Gaza blockade set to linger in force even if Shalit freed

Local Editor, 25-12-2009

An "Israel"-Hamas prisoner exchange deal may be looming. But Gazans are disappointed that "Israel's" economic blockade of the Gaza Strip has been taken off the negotiating table.
"Israel" would most likely keep the blockade of the Gaza Strip in place even if Gilad Shalit were released in the prisoner swap currently being negotiated.

World Media reports had expected that once Shalit was freed, "Israel" would no longer have an excuse to persist imposing the blockade. In 2008, "Israel" facilitated the transfer of 15,275 trucks into Gaza. By the end of October, the number had already reached over 17,750.

Besides, all of the supplies that "Israel" lets into Gaza are medical and humanitarian. It does not permit in electronics or other equipment that do not fall under that category.
According to senior war officials, though, the blockade would likely remain in place following Shalit's release. This would be possible due to a resolution passed in former "Israeli" Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's cabinet in September 2007, which officially classified the Gaza Strip as a "hostile entity."

The decision legally urges "Israel" to provide basic goods that would prevent a humanitarian crisis in Gaza. Yet, "Israel" ignores international and legal calls so that even with Shalit no longer in Gaza, "Israel" would still create valid grounds to maintain the blockade.
The blockade has crushed the Gazan economy and forced 80 percent of Gaza's 1.5 million people to rely on food aid, according to the United Nations.