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Coverage of the Events since October 2000
Hände weg von Israel und Islam!
Peres Retracts Proposal For Joint Industrial Zones With PA
2006-05-24
www.haaretz.com/ hasen/spages/ 719453.html
Vice Premier Shimon Peres on Wednesday retracted his proposal to establish joint industrial zones with the Palestinian Authority near Israel's border with Gaza, saying such areas would be open terror targets for which Israel would have to bear the brunt of security responsibilities.
Similar zones have already been established at the Erez and Karni crossings to Gaza.
Speaking to a Knesset meeting in response to a motion on the agenda regarding a recent meeting in Sharm el-Sheikh with PA Chairman Mahmoud Abbas, Peres said the appropriate location for such zones would be on the Gaza-Egypt border, rather than Gaza's border with Israel. He also said that he would raise the matter in his meeting with Egyptian President Hosni Mubarak.
Peres added that the efficacy of resumed talks between Israel and the PA would be put to the test upon Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's return from the United States, when, according to Peres, the prime minister intends to meet with Abbas.
Peres said Mubarak had supported his proposal to temporarily use the airport in Egypt's El-Arish for export of agricultural products from Gaza, in order to avoid a security search on "every tomato transported from Gaza to Ben Gurion Airport on its way abroad, something which causes great suffering for the Palestinians and harms their economic profitability."
