The Idaho Statesman · 14 August 2014
CP-2014-047
For peace, look to the sea
As another Israel-Hamas truce is tested, it’s clear any lasting deal likely hinges on a port for Gaza
BY KARIN LAUB / THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
Transcribed from the clipping
GAZA CITY — The issue of a Mediterranean seaport has been a main point of contention in this week’s Egyptian-brokered talks in Cairo on a long-term truce between the enemies, including new border arrangements for Gaza.
On Wednesday, Israel and Hamas agreed to extend a temporary cease-fire for five days to allow for those negotiations to continue, but minutes before the original cease-fire was set to expire, violence spiked, with Palestinian militants firing five rockets at Israel and Israel targeting sites across the Gaza Strip in response.
The extension was meant to grant both sides additional time to figure out a road map for the coastal territory, but the new attacks put that at risk. If talks do continue, the port will be a vital component.
Hamas is seeking an end to a crippling blockade imposed by Israel and Egypt in 2007, one that has greatly limited the movement of Palestinians in and out of the territory of 1.8 million people. It has also restricted the flow of goods into Gaza and blocked virtually all exports. Israel says the closure is necessary to prevent arms smuggling.
A member of the Palestinian delegation at the Cairo talks said a proposal this week calls for easing at least parts of the blockade. “We would like to see more cross-border freedom, and also to have the question of a Gaza seaport and airport discussed,” he said. A Palestinian-controlled seaport could transform lives.
Only about 13,000 Gaza residents with special clearance, such as medical patients and traders, are able to leave the territory each month through land crossings.
Cite this clipping
"For peace, look to the sea," The Idaho Statesman, 14 August 2014. Covering Palestine archive, CP-2014-047. https://coveringpalestine.org/archive/cp-2014-047
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Last updated 2 November 2026
This record is part of Covering Palestine, an archive of American newspaper clippings about Palestinians, 1724 to 2023. Researched and assembled by Maria Robles.
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