RAMALLAH: US and Israeli sources yesterday said that the Obama administration has stepped up pressure on Israel on ending the siege of the Gaza Strip.
The daily Haaretz newspaper quoted the sources as saying that the US administration has sent a diplomatic note officially to Israeli government three weeks ago protesting Gaza policy and demanding a more liberal opening of the border crossings to facilitate reconstruction.
The sources said the note was followed by a verbal communication clarifying that the Obama administration thinks Israel’s linkage of the case of abducted soldier Gilad Shalit and the opening of the crossings was not constructive.
The note was delivered to Israel after a decision by senior US officials including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and special Mideast envoy George Mitchell. The latter discussed the contents of the note during his visit to Israel last week. The diplomatic note was delivered to the Defense Ministry, the Foreign Ministry and the Prime Minister’s Office.
The United Nations and human rights groups have voiced concern about the humanitarian situation in the Gaza Strip and called on Israel to ease its blockade imposed on the coastal enclave following the abduction of Shalit in June 2006.
On Wednesday, more than 40 UN and other humanitarian agencies urged Israel to lift its crippling blockade on Gaza Strip, where a majority of the population is kept alive through foreign aid. Among the signatories were the UN agency for Palestinian refugees UNRWA, Oxfam International and CARE, as well as several dozen smaller organizations.
America’s demands on Israel’s Gaza policy were also raised Wednesday during talks between Clinton and Foreign Minister Avigdor Lieberman, who is on an official visit to Washington.
The note focused on a number of issues that have troubled the US administration regarding Israeli policy toward the Gaza Strip. The note’s central message was that if Israel believes that the Palestinian Authority should be strengthened vis-a-vis Hamas, it must take the necessary steps regarding the Strip.
The first task is to allow food and medicine into the territory. Haaretz quoted a senior political source in Jerusalem as saying that the Americans have noticed some improvement here, but there has been no consistency or transparency on the types of foods permitted in.
