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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Egypt, Israel open joint Sinai crossing for Gaza aid delivery |
| 2009-08-17 |
| Ma'an -- Egypt and Israel on Sunday jointly operated the Al-Ouja commercial crossing on the Sinai Peninsula for the first transfer of Gaza food aid donated by Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak's wife, Susan. The Egyptian Red Crescent Society delivered the aid donated by Mrs. Mubarak, which was transferred over on the occasion of the Muslim holy month of Ramadan. The package included amounts of rice and flour, all made scarce by an ongoing Israeli and Egyptian siege. Twenty trucks carrying 420 tons of sugar were allowed in, as well. The Al-Ouja crossing with Israel permits goods shipments from either side ever since an agreement known as the Qualified Industrial Zones was signed in 2004 with US backing. It was an American effort to encourage Arab countries to normalize relations with Israel, starting with Egypt and Jordan. Meanwhile, the director of a Saudi-based organization called the Custodian of the Two Holy Shrines Campaign told Ma'an it had donated 11 ambulances and seven trucks loaded with medicine and medical equipment. All that aid entered through the Gaza crossings, according to the director, Sa'd Mhana Al-Suade. He added that more food would cross over through the Al-Ouja crossing in the coming days. Last week, authorities opened Al-Ouja to deliver a half-million bottles of mineral water to Gaza, an Egyptian official said. Another 500,000 bottles were supposed to have been sent last Wednesday or Thursday. The Al-Ouja crossing is about 4.5 kilometers from Rafah, but delays have prevented aid from entering Gaza from there in the past. |
| Posted by:Fred |