Date :20 Jun 2010
President Mahmoud Abbas has reiterated his demand that Israel lift its siege on the Gaza Strip, speaking Friday with US envoy George Mitchell in the West Bank city of Ramallah.

As part of that initiative, Abbas proposed that Gaza and the West Bank be permitted to trade goods, and called on the Obama administration and international community to make every effort to implement the plan.

Chief PLO negotiator Saeb Erekat said Israel is obligated to open its six crossings with Gaza, and pointed out that more than 36,000 trucks loaded with goods entered Gaza in 2007 compared with 3,600 in the first three months of 2010.

This represents just 10 percent of the goods that once entered Gaza, Erekat said, explaining that it represents just 10 percent of the goods that the people of Gaza once received.

Abbas considers this state of affairs unacceptable, Erekat said. source: ma'an