ATHENS/JERUSALEM, June 26 (Reuters) - Israel has asked Cyprus to examine the possibility of establishing a shipping point on the island for sending goods to the Gaza Strip, a Cypriot government spokesman said on Tuesday.

Goods shipped by sea usually come to an Israeli port and are transferred to Gaza over land. Israel enforces a maritime blockade on Gaza, which it says is meant to prevent weapons from reaching the territory ruled by the Islamist militant group Hamas.

Both Egypt and Israel restrict movement across Gaza's land borders as well. The United Nations has called for a freer flow of goods into Gaza, where most Palestinians live in poverty.

The idea of setting up a facility in Cyprus has been floated for years, and Israel recently made a request to explore the issue, according to Cypriot government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou.

"It is an old issue which is now being re-discussed," Prodromou told Reuters.

"There will be contacts between the government and all interested parties in the region and, possibly, a decision will be taken. At the moment no decision has been taken. The request is being examined, it hasn't been rejected," he said.

Prodromou did not say when the request was made, but Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman visited Nicosia last week.

An Israeli news report late on Monday said Lieberman had reached an understanding with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades to pursue the seaport plan.

Lieberman's office, in response to the report, said that Israel is working with international players in a number of ways to try to "change the reality in Gaza", but that any move to improve the humanitarian situation depends on the return of Israelis who are missing or being held prisoner in Gaza.

"Beyond that we cannot relate to the details," it said in a statement.

Israel has demanded the return of two Israeli civilians who it says crossed into Gaza and are being held by Hamas, as well as the bodies of two soldiers who were killed in a 2014 war. Hamas says it is holding them but does not give any details.

Hamas officials declined to comment on the seaport plan.

At least one Israeli cabinet minister, Yuval Steinitz, has been promoting the Cyprus seaport idea as a way to create a conduit into Gaza that does not go through Israel. Another Israeli cabinet minister has raised the idea of building an artificial island off the Gaza coast, a much larger project.

Security checks at the piers, however, would have to be handled by Israel together with an international group, like the United Nations, Steinitz said in an interview with Reuters earlier this month. (Reporting by Michele Kambas, Ari Rabinovitch, Dan Williams and Nidal al-Mughrabi Editing by Alexandra Hudson)</s>Israel has advanced plans to build a floating dock in Greek administered part of Cyprus to receive goods bound for the blockaded Gaza Strip, according to Israeli media on Tuesday.

The plans were reportedly agreed in principle during talks between Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman and Nicos Anastasiades, president of Greek Cypriot administration.

According to Israeli Channel 2, a panel will be established in two weeks to work out a detained plan to be presented within three months.

The dock will include a system enabling Israel to monitor the movement of goods bound for the Palestinian territory.

“As soon as all the details are closed and ‘locked and loaded,’ we will appeal directly to the public in Gaza,” a senior defense source told the channel.

Israeli media said port building will be conditioned on the release of three Israelis believed to be held by Palestinian group Hamas in Gaza, in addition to the return of the remains of two Israeli soldiers.

There was no comment from authorities in Israel or Greek Cypriot administration on the report.

The Gaza Strip has been reeling under a crippling Israeli blockade since 2007, which has gutted the coastal enclave’s economy and deprived its 2 million inhabitants of many basic commodities.

Since March, more than 130 Palestinians have been killed and thousands injured by Israeli army gunfire during protests demanding an end to the decades-long Israeli occupation of Palestinian lands and lifting of the Gaza blockade.</s>Cyprus is considering an Israeli proposal to build a dedicated pier in an existing port or employ an established pier to receive cargo ships carrying goods for Gaza.

The scheme would allow Israeli agents to inspect consignments for weapons before transhipping them on ferries to Gaza’s tiny fishing port.

Israeli defence minister Avigdor Leiberman reintroduced the idea of creating such a facility during last Friday’s trilateral meeting attended by Cyprus, Greece and Israel. He said a deal would depend on the release of three Israeli civilians and the bodies of two Israeli soldiers held by the Hamas administration in Gaza.

“It’s an old issue which is now being discussed,” said Cyprus government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou. “There will be contacts between the government and all interested parties in the region [before] a decision will be taken.”

While an agreement in principle had been reported between Mr Lieberman and his Cypriot counterpart Savvas Angelides, Cypriot ambassador to Israel Thessalia-Salina Shambos told the Jerusalem Post: “We are not there yet.” She said a deal would “require the consent or the agreement and co-operation of all stakeholders”.

Since Israel occupied the narrow coastal strip in 1967, maritime cargoes for Gaza have landed at Israeli ports, been inspected, and transferred by lorry to the Kerem Shalom goods crossing between Israel and Gaza.

Gaza totally depended on this system until 2007 when, after Hamas took control of the strip, more than 1,500 tunnels were dug between Rafah in the south and Egyptian Sinai through which food, medicines, fuel, consumer goods and construction and raw materials were smuggled.

This trade created jobs and gave a major boost to the strip’s economy until the tunnels were closed by Israel and Egypt between 2009 and 2015, when Israel resumed full control.

The tunnels had given Gazans a degree of independence. The Cyprus port project would maintain Israel’s siege and blockade, and Gaza’s dependence on Israel, which would continue to decide what and how much Gaza can import. It is presumed the scheme would permit Gaza to export.

The construction of a port in Gaza was mandated in the 1993 Oslo Accord. In 1994 $50 million was pledged for the port by the Netherlands and France and the Palestinian Authority signed a contract with the Dutch-French European Gaza Development Group, but Israel blocked implementation.

In 1999, the Sharm al-Sheikh memorandum stated that building should commence October 1st of that year. In 2000 a new contract was signed with the French-Dutch group and work began on phase one but Israel did not permit the import of construction materials.

On September 18th, 2000, 10 days before the second Palestinian uprising began in protest against the failure of Oslo to deliver Palestinian self-determination, Israeli tanks wrecked the port site, which was bombed that October. Gaza’s airport, opened in November 1998, was also bombed.

The resurrection of the Cyprus port plan coincides with discussions of ways to ease suffering of Gaza’s two million Palestinian citizens, who are deprived of essential goods and material due to Israeli restrictions.</s>Israel has asked Cyprus to examine the possibility of establishing a shipping point on the island for sending goods to the Gaza Strip, a Cypriot government spokesman said on Tuesday.

Goods shipped by sea usually come to an Israeli port and are transferred to Gaza over land. Israel enforces a maritime blockade on Gaza, which it says is meant to prevent weapons from reaching the territory ruled by the Islamist militant group Hamas.

Both Egypt and Israel restrict movement across Gaza’s land borders as well. The United Nations has called for a freer flow of goods into Gaza, where most Palestinians live in poverty.

The idea of setting up a facility in Cyprus has been floated for years, and Israel recently made a request to explore the issue, according to Cypriot government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou.

“It is an old issue which is now being re-discussed,” Prodromou said. “There will be contacts between the government and all interested parties in the region and, possibly, a decision will be taken. At the moment no decision has been taken. The request is being examined, it hasn’t been rejected,” he said.

Prodromou did not say when the request was made, but Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman visited Nicosia last week. An Israeli news report late on Monday said Lieberman had reached an understanding with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades to pursue the seaport plan.

Lieberman’s office, in response to the report, said that Israel is working with international players in a number of ways to try to “change the reality in Gaza”, but that any move to improve the humanitarian situation depends on the return of Israelis who are missing or being held prisoner in Gaza. “Beyond that we cannot relate to the details,” it said in a statement.

Israel has demanded the return of two Israeli civilians who it says crossed into Gaza and are being held by Hamas, as well as the bodies of two soldiers who were killed in a 2014 war. Hamas says it is holding them but does not give any details. Hamas officials declined to comment on the seaport plan.

At least one Israeli cabinet minister, Yuval Steinitz, has been promoting the Cyprus seaport idea as a way to create a conduit into Gaza that does not go through Israel. Another Israeli cabinet minister has raised the idea of building an artificial island off the Gaza coast, a much larger project.

Security checks at the piers, however, would have to be handled by Israel together with an international group, like the United Nations, Steinitz said in an interview with Reuters earlier this month

For all the latest World News, download Indian Express App</s>ATHENS/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel has asked Cyprus to examine the possibility of establishing a shipping point on the island for sending goods to the Gaza Strip, a Cypriot government spokesman said on Tuesday.

Goods shipped by sea usually come to an Israeli port and are transferred to Gaza over land. Israel enforces a maritime blockade on Gaza, which it says is meant to prevent weapons from reaching the territory ruled by the Islamist militant group Hamas.

Both Egypt and Israel restrict movement across Gaza’s land borders as well. The United Nations has called for a freer flow of goods into Gaza, where most Palestinians live in poverty.

The idea of setting up a facility in Cyprus has been floated for years, and Israel recently made a request to explore the issue, according to Cypriot government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou.

“It is an old issue which is now being re-discussed,” Prodromou told Reuters.

“There will be contacts between the government and all interested parties in the region and, possibly, a decision will be taken. At the moment no decision has been taken. The request is being examined, it hasn’t been rejected,” he said.

Prodromou did not say when the request was made, but Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman visited Nicosia last week.

An Israeli news report late on Monday said Lieberman had reached an understanding with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades to pursue the seaport plan.

Lieberman’s office, in response to the report, said that Israel is working with international players in a number of ways to try to “change the reality in Gaza”, but that any move to improve the humanitarian situation depends on the return of Israelis who are missing or being held prisoner in Gaza.

“Beyond that we cannot relate to the details,” it said in a statement.

Israel has demanded the return of two Israeli civilians who it says crossed into Gaza and are being held by Hamas, as well as the bodies of two soldiers who were killed in a 2014 war. Hamas says it is holding them but does not give any details.

Hamas officials declined to comment on the seaport plan.

At least one Israeli cabinet minister, Yuval Steinitz, has been promoting the Cyprus seaport idea as a way to create a conduit into Gaza that does not go through Israel. Another Israeli cabinet minister has raised the idea of building an artificial island off the Gaza coast, a much larger project.

Security checks at the piers, however, would have to be handled by Israel together with an international group, like the United Nations, Steinitz said in an interview with Reuters earlier this month.</s>Israel has asked Cyprus to examine the possibility of establishing a shipping point on the island for sending goods to the Gaza Strip, a Cypriot government spokesman said on Tuesday.

ATHENS/JERUSALEM: Israel has asked Cyprus to examine the possibility of establishing a shipping point on the island for sending goods to the Gaza Strip, a Cypriot government spokesman said on Tuesday.

Goods shipped by sea usually come to an Israeli port and are transferred to Gaza over land. Israel enforces a maritime blockade on Gaza, which it says is meant to prevent weapons from reaching the territory ruled by the Islamist militant group Hamas.

Both Egypt and Israel restrict movement across Gaza's land borders as well. The United Nations has called for a freer flow of goods into Gaza, where most Palestinians live in poverty.

The idea of setting up a facility in Cyprus has been floated for years, and Israel recently made a request to explore the issue, according to Cypriot government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou.

"It is an old issue which is now being re-discussed," Prodromou told Reuters.

"There will be contacts between the government and all interested parties in the region and, possibly, a decision will be taken. At the moment no decision has been taken. The request is being examined, it hasn't been rejected," he said.

Prodromou did not say when the request was made, but Israeli Defence Minister Avigdor Lieberman visited Nicosia last week.

An Israeli news report late on Monday said Lieberman had reached an understanding with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades to pursue the seaport plan.

Lieberman's office, in response to the report, said that Israel is working with international players in a number of ways to try to "change the reality in Gaza", but that any move to improve the humanitarian situation depends on the return of Israelis who are missing or being held prisoner in Gaza.

"Beyond that we cannot relate to the details," it said in a statement.

Israel has demanded the return of two Israeli civilians who it says crossed into Gaza and are being held by Hamas, as well as the bodies of two soldiers who were killed in a 2014 war. Hamas says it is holding them but does not give any details.

Hamas officials declined to comment on the seaport plan.

At least one Israeli cabinet minister, Yuval Steinitz, has been promoting the Cyprus seaport idea as a way to create a conduit into Gaza that does not go through Israel. Another Israeli cabinet minister has raised the idea of building an artificial island off the Gaza coast, a much larger project.

Security checks at the piers, however, would have to be handled by Israel together with an international group, like the United Nations, Steinitz said in an interview with Reuters earlier this month.</s>Tel Aviv has discussed the establishment of a seaport for the Gaza Strip in Cyprus, Israeli media reports. Israel’s proposal, now being considered by Nicosia, comes after it has actually maintained a blockade of Gaza for years.

The alleged ‘good will’ initiative is, however, far from being without conditions. The establishment of a port would take place only if the Hamas militant group, which controls Gaza, releases Israeli civilians and returns the remains of IDF soldiers.

According to Israeli media, the proposal is indeed conditional on the release of the Israeli civilian captives held by Hamas since 2014 and 2015 as well as on the return of the bodies of two Israeli soldiers, killed in 2014 during Operation Protective Edge. “We will clearly and openly put the benefits package on the table [and say], ‘This is possible, this is the price. Take it or leave it’,” a senior Israeli defense source told the local Hadashot TV.

The proposal itself reportedly involves setting up a floating dock or even building a separate pier in Cyprus, designed to receive cargo from vessels carrying goods destined for Gaza and then shipping them to the blockaded Palestinian enclave. The goods are expected to be delivered from Cyprus to Gaza by ferry, as it lacks facilities to receive cargo ships.

All goods delivered to Cyprus would still be checked by the Israelis as part of a special monitoring mechanism, designed to prevent weapons-smuggling into the territory controlled by the Hamas militant group.

It is Israel that is actually behind the Gaza blockade. Citing the need to prevent arms-smuggling by Hamas, Tel Aviv has severely limited the inflow of necessary goods to the Palestinian enclave. In the meantime, numerous media reports, including ones published by Israeli media, warned that the situation in Gaza is rapidly deteriorating, with nearly all the drinking water sources in the area contaminated and the water crisis worsening.

The Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman advanced the ‘port for Gaza’ proposal to the Cypriot authorities on his trip to the island last weekend, Israeli media reported on Monday. The plan was agreed between Liberman and his Cypriot counterpart, Savvas Angelides, on Friday, the Israeli Channel 2 reported.

The plan was also then presented to the Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, according to the Hadashot TV report. The Cypriot authorities have confirmed that Israel has addressed them with this proposal, adding that no decision has yet been taken on the matter.

“It is an old issue which is now being re-discussed,” the Cypriot government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou told Reuters, referring to the fact that the idea of establishing a port for Gaza in Cyprus has actually been floated for years.

“There will be contacts between the government and all interested parties in the region and, possibly, a decision will be taken. At the moment no decision has been taken. The request is being examined, it hasn’t been rejected,” he added.

The Israeli authorities have not yet confirmed any concrete details relating to the proposal. “The Minister of Defense and defense establishment, along with members of the international community, are pursuing many efforts to change the reality in the Gaza Strip," the Israeli Defense Ministry said in a statement. “Any idea relating to improving the humanitarian situation that is put on the table is conditioned on a solution to the issue of the hostages and missing persons,” it added.

Israeli media reported that a detailed working plan of the port establishment would be put together over the next three months and would be then presented “directly” to the Gaza people. “As soon as all the details are closed and ‘locked and loaded,’ we will appeal directly to the public in Gaza, going over the heads of Hamas,” a senior defense source told Hadashot TV.

Nowadays, Israel controls two land crossings into Gaza, with Egypt controlling the third one. Most commercial and humanitarian goods destined for Gaza are now transferred through one of the Israeli crossings. Goods that arrive by sea are unloaded at an Israeli port and are then transported to Gaza by trucks after being monitored by Israel.

The supposed ‘good will’ initiative comes after the Israeli authorities unleashed a violent crackdown on Palestinians taking part in the protests at the Gaza Strip dubbed the Great Return March. More than 120 Palestinian protesters have been killed by the Israeli military and 3,800 have been injured over more than two months since the start of the protests.

Meanwhile, Israel has also actually limited the entry of some goods to Gaza, which are considered to be vital to local hospitals. On June 15, Tel Aviv particularly limited the entry of helium gas to the Palestinian enclave, arguing that it had been used in attacks against Israel. It also threatened to completely halt the deliveries of the gas, which is vital for medical purposes, to Gaza if the attacks do not stop.</s>ATHENS/JERUSALEM (Reuters) - Israel has asked Cyprus to examine the possibility of establishing a shipping point on the island for sending goods to the Gaza Strip, a Cypriot government spokesman said on Tuesday.

FILE PHOTO: Palestinian fishermen ride their boats as they return from fishing at the seaport of Gaza City early morning September 26, 2016. REUTERS/Mohammed Salem/File Photo

Goods shipped by sea usually come to an Israeli port and are transferred to Gaza over land. Israel enforces a maritime blockade on Gaza, which it says is meant to prevent weapons from reaching the territory ruled by the Islamist militant group Hamas.

Both Egypt and Israel restrict movement across Gaza’s land borders as well. The United Nations has called for a freer flow of goods into Gaza, where most Palestinians live in poverty.

The idea of setting up a facility in Cyprus has been floated for years, and Israel recently made a request to explore the issue, according to Cypriot government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou.

“It is an old issue which is now being re-discussed,” Prodromou told Reuters.

“There will be contacts between the government and all interested parties in the region and, possibly, a decision will be taken. At the moment no decision has been taken. The request is being examined, it hasn’t been rejected,” he said.

Prodromou did not say when the request was made, but Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman visited Nicosia last week.

An Israeli news report late on Monday said Lieberman had reached an understanding with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades to pursue the port plan.

Lieberman’s office, in response to the report, said that Israel is working internationally in a number of ways to try to “change the reality in Gaza”, but that any move to improve the humanitarian situation depends on the return of Israelis who are missing or being held prisoner in Gaza.

“Beyond that we cannot relate to the details,” it said in a statement.

Israel has demanded the return of two Israeli civilians who it says crossed into Gaza and are being held by Hamas, as well as the bodies of two soldiers who were killed in a 2014 war. Hamas says it is holding them but does not give any details.

Hamas officials declined to comment on the port plan.

At least one Israeli cabinet minister, Yuval Steinitz, has been promoting the Cyprus port idea as a way to create a conduit into Gaza that does not go through Israel. Another Israeli cabinet minister has raised the idea of building an artificial island off the Gaza coast, a much larger project.

“I think that we can combine our security on one hand and open Gaza to the outer world on the other hand,” Steinitz said of the port idea in an interview in Washington.

A port would be a faster solution than an artificial island. Opening a port in Cyprus could take only a few months after getting international approval and could be shut down quickly if somebody abuses it, Steinitz said. Building an artificial island could take 10 years, he said.

Security checks at the piers, however, would have to be handled by Israel together with an international group such as the United Nations, Steinitz said earlier this month.</s>The Cypriot government on Tuesday said Israel has requested it examine the possibility of building a port facility for Gaza-destined goods to pass through.

Such a facility would provide a new way for goods to make it to the Gaza Strip, which is under a blockade by Israel and Egypt.
• Under the proposal, a special port would be constructed in Cyprus.
• The port would be used by cargo ships carrying Gaza-bound goods.
• It would be checked with the help of an Israeli monitoring mechanism in order to prevent illegal goods from entering the enclave, including arms.
• The goods would be transported directly to Gaza by a ferry. Currently, Gaza-bound goods are taken across two land crossings from Israel.

Read more: 70 years of Nakba: The ongoing struggle of Palestinian refugees

Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Lieberman made the proposal after reaching an understanding with Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades during an official visit to Nicosia. But his office warned that there were conditions.

"Any idea presented to improve the humanitarian situation would be conditioned on solving the issue of the captives (Israelis held in Gaza) and MIAs (Missing in Action)," said a spokesman for Lieberman's office.

Who would run the port? The port would be run by Cypriot authorities with the help of Israel and elements of the international community, according to Israeli media.

Why is there a maritime blockade? According to Israeli authorities, the blockade is aimed at preventing arms from reaching the Gaza Strip, which is run by the Islamist movement Hamas. But the enclave is also home to several militant groups who continue to launch rockets towards Israel.

Read more: When Israelis started to talk about the occupation

But the UN has urged Israel to create more avenues for goods to reach the enclave, as many Gazans live in poverty.

What happens next? Yuval Steinitz, Israel's minister for energy and water resources, said on Tuesday that he spoke with US presidential adviser Jared Kushner about "solutions for easing the humanitarian crisis in Gaza." The US has signaled it will "soon" unveil a comprehensive peace plan to end the decadeslong conflict between Israelis and Palestinians.

Each evening at 1830 UTC, DW's editors send out a selection of the day's hard news and quality feature journalism. You can sign up to receive it directly here.</s>Tel Aviv has discussed the establishment of a seaport for the Gaza Strip in Cyprus, Israeli media reports. Israel’s proposal, now being considered by Nicosia, comes after it has actually maintained a blockade of Gaza for years.

The alleged ‘goodwill’ initiative is, however, far from being without conditions. The establishment of a port would take place only if the Hamas militant group, which controls Gaza, releases Israeli civilians and returns the remains of Israeli soldiers.

According to Israeli media, the proposal is indeed conditional on the release of the Israeli civilian captives held by Hamas since 2014 and 2015 as well as on the return of the bodies of two Israeli soldiers, killed in 2014 during Operation Protective Edge.

The proposal itself reportedly involves setting up a floating dock or even building a separate pier in Cyprus, designed to receive cargo from vessels carrying goods destined for Gaza and then shipping them to the blockaded Palestinian enclave.

The goods are expected to be delivered from Cyprus to Gaza by ferry, as it lacks facilities to receive cargo ships.

All goods delivered to Cyprus would still be checked by the Israelis as part of a special monitoring mechanism, designed to prevent weapons-smuggling into the territory controlled by the Hamas militant group.

It is Israel that is actually behind the Gaza blockade. Citing the need to prevent arms-smuggling by Hamas, Tel Aviv has severely limited the inflow of necessary goods to the Palestinian enclave.

In the meantime, numerous media reports, including ones published by Israeli media, warned that the situation in Gaza is rapidly deteriorating, with nearly all the drinking water sources in the area contaminated and the water crisis worsening.

The Israeli Defense Minister Avigdor Liberman advanced the ‘port for Gaza’ proposal to the Cypriot authorities on his trip to the island last weekend, Israeli media reported on Monday. The plan was agreed between Liberman and his Cypriot counterpart, Savvas Angelides, on Friday, the Israeli Channel 2 reported.

The plan was also then presented to the Cypriot President Nicos Anastasiades, according to the Hadashot TV report. The Cypriot authorities have confirmed that Israel has addressed them with this proposal, adding that no decision has yet been taken on the matter.

“It is an old issue which is now being re-discussed,” the Cypriot government spokesman Prodromos Prodromou told Reuters, referring to the fact that the idea of establishing a port for Gaza in Cyprus has actually been floated for years.

The Israeli authorities have not yet confirmed any concrete details relating to the proposal.

The Israeli Defense Ministry said in a statement:

Israeli media reported that a detailed working plan of the port establishment would be put together over the next three months and would be then presented “directly” to the Gaza people.

Nowadays, Israel controls two land crossings into Gaza, with Egypt controlling the third one. Most commercial and humanitarian goods destined for Gaza are now transferred through one of the Israeli crossings.

Goods that arrive by sea are unloaded at an Israeli port and are then transported to Gaza by trucks after being monitored by Israel.

The supposed ‘goodwill’ initiative comes after the Israeli authorities unleashed a violent crackdown on Palestinians taking part in the protests at the Gaza Strip dubbed the Great Return March. More than 130 Palestinian protesters have been killed by the Israeli military and over 13,000 have been injured since the start of the protests.

Meanwhile, Israel has also actually limited the entry of some goods to Gaza, which are considered to be vital to local hospitals.

On June 15, Tel Aviv particularly limited the entry of helium gas to the Palestinian enclave, arguing that it had been used in attacks against Israel. It also threatened to completely halt the deliveries of the gas, which is vital for medical purposes, to Gaza if the attacks do not stop.
An Israeli official says that the nation has asked Cyprus to consider allowing Israel to set up a shipping point on the island for goods destined for Gaza.