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Netanyahu likely to allow food shipments into Gaza
By Barak Ravid, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Hamas, Israel News 

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu is expected to promise during his meeting with U.S. President Barack Obama at the White House on Monday that Israel will remove all restrictions to the movement of foodstuffs into the Gaza Strip.

Meanwhile, four senior European Union officials sent a letter to Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Defense Minister Ehud Barak, calling on them to immediately and permanently open the crossings into the Gaza Strip for humanitarian aid.

Several days prior to the end of the Olmert administration, a decision was made to allow food to be delivered to the Gaza Strip without restrictions. The move came despite serious differences between the position of the Foreign and Defense ministries, and a series of embarrassing confrontations between Israel, on the one hand, and the U.S. and the European Union on the other. Even though a decision was made to allow the food to cross into Gaza, the defense establishment has not yet implemented it.
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The issue of humanitarian aid transfers to the Hamas controlled Gaza Strip was one of the issues that the Netanyahu administration sought to resolve prior to the prime minister's visit to the United States. A discussion is scheduled to take place this week and a final decision will be made.

The disagreements between the Foreign and Defense ministries on the subject have gone on unabated, with the Foreign Ministry saying the restrictions on food should be lifted.

Lieberman has reportedly adopted the position of his ministry and will make a case for lifting the restrictions. His office refused to confirm this, insisting that his position will be determined by the recommendation of the defense establishment.

"The Foreign Ministry will present his position during the deliberations. There is a government decision, but there are other considerations and the recommendation of the defense establishment is critical among them," his office said in a statement.

In spite the ambiguity in Lieberman's stance, Netanyahu is inclined to adopt the recommendation of the Foreign Ministry and to order the immediate implementation of the government decision. Netanyahu is keen to present this to Obama as his first gesture of good will toward the Palestinians and that he is keeping up his promises to improve Palestinians' standard of living.

"The Prime Minister's position is favorable," a political source said in Jerusalem. "He is willing to give much greater leeway on humanitarian issues."

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      1.   Food Restrictions 03:34  |  Sick of it 13/05/09
      2.   hamas cant go hungry 03:41  |  vik 13/05/09
      3.   ho can you alow this 03:52  |  miror 13/05/09
      4.   Too little too late 04:28  |  gly 13/05/09
      5.   Awestruck 05:05  |  Monica B. 13/05/09
      6.   This is not normal 05:06  |  Rabbi Yakov Lazaros 13/05/09
      7.   "Indlined"? 05:41  |  Mark Lincoln 13/05/09
      8.   No peace because Israel is soft in the head 06:05  |  MARK KLEIN, M.D. 13/05/09
      9.   Oh the Agony !! Oh the Drama !! 06:08  |  Reader 13/05/09
      10.   Ease Restrictions: Grant Them Citizenship, or Get Out 06:17  |  Reader 13/05/09
      11.   inclined? 06:25  |  MGB 13/05/09
      12.   There is not even bad sense ... 06:47  |  Morris Valentine 13/05/09
      13.   PLAYING GAMES, AGAIN. 06:48  |  Ed 13/05/09
      14.   Food to Gaza 07:11  |  Avinash 13/05/09
      15.   Oh, how moral of them to allow food in. 08:02  |  Hanna 13/05/09
      16.   Beginning of a trend 08:18  |  Colin Wright 13/05/09
      17.   Netanyahu thinks he will buy Obama by allowing food into Gaza? 08:55  |  S 13/05/09
      18.   That record appears to have a bad scratch in it 10:55  |  Johnboy 13/05/09
      19.   A good start! 11:39  |  Manny Goldstein 13/05/09
      20.   REALLY! 11:57  |  Axel 13/05/09
      21.   The Law of Tit for Tat 12:04  |  vrsonti 13/05/09
      22.   Something so basic is news nowadays? 12:41  |  Gray 13/05/09
      23.   Weasel words to remove an obstacle 12:46  |  Chris Linthwaite 13/05/09
      24.   Why did king Hussein of Jordan kill 100,000 Palestinians?? 13:17  |  Haja Mohamadden el B 13/05/09
      25.   to gray 13:29  |  rm 13/05/09
      26.   What a big favour!!! 13:30  |  Uk 13/05/09
      27.   Fruit and veg. 13:48  |  Colin 13/05/09
      28.   Wait until Shalit is released 15:03  |  Realist 13/05/09
      29.   Pasta no longer to be classified as a weapon. 15:53  |  American in NY 13/05/09
      30.   Allowing food into Gaza is not doing America a favor- 15:55  |  American in NY 13/05/09
      31.   #29 American in NY you are correct 16:01  |  Chris Linthwaite 13/05/09
      32.   28 realist 16:50  |  Muskens 13/05/09
      33.   Do you even understand how sick that sounds? 16:56  |  Kathrine Sweiger 13/05/09
      34.   #6 Rabbi 17:45  |  janet 13/05/09
      35.   How merciful 21:57  |  Mohammad 13/05/09
      36.   To #28 "realist" 22:03  |  Mohammad 13/05/09
      37.   GAZA 16:16  |  Kevin 16/05/09
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