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Israel today confirmed it plans to ease the blockade on Gaza, but MEPs and campaigners are not impressed. They are calling on Europe and the US to push the Israeli government to end the blockade once and for all.
After weeks of international pressure after its bloody raid on an aid convoy to Gaza last month, Israel today said it intends to allow more "civilian goods" to enter the Palestinian territory.
EU foreign policy chief Catherine Ashton expressed "great interest" in the Israeli announcement, but said she wanted more details of what "easing" meant in practice.
MEPs took a stronger stance, passing a resolution today demanding an immediate end to the Gaza blockade.
Irish MEP and head of the EU delegation to the Palestinian territories Proinsias de Rossa told Euranet that the easing of the blockade would not serve to improve the humanitarian situation in Gaza.
He called on the EU and the US to keep up the pressure on Israel, noting that: "In order for this pressure to be exerted we need unanimity among the ministers of foreign affairs here in Europe."
The European Parliament bill also calls on Ms Ashton to submit a plan for ending the blockade to the Middle East Quartet and for EU policy on the Middle East to become "more decisive".
Ms Ashton will meet EU Middle East experts tomorrow to thrash out ways to encourage the peace process. She is also pushing an proposal to discussed by EU foreign ministers on Monday for the bloc to help monitor border crossings to Gaza to reassure Israel that no weapons would be smuggled into the area.
