Israel and Egypt ease Gaza blockade

Israel and Egypt signalled a temporary easing of the Gaza Strip blockade today after widespread international condemnation of the deadly Israeli raid on an aid flotilla en route to the sealed-off Palestinian territory.

Israel and Egypt signalled a temporary easing of the Gaza Strip blockade today after widespread international condemnation of the deadly Israeli raid on an aid flotilla en route to the sealed-off Palestinian territory.

Egypt said it was freely opening its border with Gaza for the first time in more than a year to allow in humanitarian aid, setting off a rush to the crossing by thousands of residents.

An an Israeli official said there is an “ongoing dialogue” with the international community on how to expand the amount of goods entering the area.

At the same time, Israel began expelling some of the nearly 700 activists it rounded up in the naval raid, and strongly rejected criticism that its tactics were heavy-handed.

The government said it would deport almost all of them within the next two days, but about 50 would be held for investigation into their part in the violence at sea.

A group of 124 activists from nations without diplomatic relations with Israel was deported to Jordan early on Wednesday, Israeli officials said.

Israel pledged to halt a new attempt by pro-Palestinian groups to sail more ships into Gaza, and claimed some of the arrested activists carried weapons and large quantities of cash, raising questions about whether they were mercenaries.

Worldwide condemnation has been flooding in since Israeli naval commandos halted the aid flotilla in international waters on Monday, setting off a melee that left at least nine activists dead and dozens wounded. Turkey, an unofficial backer of the flotilla, has led the criticism, accusing Israel of committing a “massacre”, and the UN Security Council demanded an impartial investigation.

There were signs, however, that the long-term strategic partnership between Israel and Turkey – the Jewish state’s most important Muslim ally – would endure.

Israeli defense minister Ehud Barak spoke to his Turkish counterpart on Tuesday, and they agreed the raid would not affect weapons deals, defence officials said.

Dozens of pro-Palestinian activists detained in the raid arrived later in Jordan after being deported from Israel, officials said.

The 124 activists from 12 Muslim nations – most of them without diplomatic ties with Israel – crossed the Allenby Bridge aboard five Jordanian buses.

The bridge across the Jordan River is under Israeli control. It links Jordan with the West Bank.

Jordanian government spokesman Nabil Al-Sharif said there were 30 Jordanians in the group. Jordan is one of two Arab nations with a signed peace treaty with Israel.

The bridge’s Jordanian chief, Brigadier Mahmoud Abu Jumaa, said Jordan will help repatriate the activists – who include lawmakers and journalists – to their respective countries in co-ordination with their governments.

Kuwaiti ambassador Sheik Faisal Al Sabah said there were 16 Kuwaitis aboard the buses. He said the other activists came from Azerbaijan, Indonesia, Malaysia, Pakistan, Algeria, Morocco, Mauritania, Yemen, Oman and Bahrain.

Dozens of other activists remain in Israeli detention, but most are expected to be deported in the coming days.

Israeli media later said the foreign ministry had ordered the families of its diplomats in Turkey to leave that country because of the uproar over the naval raid.

State-run Israel Radio and other stations and newspapers said the diplomatic mission will remain in Turkey. A ministry spokesman would neither confirm nor deny the reports.

At least four Turkish activists were among the nine killed by Israeli naval commandos in the raid on an international flotilla bringing aid to Gaza.

Turkish prime minister Recep Tayyip Erdogan accused Israel of a “bloody massacre” and thousands of Turks have protested across the country.

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