The decision was taken after a meeting between Israel and Qatar, aided by Egyptian officials and the UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process.
By TOVAH LAZAROFF, KHALED ABU TOAMEHA truck carrying cattle arrives at Kerem Shalom crossing after it was reopened by Israel, in Rafah in the southern Gaza Strip October 21, 2018(photo credit: REUTERS/IBRAHEEM ABU MUSTAFA)
Israel will reopen the Erez and Kerem Shalom border crossings with the Gaza Strip as of Thursday, if the calm continues, the Defense Ministry’s Office of the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) announced on Wednesday afternoon.The decision to open the pedestrian and the commercial crossings between Israel and Gaza was taken in the aftermath of a meeting between COGAT head Maj.-Gen. Kamil Abu Rukun and Qatari envoy Mohammed al-Emadi in Jerusalem on Tuesday.The meeting was attended also by UN Special Coordinator for the Middle East Peace Process Nickolay Mladenov.Emadi and Mladenov, together with the Egyptians, are said to have played a major role in ending the latest round of violence between Israel and Palestinian Islamic Jihad, which erupted on Sunday after the IDF killed a PIJ member as he tried to plant an explosive device near the border between the Gaza Strip and Israel.The Qatari and UN envoys acted as mediators between Israel and Hamas, whose officials demanded that Israel immediately reopen the border crossings with the Gaza Strip that were closed on Monday night after PIJ and other factions fired dozens of rockets at Israel. In addition, Israel also decided to close the fishing zone in the Gaza Strip until further notice.“These acts of terrorism set back Israel’s efforts to improve the quality of life in Gaza and undermine stability throughout the region,” COGAT said in a statement on Monday.On Wednesday, however, COGAT announced that “after renewed consultations and assessments of the security situation, and if the security, stability and calm are preserved, it has been decided to reopen the Erez and Kerem Shalom border crossings as of Thursday morning. The fishing zone will also be reopened.”The announcement is in the context of mediation efforts by Egypt, Qatar and the UN to avoid an all-out military confrontation between the Gaza-based Palestinian factions and Israel. On Monday night, another ceasefire was declared after over 60 rockets were fired at Israel. In response, Israel launched airstrikes on PIJ targets in Syria and the Gaza Strip.
