Israel returns Gazan products en route to West bank

Israeli authorities yesterday returned trucks loaded with 14 tonnes of agricultural produce that were on their way from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank hours after its decision to allow them to be exported.

The Director of Marketing and Crossings in the Gaza Ministry of Agriculture Tahseen Al-Sakka said the Israeli authorities prevented the export of agricultural produce, estimated at 14 tonnes, hours after it had agreed to let them into the West Bank.

He told the Anadolu news agency: “We were told that trucks loaded with agricultural produce were returned by the Israeli authorities without providing any reason for that.”

Seven tonnes of potatoes and seven tonnes of red dates were due to be delivered to the West Bank.

The official added that the goods being exported do not account for more than two per cent of the overall produce of the Strip, stressing that “the renaissance of Gaza’s economy depends returning exports to the level they had reached in previous years”.

Since 2007, after Israel imposed a tight siege on the Gaza Strip, the export of any agricultural produce to the West Bank was prevented. Israel only allowed limited quantities of goods to be exported to European markets.