Israel's Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (R)
shakes hands with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during their meeting
in Jerusalem January 27, 2008, in this picture released by the Israeli
Government Press Office (GPO).(Xinhua/Reuters Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
JERUSALEM, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Israeli Prime Minister
Ehud Olmert told Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas during their meeting on
Sunday that Israel will resume the flow of humanitarian aid and fuel supplies to
the Gaza Strip.
During a two-hour tete-a-tete meeting with Abbas that
focused on the Gaza Strip border crisis at his official residence in Jerusalem,
Olmert pledged that Israel would not disrupt the supply of food and medicine
into the Gaza Strip, local Ha'aretz said.
Abbas, for his part, demanded that Israel take steps
to minimize the civilian population's hardship in the coastal enclave.
Following the meeting between Olmert and Abbas, Israeli Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni and head of the Palestinian negotiations team, Ahmed Qureia, began their talks.
Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (L) meets with Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas (R) in Jerusalem against the backdrop of Gaza-Egypt border breaching on Jan. 27, 2008. (Xinhua Photo) Photo Gallery>>>
David Baker, a spokesman for the Prime Minister's
Office, was quoted by local Ynet website as saying that Olmert and Abbas did not
discuss the issue of Rafah crossing at the Gaza-Egypt border to great length,
since Abbas is scheduled to meet Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak on Wednesday
and discuss the matter.
Earlier on Sunday, Israel announced that it will
resume fuel shipments to Gaza, but saying that "should the rocket fire
continues, we will consider limiting the supplies again."
Nearly two weeks ago, Israeli government ordered to
seal all the border crossings leading to the Gaza Strip as a retaliation for
dozens of Qassam rockets and mortar shells fired by Gaza's militants at Sderot
and rural communities in the western Negev. Since the closure, Gaza fuel supply
has reached critical levels.
Hundreds of thousands of Palestinians flocked into
the Sinai Peninsula last week to stock up on food and fuel in short supply after
the Gaza-Egypt border fence was partially destroyed by militants.
CAIRO, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- An Egyptian charity body has
sent a convoy of some 50 tons of food and medicine to the Palestinians suffering
a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip, the official MENA news agency reported
on Sunday.
The food and medicine would be distributed among the
people in Gaza to help them face Israel's policy of blockade, deputy board
chairman of the Abul-Enein Charity Somaya Abul-Enein was quoted as saying.
Full story
CAIRO, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian Foreign Minister Ahmed
Abul Gheit said on Sunday his country will take all necessary measures to
control the Egypt-Gaza border, the official MENA news agency reported.
Abul Gheit made the remarks during talks with
visiting interim Palestinian Prime Minister Salam Fayyad and Acting Foreign
Minister Riyadh al-Maliki, Egyptian Foreign Ministry spokesman Hossam Zaki was
quoted as saying. Full story
GAZA, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Egyptian security forces sealed
off roads to al-Arish town, about 30 miles southwest of Gaza Strip, before
hundreds of thousands of Palestinians who crossed the borders for shopping,
witnesses said.
On Jan. 23, militants from Hamas, which rules Gaza,
blew up the borders between Gaza and Egypt in southern Gaza Strip town of Rafah
after Israeli closure on the impoverished Strip, dating back to last June, badly
affected the well-being of the Palestinians. Full story
JERUSALEM, Jan. 27 (Xinhua) -- Israel decided to resume
fuel shipments to the Gaza Strip on Sunday in response to a petition filed by
human rights groups with the country's High Court of Justice against the ongoing
Gaza siege, local media reported.
According to a Jerusalem Post report, the amount of
fuel supply by Israel will henceforth be in accordance to what was demanded by
the High Court, which is 2.2 million liters per week. Full story
