended in January 2009.
Although almost all civilian goods are now allowed into the impoverished territory, where a majority of the 1.5 million population relies on foreign aid, the new regulations do not allow exports from Gaza.
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