Israel to reopen Gaza goods crossing if calm maintained

Israel will reopen its only goods crossing with the blockaded Gaza Strip tomorrow if calm is maintained after having closed it on July 9 partly over kites carrying firebombs.

“If today and tomorrow the situation continues as it was yesterday, then on Tuesday we will allow Kerem Shalom to return to normal activity and the fishing zones will return to the same distances as before,” Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman said yesterday, referring to the name of the crossing.

However, Mr Lieberman stressed that calm also meant an end to months of kites and ­balloons carrying firebombs over the border fence from the Palestinian enclave run by Islamist movement Hamas to burn Israeli farmland.

Israeli authorities say hundreds of fires have been started by the firebombs since April. Mr Lieberman’s comments came after a ceasefire was reached following a flare-up of violence between Palestinian militants in Gaza and Israel on Friday.

Read the report in The Australian (AFP).