- Dec 29, 2008
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Israel has no intention of reopening its two crossings into Gaza after the war, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen told reporters, in a statement that appeared to run contrary to the international desire to eventually unite the territory with Palestinian areas of the West Bank.
“The understanding in Israel is that there will be no more contact between Israel and Gaza,” Cohen told reporters in a briefing on Monday.
“The District Coordination and Liaison Office can become a museum,” he said.
There “won’t be a connection of goods and there won’t be a connection of people, including workers,” he stated.
His words referenced two crossing that have been the sole passageways between Israel and Gaza since the IDF withdrew from the coastal enclave in 2005.
The crossing at Kerem Shalom is the major commercial passageway for goods to enter and exit Gaza and the one at Erez is for pedestrian passage.
Egypt controls the the third land crossing at Rafah, but it is not designed for heavy commercial use.
Israel closed Kerem Shalom and Erez after the October 7 attack in which Hamas infiltrated southern Israel killing over 1,200 people and seizing over 239 hostage.
It has insisted that it will not reopen them until the hostages are released. An ad-hoc system has developed to allow for limited humanitarian aid to reach the coastal enclave through Rafah.
Cohen’s statement to reporters were among the first indication that Israel did not plan to reopen those passages even once the hostages were released.
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So ends the fantasy about a Palestinian state that includes Judea, Samaria and Gaza living in peace with Israel.
“The understanding in Israel is that there will be no more contact between Israel and Gaza,” Cohen told reporters in a briefing on Monday.
“The District Coordination and Liaison Office can become a museum,” he said.
There “won’t be a connection of goods and there won’t be a connection of people, including workers,” he stated.
His words referenced two crossing that have been the sole passageways between Israel and Gaza since the IDF withdrew from the coastal enclave in 2005.
The crossing at Kerem Shalom is the major commercial passageway for goods to enter and exit Gaza and the one at Erez is for pedestrian passage.
Egypt controls the the third land crossing at Rafah, but it is not designed for heavy commercial use.
Israel closed Kerem Shalom and Erez after the October 7 attack in which Hamas infiltrated southern Israel killing over 1,200 people and seizing over 239 hostage.
It has insisted that it will not reopen them until the hostages are released. An ad-hoc system has developed to allow for limited humanitarian aid to reach the coastal enclave through Rafah.
Cohen’s statement to reporters were among the first indication that Israel did not plan to reopen those passages even once the hostages were released.
Israel FM: Israel won’t reopen its two Gaza crossings after war
Israel closed Kerem Shalom and Erez after the October 7 attack in which Hamas infiltrated southern Israel. Eli Cohen's words are the first indication that Israel will never reopen them.
So ends the fantasy about a Palestinian state that includes Judea, Samaria and Gaza living in peace with Israel.
