More boggling.
Humanitarian Aid Flows into Gaza, Missiles and Mortars Fly Out
by Hana Levi Julian
(IsraelNN.com) Even as Palestinian Authority terrorists continue to launch mortar and missile attacks at Israel, Jerusalem has given the go-ahead to open crossings into Gaza so trucks can deliver medical and other supplies to the region.
For the second time in three days, truckloads of humanitarian aid made their way from Israel into Gaza through the Sufa Crossing.
In addition, Israeli officials approved passage through the Kerem Shalom Crossing. It is the first time the terminal has been open since a spate of terror alerts seven weeks ago prompted the IDF to close the crossing.
Early Tuesday morning, 80 trucks rumbled through the two terminals and into southern Gaza carrying medications and other medical supplies.
Sixty of the trucks passed through the Sufa Crossing with supplies donated by Jordan and Turkey. Two days earlier, Israel sent 62 trucks loaded with cases of fresh units of blood as well as basic food stuffs such as flour, sugar, salt and oil.
Twenty more trucks laden with other humanitarian supplies drove through the Kerem Shalom Crossing.
The decision by Major-General Yosef Mishlav, Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories, to open the crossings for delivery of supplies into Gaza came after a request by PA Health Minister Fathi Abu Mogli. According to a report by The Jerusalem Post, the PA official specifically requested supplies from Israel’s Teva Pharmaceuticals firm.
Hospitals in Gaza have complained they are overloaded with people wounded in clashes between PA terrorists and IDF forces, seriously taxing doctors’ ability to treat those who arrive in their emergency rooms.
Egypt opened its border at the Rafiah crossing Sunday to allow 150-200 sick and wounded Gaza residents to enter the country for medical care.
On Monday, two Israeli hospitals accepted seriously ill patients and wounded Gaza residents for advanced treatment as well.
http://www.israelnationalnews.com/News/News.aspx/125459
Meanwhile, in the rainbows and colored balloons world of Condi and the State Department —
Rice to focus on Gaza-Egypt border-—Peace Still Possible in 2008
Jerusalem Post ^ | 3-4-08
Posted on 03/04/2008 7:01:05 AM CST by SJackson
Rice to focus on Gaza-Egypt border
The Palestinian Authority is expecting US Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice to provide it with a “face-saving device” that will allow it to return to negotiations with Israel, according to assessments in Jerusalem on the eve of Rice’s visit.
US Secretary of State Rice to visit the region
Rice is scheduled to arrive at noon Tuesday, after spending some five hours in Egypt. The prevalent feeling in Jerusalem is that despite the recent flare-up in Gaza, her discussions in Cairo will focus on securing an agreement between Egypt, the Palestinian Authority and Hamas regarding the border situation. Such an agreement, according to this assessment, would be the incentive to get the Palestinian Authority back to the negotiating table.
PA President Mahmoud Abbas suspended talks with Israel on Sunday because of the fighting in the Gaza Strip.
According to official assessments in Jerusalem, the PA does not want to call off the negotiations, if for no other reason than continuing talks is the only card it holds.
“Without the negotiations, the Palestinian Authority doesn’t have anything,” one senior government official said. “The fact is that the international community pledged billions of dollars to them in Paris because of [the PA’s] commitment to Annapolis and negotiations. If they stop the negotiations, they will lose that international support, and without that, they have nothing - they don’t have Gaza, and they barely have control of the West Bank.”
According to this official, the IDF’s surprise pullout from Gaza on Monday was timed to coincide with Rice’s visit, in order to give her an opportunity to try to work out some kind of border agreement.
When Rice’s visit was first planned several weeks ago, it was expected to focus on two main issues: coming up with some kind of security regimen on the Gaza-Egypt border following the breach there in January, and pushing the diplomatic process with the Palestinians forward.
The intensified fighting in Gaza, however, threatened to change the focus of her talks completely.
“The fact that we stopped the military action allows her to go back to the original aims, to address an agreement on Rafah,” the official said.
Foreign Minister Tzipi Livni, at a meeting with the foreign diplomatic corps in Jerusalem Monday, stressed that the IDF leaving Gaza Monday morning did not mean that Israel’s actions there were over.
[it’s a long article — more at link....]
http://www.freerepublic.com/focus/f-news/1980098/posts