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.
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.
Israel's Prime Minister
Ehud Olmert (R) stands across from Palestinian President Mahmoud
Abbas during their meeting in Jerusalem January 27, 2008, in this
picture released by the Israeli Government Press Office
(GPO).?
Following the meeting between Olmert and Abbas, Israeli Foreign
Minister Tzipi Livni and head of the Palestinian negotiations team,
Ahmed Qureia, began their talks.
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.
(Xinhua News Agency January 28, 2008)
