The Karni cargo crossing between Israel and Gaza briefly reopened yesterday, but was shut down again 30-40 minutes later due to new warnings of planned attacks on the terminal.
Karni, which is Gaza's main cargo crossing, has been shut down for much of the past three months due to repeated warnings of planned attacks by Palestinian groups. However, following an Israeli-Palestinian meeting on Sunday hosted by U.S. Ambassador to Israel Richard Jones, Acting Prime Minister Ehud Olmert acceded to American urgings and agreed to a limited reopening of the crossing today.
The termin al was duly reopened shortly after 2 P.M., but was then closed again shortly before 3 P.M. on orders from the Defense Ministry. According to defense sources, the renewed closure was ordered due to intelligence information about a planned Palestinian attack on Karni that was slated to take place in the immediate future. As of last night, it was not clear when the crossing might reopen.
According to Palestinian sources, some 70 tons of wheat - enough to supply Gaza for about one day - moved through the terminal during the 30-40 minutes it was open.
That, however, is insufficient to alleviate the shortages of flour, sugar and rice that Palestinian and international officials say have resulted from Karni's prolonged closure. According to the Palestinian deputy economy minister, Nasser Sarraj, about 70 percent of Gaza's bakeries have closed due to lack of flour.
The shortages have also caused a sharp rise in prices, and Palestinian and international officials have warned that without prompt measures to alleviate the situation, a severe humanitarian crisis is likely to erupt.
Israel has repeatedly offered to allow cargo through the Kerem Shalom crossing instead; but until Sunday, the Palestinian Authority had refused.
Trucking food
At Sunday's meeting, however, PA officials finally relented, and yesterday, United Nations agencies began trucking food from Ashdod Port through Kerem Shalom, wh ich is located at the point where Israel, Gaza and Egypt meet. Today, additional food is slated to enter Kerem Shalom from Egypt.
However, until various logistical problems are solved, Israeli officials say that only about 15 trucks a day will be able to pass through Kerem Shalom, which is insufficient to solve Gaza's problems. As a result, Olmert also decided to order a limited reopening of Karni.
A senior government source said that Olmert made the decision due to the growing humanitarian crisis in Gaza and the international outrage it was beginning to provoke. However, the official denied that there was any high-level American pressure, saying all contacts on this issue had been handled by Jones.