Israeli Prime Minister, Benjamin Netanyahu, said during a meeting with the editors-in-chief of major Israeli newspapers that building a seaport for Gaza would pose ‘a threat’ to Israel and he would not allow this to happen.
Netanyahu emphasized that, “We would not allow a Hamas-controlled seaport to operate in Gaza.” He further claimed that Egypt refuses to open the Rafah Crossing “because it is operated by Hamas.”
Israel opens Erez crossing to trade with Gaza after nine years https://t.co/RKANq9dhiw
— FrontlineDefense (@DefenseJPC) July 14, 2016
Netanyahu admitted that the economic and humanitarian conditions in the Gaza Strip are terrible adding that he “pushed to allow more basic materials into Gaza to improve” the situation.
He claimed that this decision was meant to ease some of the restrictions imposed on Gaza “within a year” and had ordered materials to be allowed into the enclave through the Erez Crossing in addition to Kirim Shalom.
(PC, SAMA)
