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Egypt agrees to end its part in the Gaza blockade
http://www.theaustralian.com.au/news...-1225877644373
US Vice-President Joe Biden and Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak agreed at a meeting in Egypt yesterday that the siege of Gaza imposed by Egypt should be lifted in stages, according to senior Egyptian political sources.
The two reportedly agreed European inspectors should be posted at the crossing points into the Gaza Strip to prevent the inflow of arms, while enabling an increased flow of civilian goods.
The proposals come amid a flurry of suggestions from Europe and Israel itself for easing conditions for the 1.5 million Palestinians living in Gaza. Last week's fatal Israeli interdiction of a Gaza-bound humanitarian convoy has aroused fears on all sides that similar or worse encounters might follow if the siege remains in place.
The Daily Telegraph in London reported yesterday that Israel has indicated willingness to ease its blockade in exchange for the UN dropping its call for an international investigation of the seaborne raid that led to the deaths of nine civilians, almost all Turkish. Israeli officials, expressing readiness to permit substantially more aid to flow into Gaza, deny any connection to the UN call. Israel plans to hold its own inquiry with the participation of foreign observers, a move welcomed by the US and other Western countries.
The two reportedly agreed European inspectors should be posted at the crossing points into the Gaza Strip to prevent the inflow of arms, while enabling an increased flow of civilian goods.
The proposals come amid a flurry of suggestions from Europe and Israel itself for easing conditions for the 1.5 million Palestinians living in Gaza. Last week's fatal Israeli interdiction of a Gaza-bound humanitarian convoy has aroused fears on all sides that similar or worse encounters might follow if the siege remains in place.
The Daily Telegraph in London reported yesterday that Israel has indicated willingness to ease its blockade in exchange for the UN dropping its call for an international investigation of the seaborne raid that led to the deaths of nine civilians, almost all Turkish. Israeli officials, expressing readiness to permit substantially more aid to flow into Gaza, deny any connection to the UN call. Israel plans to hold its own inquiry with the participation of foreign observers, a move welcomed by the US and other Western countries.
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