Israel has asked Cyprus to examine the possibility of establishing a shipping point on the island for sending goods to the Gaza Strip, a Cypriot government spokesman said on Tuesday.

ATHENS/JERUSALEM: Israel has asked Cyprus to examine the possibility of establishing a shipping point on the island for sending goods to the Gaza Strip, a Cypriot government spokesman said on Tuesday.

Goods shipped by sea usually come to an Israeli port and are transferred to Gaza over land. Israel enforces a maritime blockade on Gaza, which it says is meant to prevent weapons from reaching the territory ruled by the Islamist militant group Hamas.

Both Egypt and Israel restrict movement across Gaza's land borders as well. The United Nations has called for a freer flow of goods into Gaza, where most Palestinians live in poverty.

The idea of setting up a facility in Cyprus has been floated for years, and Israel recently made a request to explore the issue, according to Cypriot government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou.

"It is an old issue which is now being re-discussed," Prodromou told Reuters.

"There will be contacts between the government and all interested parties in the region and, possibly, a decision will be taken. At the moment no decision has been taken. The request is being examined, it hasn't been rejected," he said.

Prodromou did not say when the request was made, but Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman visited Nicosia last week.

An Israeli news report late on Monday said Lieberman had reached an understanding with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades to pursue the seaport plan.

Lieberman's office, in response to the report, said that Israel is working with international players in a number of ways to try to "change the reality in Gaza", but that any move to improve the humanitarian situation depends on the return of Israelis who are missing or being held prisoner in Gaza.

"Beyond that we cannot relate to the details," it said in a statement.

Israel has demanded the return of two Israeli civilians who it says crossed into Gaza and are being held by Hamas, as well as the bodies of two soldiers who were killed in a 2014 war. Hamas says it is holding them but does not give any details.

Hamas officials declined to comment on the seaport plan.

At least one Israeli cabinet minister, Yuval Steinitz, has been promoting the Cyprus seaport idea as a way to create a conduit into Gaza that does not go through Israel. Another Israeli cabinet minister has raised the idea of building an artificial island off the Gaza coast, a much larger project.

Security checks at the piers, however, would have to be handled by Israel together with an international group, like the United Nations, Steinitz said in an interview with Reuters earlier this month. </s> Israel has asked Cyprus to examine the possibility of establishing a shipping point on the island for sending goods to the Gaza Strip, a Cypriot government spokesman said on Tuesday.

Goods shipped by sea usually come to an Israeli port and are transferred to Gaza over land. Israel enforces a maritime blockade on Gaza, which it says is meant to prevent weapons from reaching the territory ruled by the Islamist militant group Hamas.

Both Egypt and Israel restrict movement across Gaza’s land borders as well. The United Nations has called for a freer flow of goods into Gaza, where most Palestinians live in poverty.

The idea of setting up a facility in Cyprus has been floated for years, and Israel recently made a request to explore the issue, according to Cypriot government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou.

“It is an old issue which is now being re-discussed,” Prodromou said. “There will be contacts between the government and all interested parties in the region and, possibly, a decision will be taken. At the moment no decision has been taken. The request is being examined, it hasn’t been rejected,” he said.

Prodromou did not say when the request was made, but Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman visited Nicosia last week. An Israeli news report late on Monday said Lieberman had reached an understanding with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades to pursue the seaport plan.

Lieberman’s office, in response to the report, said that Israel is working with international players in a number of ways to try to “change the reality in Gaza”, but that any move to improve the humanitarian situation depends on the return of Israelis who are missing or being held prisoner in Gaza. “Beyond that we cannot relate to the details,” it said in a statement.

Israel has demanded the return of two Israeli civilians who it says crossed into Gaza and are being held by Hamas, as well as the bodies of two soldiers who were killed in a 2014 war. Hamas says it is holding them but does not give any details. Hamas officials declined to comment on the seaport plan.

At least one Israeli cabinet minister, Yuval Steinitz, has been promoting the Cyprus seaport idea as a way to create a conduit into Gaza that does not go through Israel. Another Israeli cabinet minister has raised the idea of building an artificial island off the Gaza coast, a much larger project.

Security checks at the piers, however, would have to be handled by Israel together with an international group, like the United Nations, Steinitz said in an interview with Reuters earlier this month

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App </s> Tel Aviv has discussed the establishment of a seaport for the Gaza Strip in Cyprus, Israeli media reports. Israel’s proposal, now being considered by Nicosia, comes after it has actually maintained a blockade of Gaza for years.

The alleged ‘goodwill’ initiative is, however, far from being without conditions. The establishment of a port would take place only if the Hamas militant group, which controls Gaza, releases Israeli civilians and returns the remains of Israeli soldiers.

According to Israeli media, the proposal is indeed conditional on the release of the Israeli civilian captives held by Hamas since 2014 and 2015 as well as on the return of the bodies of two Israeli soldiers, killed in 2014 during Operation Protective Edge.

The proposal itself reportedly involves setting up a floating dock or even building a separate pier in Cyprus, designed to receive cargo from vessels carrying goods destined for Gaza and then shipping them to the blockaded Palestinian enclave.

The goods are expected to be delivered from Cyprus to Gaza by ferry, as it lacks facilities to receive cargo ships.

All goods delivered to Cyprus would still be checked by the Israelis as part of a special monitoring mechanism, designed to prevent weapons-smuggling into the territory controlled by the Hamas militant group.

It is Israel that is actually behind the Gaza blockade. Citing the need to prevent arms-smuggling by Hamas, Tel Aviv has severely limited the inflow of necessary goods to the Palestinian enclave.

In the meantime, numerous media reports, including ones published by Israeli media, warned that the situation in Gaza is rapidly deteriorating, with nearly all the drinking water sources in the area contaminated and the water crisis worsening.

The Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman advanced the ‘port for Gaza’ proposal to the Cypriot authorities on his trip to the island last weekend, Israeli media reported on Monday. The plan was agreed between Liberman and his Cypriot counterpart, Savvas Angelides, on Friday, the Israeli Channel 2 reported.

The plan was also then presented to the Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, according to the Hadashot TV report. The Cypriot authorities have confirmed that Israel has addressed them with this proposal, adding that no decision has yet been taken on the matter.

“It is an old issue which is now being re-discussed,” the Cypriot government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou told Reuters, referring to the fact that the idea of establishing a port for Gaza in Cyprus has actually been floated for years.

The Israeli authorities have not yet confirmed any concrete details relating to the proposal.

The Israeli Defense Ministry said in a statement:

Israeli media reported that a detailed working plan of the port establishment would be put together over the next three months and would be then presented “directly” to the Gaza people.

Nowadays, Israel controls two land crossings into Gaza, with Egypt controlling the third one. Most commercial and humanitarian goods destined for Gaza are now transferred through one of the Israeli crossings.

Goods that arrive by sea are unloaded at an Israeli port and are then transported to Gaza by trucks after being monitored by Israel.

The supposed ‘goodwill’ initiative comes after the Israeli authorities unleashed a violent crackdown on Palestinians taking part in the protests at the Gaza Strip dubbed the Great Return March. More than 130 Palestinian protesters have been killed by the Israeli military and over 13,000 have been injured since the start of the protests.

Meanwhile, Israel has also actually limited the entry of some goods to Gaza, which are considered to be vital to local hospitals.

On June 15, Tel Aviv particularly limited the entry of helium gas to the Palestinian enclave, arguing that it had been used in attacks against Israel. It also threatened to completely halt the deliveries of the gas, which is vital for medical purposes, to Gaza if the attacks do not stop. </s> Cyprus is weighing up an Israeli request to process Gaza bound goods, either through the use of an existing port or the construction of a special pier, Cypriot officials said on Tuesday.



The idea of setting up a facility in Cyprus has been floated for years, and Israel recently made a request to explore the issue, Cypriot government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou told Reuters.





“It is an old issue which is now being re-discussed,” Prodromou said. “There will be contacts between the government and all interested parties in the region and, possibly, a decision will be taken. At the moment no decision has been taken. The request is being examined, it hasn’t been rejected.”He spoke just one day after Channel 2 reported that Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman had reached an initial agreement with Cyprus on such a plan, when he visited the country over the weekend.Cypriot Ambassador Thessalia-Salina Shambos cautioned that such an idea was still in its infancy and that no agreement had been reached on the matter.“We are not there yet,” Shambos told The Jerusalem Post.Any such plan, she added, would need additional agreements from other parties, such as Egypt, the Palestinian Authority and the United Nations.“We are always ready to assist as a neighboring state that has excellent relations in the region. There are some ideas that have been floated but, of course, in order for them to be matured they require the consent or the agreement and cooperation of all stake holders,” Shambos said.At present, Gaza bound goods that arrive by sea, stop first in Israel ports. They are then trucked to the Kerem Shalom crossing into Gaza.The existing Gaza port is not large enough to handle cargo ships, and the international community is fearful about enlarging it until it can be assured that it will no be bombed in any future conflict between Israel and Hamas.Israel also maintains a naval and aerial blockade of Gaza. It also places security and other restricts on the entry of goods to Gaza though the Kerem Shalom commercial crossing.Israeli officials have drawn up plans for alternative passage of Gaza goods by sea, which would be in line with both Gaza’s needs and Israel’s security interests.Liberman has conditioned the idea of a Gaza bound Cyprus landing for goods on an agreement that would ensure that Hamas returns the remains of two Israeli soldiers and releases the three Israeli civilians held captive in Gaza.Any Cyprus idea would involve an Israeli monitoring system to ensure that weapons were not smuggled into Gaza.The story of a possible Cyprus port for Gaza’s goods was released amid intense efforts to alleviate humanitarian suffering in the Strip, whose two million Palestinian residents live on just four hours of electricity a day.The Trump Administration is working on a Gaza plan and its envoys Jared Kushner and Jason Greenblatt were in the region this last week and over the weekend to meet with Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu.Separately, UN Special Envoy to the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov met with Netanyahu on Tuesday to push for an immediate humanitarian plan for Gaza.The issue of a Gaza port or the Cyprus plan was not raised as Mladenov is looking for a solution that is much more immediate.The UN envoy has held an intense series of regional and international meetings in the last months.He met with Netanyahu as part of his ongoing efforts to support unity between the West Bank and Gaza, avoid another Hamas-Israel war, and to alleviate the humanitarian suffering in Gaza.To that end, he has sought international funding and agreements from Israel and the PA to help facilitate needed projects by allowing needed material to enter Gaza.Mladenov wants enhanced UN capacity and presence in Gaza to facilitate such projects.He is fully committed to supporting the restoration of the Strip to the full jurisdiction of the PA.Part of his list of priority projects include the upgrading and rebuilding the electricity grid and water infrastructure, including the creation of another water reservoir.In addition, he wants to see job creation, cash programs and monetary credit for existing businesses.At president, Israel supplies 125 kW of Gaza’s electricity, according to the spokesperson for the Office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories.“In January 2018, the PA renewed their payments for the electricity provided to the Gaza Strip by Israel. This step brought an end to a long period of around a year during which the PA reduced these payments,” COGAT said.According to the Israeli NGO Gisha – Legal Center for Freedom of Movement, Egypt also provides 20 MW of electricity, which makes up the 140 MW total that the Strip receives daily. “The amount of 140 MW is enough for approximately four hours of power followed by 12 hours of blackouts,” it said.Reuters contributed to this report. </s> Tel Aviv has discussed the establishment of a seaport for the Gaza Strip in Cyprus, Israeli media reports. Israel’s proposal, now being considered by Nicosia, comes after it has actually maintained a blockade of Gaza for years.

The alleged ‘good will’ initiative is, however, far from being without conditions. The establishment of a port would take place only if the Hamas militant group, which controls Gaza, releases Israeli civilians and returns the remains of IDF soldiers.

According to Israeli media, the proposal is indeed conditional on the release of the Israeli civilian captives held by Hamas since 2014 and 2015 as well as on the return of the bodies of two Israeli soldiers, killed in 2014 during Operation Protective Edge. “We will clearly and openly put the benefits package on the table [and say], ‘This is possible, this is the price. Take it or leave it’,” a senior Israeli defense source told the local Hadashot TV.

The proposal itself reportedly involves setting up a floating dock or even building a separate pier in Cyprus, designed to receive cargo from vessels carrying goods destined for Gaza and then shipping them to the blockaded Palestinian enclave. The goods are expected to be delivered from Cyprus to Gaza by ferry, as it lacks facilities to receive cargo ships.

All goods delivered to Cyprus would still be checked by the Israelis as part of a special monitoring mechanism, designed to prevent weapons-smuggling into the territory controlled by the Hamas militant group.

It is Israel that is actually behind the Gaza blockade. Citing the need to prevent arms-smuggling by Hamas, Tel Aviv has severely limited the inflow of necessary goods to the Palestinian enclave. In the meantime, numerous media reports, including ones published by Israeli media, warned that the situation in Gaza is rapidly deteriorating, with nearly all the drinking water sources in the area contaminated and the water crisis worsening.

The Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman advanced the ‘port for Gaza’ proposal to the Cypriot authorities on his trip to the island last weekend, Israeli media reported on Monday. The plan was agreed between Liberman and his Cypriot counterpart, Savvas Angelides, on Friday, the Israeli Channel 2 reported.

The plan was also then presented to the Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, according to the Hadashot TV report. The Cypriot authorities have confirmed that Israel has addressed them with this proposal, adding that no decision has yet been taken on the matter.

“It is an old issue which is now being re-discussed,” the Cypriot government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou told Reuters, referring to the fact that the idea of establishing a port for Gaza in Cyprus has actually been floated for years.

“There will be contacts between the government and all interested parties in the region and, possibly, a decision will be taken. At the moment no decision has been taken. The request is being examined, it hasn’t been rejected,” he added.

The Israeli authorities have not yet confirmed any concrete details relating to the proposal. “The Minister of Defense and defense establishment, along with members of the international community, are pursuing many efforts to change the reality in the Gaza Strip," the Israeli Defense Ministry said in a statement. “Any idea relating to improving the humanitarian situation that is put on the table is conditioned on a solution to the issue of the hostages and missing persons,” it added.

Israeli media reported that a detailed working plan of the port establishment would be put together over the next three months and would be then presented “directly” to the Gaza people. “As soon as all the details are closed and ‘locked and loaded,’ we will appeal directly to the public in Gaza, going over the heads of Hamas,” a senior defense source told Hadashot TV.

Nowadays, Israel controls two land crossings into Gaza, with Egypt controlling the third one. Most commercial and humanitarian goods destined for Gaza are now transferred through one of the Israeli crossings. Goods that arrive by sea are unloaded at an Israeli port and are then transported to Gaza by trucks after being monitored by Israel.

The supposed ‘good will’ initiative comes after the Israeli authorities unleashed a violent crackdown on Palestinians taking part in the protests at the Gaza Strip dubbed the Great Return March. More than 120 Palestinian protesters have been killed by the Israeli military and 3,800 have been injured over more than two months since the start of the protests.

Meanwhile, Israel has also actually limited the entry of some goods to Gaza, which are considered to be vital to local hospitals. On June 15, Tel Aviv particularly limited the entry of helium gas to the Palestinian enclave, arguing that it had been used in attacks against Israel. It also threatened to completely halt the deliveries of the gas, which is vital for medical purposes, to Gaza if the attacks do not stop. </s> ATHENS/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel has asked Cyprus to examine the possibility of establishing a shipping point on the island for sending goods to the Gaza Strip, a Cypriot government spokesman said on Tuesday.

FILE PHOTO: Palestinian fishermen ride their boats as they return from fishing at the seaport of Gaza City early morning September 26, 2016. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem/File Photo

Goods shipped by sea usually come to an Israeli port and are transferred to Gaza over land. Israel enforces a maritime blockade on Gaza, which it says is meant to prevent weapons from reaching the territory ruled by the Islamist militant group Hamas.

Both Egypt and Israel restrict movement across Gaza’s land borders as well. The United Nations has called for a freer flow of goods into Gaza, where most Palestinians live in poverty.

The idea of setting up a facility in Cyprus has been floated for years, and Israel recently made a request to explore the issue, according to Cypriot government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou.

“It is an old issue which is now being re-discussed,” Prodromou told Reuters.

“There will be contacts between the government and all interested parties in the region and, possibly, a decision will be taken. At the moment no decision has been taken. The request is being examined, it hasn’t been rejected,” he said.

Prodromou did not say when the request was made, but Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman visited Nicosia last week.

An Israeli news report late on Monday said Lieberman had reached an understanding with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades to pursue the port plan.

Lieberman’s office, in response to the report, said that Israel is working internationally in a number of ways to try to “change the reality in Gaza”, but that any move to improve the humanitarian situation depends on the return of Israelis who are missing or being held prisoner in Gaza.

“Beyond that we cannot relate to the details,” it said in a statement.

Israel has demanded the return of two Israeli civilians who it says crossed into Gaza and are being held by Hamas, as well as the bodies of two soldiers who were killed in a 2014 war. Hamas says it is holding them but does not give any details.

Hamas officials declined to comment on the port plan.

At least one Israeli cabinet minister, Yuval Steinitz, has been promoting the Cyprus port idea as a way to create a conduit into Gaza that does not go through Israel. Another Israeli cabinet minister has raised the idea of building an artificial island off the Gaza coast, a much larger project.

“I think that we can combine our security on one hand and open Gaza to the outer world on the other hand,” Steinitz said of the port idea in an interview in Washington.

A port would be a faster solution than an artificial island. Opening a port in Cyprus could take only a few months after getting international approval and could be shut down quickly if somebody abuses it, Steinitz said. Building an artificial island could take 10 years, he said.

Security checks at the piers, however, would have to be handled by Israel together with an international group such as the United Nations, Steinitz said earlier this month. </s> ATHENS/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel has asked Cyprus to examine the possibility of establishing a shipping point on the island for sending goods to the Gaza Strip, a Cypriot government spokesman said on Tuesday.

Goods shipped by sea usually come to an Israeli port and are transferred to Gaza over land. Israel enforces a maritime blockade on Gaza, which it says is meant to prevent weapons from reaching the territory ruled by the Islamist militant group Hamas.

Both Egypt and Israel restrict movement across Gaza’s land borders as well. The United Nations has called for a freer flow of goods into Gaza, where most Palestinians live in poverty.

The idea of setting up a facility in Cyprus has been floated for years, and Israel recently made a request to explore the issue, according to Cypriot government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou.

“It is an old issue which is now being re-discussed,” Prodromou told Reuters.

“There will be contacts between the government and all interested parties in the region and, possibly, a decision will be taken. At the moment no decision has been taken. The request is being examined, it hasn’t been rejected,” he said.

Prodromou did not say when the request was made, but Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman visited Nicosia last week.

An Israeli news report late on Monday said Lieberman had reached an understanding with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades to pursue the seaport plan.

Lieberman’s office, in response to the report, said that Israel is working with international players in a number of ways to try to “change the reality in Gaza”, but that any move to improve the humanitarian situation depends on the return of Israelis who are missing or being held prisoner in Gaza.

“Beyond that we cannot relate to the details,” it said in a statement.

Israel has demanded the return of two Israeli civilians who it says crossed into Gaza and are being held by Hamas, as well as the bodies of two soldiers who were killed in a 2014 war. Hamas says it is holding them but does not give any details.

Hamas officials declined to comment on the seaport plan.

At least one Israeli cabinet minister, Yuval Steinitz, has been promoting the Cyprus seaport idea as a way to create a conduit into Gaza that does not go through Israel. Another Israeli cabinet minister has raised the idea of building an artificial island off the Gaza coast, a much larger project.

Security checks at the piers, however, would have to be handled by Israel together with an international group, like the United Nations, Steinitz said in an interview with Reuters earlier this month. </s> ATHENS/JERUSALEM, June 26 (Reuters) - Israel has asked Cyprus to examine the possibility of establishing a shipping point on the island for sending goods to the Gaza Strip, a Cypriot government spokesman said on Tuesday.

Goods shipped by sea usually come to an Israeli port and are transferred to Gaza over land. Israel enforces a maritime blockade on Gaza, which it says is meant to prevent weapons from reaching the territory ruled by the Islamist militant group Hamas.

Both Egypt and Israel restrict movement across Gaza's land borders as well. The United Nations has called for a freer flow of goods into Gaza, where most Palestinians live in poverty.

The idea of setting up a facility in Cyprus has been floated for years, and Israel recently made a request to explore the issue, according to Cypriot government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou.

"It is an old issue which is now being re-discussed," Prodromou told Reuters.

"There will be contacts between the government and all interested parties in the region and, possibly, a decision will be taken. At the moment no decision has been taken. The request is being examined, it hasn't been rejected," he said.

Prodromou did not say when the request was made, but Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman visited Nicosia last week.

An Israeli news report late on Monday said Lieberman had reached an understanding with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades to pursue the seaport plan.

Lieberman's office, in response to the report, said that Israel is working with international players in a number of ways to try to "change the reality in Gaza", but that any move to improve the humanitarian situation depends on the return of Israelis who are missing or being held prisoner in Gaza.

"Beyond that we cannot relate to the details," it said in a statement.

Israel has demanded the return of two Israeli civilians who it says crossed into Gaza and are being held by Hamas, as well as the bodies of two soldiers who were killed in a 2014 war. Hamas says it is holding them but does not give any details.

Hamas officials declined to comment on the seaport plan.

At least one Israeli cabinet minister, Yuval Steinitz, has been promoting the Cyprus seaport idea as a way to create a conduit into Gaza that does not go through Israel. Another Israeli cabinet minister has raised the idea of building an artificial island off the Gaza coast, a much larger project.

Security checks at the piers, however, would have to be handled by Israel together with an international group, like the United Nations, Steinitz said in an interview with Reuters earlier this month. (Reporting by Michele Kambas, Ari Rabinovitch, Dan Williams and Nidal al-Mughrabi Editing by Alexandra Hudson) </s> The Cypriot government on Tuesday said Israel has requested it examine the possibility of building a port facility for Gaza-destined goods to pass through.

Such a facility would provide a new way for goods to make it to the Gaza Strip, which is under a blockade by Israel and Egypt.
• Under the proposal, a special port would be constructed in Cyprus.
• The port would be used by cargo ships carrying Gaza-bound goods.
• It would be checked with the help of an Israeli monitoring mechanism in order to prevent illegal goods from entering the enclave, including arms.
• The goods would be transported directly to Gaza by a ferry. Currently, Gaza-bound goods are taken across two land crossings from Israel.

Read more: 70 years of Nakba: The ongoing struggle of Palestinian refugees

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman made the proposal after reaching an understanding with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades during an official visit to Nicosia. But his office warned that there were conditions.

"Any idea presented to improve the humanitarian situation would be conditioned on solving the issue of the captives (Israelis held in Gaza) and MIAs (Missing in Action)," said a spokesman for Lieberman's office.

Who would run the port? The port would be run by Cypriot authorities with the help of Israel and elements of the international community, according to Israeli media.

Why is there a maritime blockade? According to Israeli authorities, the blockade is aimed at preventing arms from reaching the Gaza Strip, which is run by the Islamist movement Hamas. But the enclave is also home to several militant groups who continue to launch rockets towards Israel.

Read more: When Israelis started to talk about the occupation

But the UN has urged Israel to create more avenues for goods to reach the enclave, as many Gazans live in poverty.

What happens next? Yuval Steinitz, Israel's minister for energy and water resources, said on Tuesday that he spoke with US presidential adviser Jared Kushner about "solutions for easing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza." The US has signaled it will "soon" unveil a comprehensive peace plan to end the decadeslong conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.
An Israeli official says that the nation has asked Cyprus to consider allowing Israel to set up a shipping point on the island for goods destined for Gaza.