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| By: Associated Press |
| Published: February 6, 2006 |
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Israel on Sunday reopened a key cargo crossing with the Gaza Strip whose closure more than three weeks ago left Gaza store shelves empty and hurt the local economy.
Most cargo entering or exiting Gaza goes through the Karni crossing, located on Israel's southern border. Israel closed the passage on Jan. 14 after receiving a warning that militants were planning to attack the crossing.
Palestinian officials estimated that the Gaza economy suffered $30 million in damage, mostly from 135 tons of fruits and vegetables that spoiled as they waited to cross to be shipped to Israeli and European markets.
Much of the produce had been grown in greenhouses that an international foundation bought from Jewish settlers and turned over to Palestinians after Israel's withdrawal from the Gaza Strip last September. The agreement was spearheaded by international Mideast mediator James Wolfensohn.
The closure also prevented many Israeli dairy products, like milk and cheese, from reaching Gaza stores.
The Israeli army said that the crossing was closed because the military believed that Palestinian militants had dug a tunnel under Karni to carry out a bombing.
Palestinian security officials said they found the beginning of a tunnel on their side of Karni when the crossing was first closed, but nothing else was discovered.
The Palestinians rejected an Israeli offer to let the goods be passed through an alternative crossing, the Israeli army said. The Palestinians say they prefer that the goods are passed through Karni - which is joint controlled - and do not want to set a precedent by having them go through the alternative Kerem Shalom crossing, which is controlled solely by Israel. |
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