Gazan Businessmen Demands Hamas Embargo As Israel Relaxes Restrictions

In Gaza, this is what passes for normalcy:

Gaza Juice Maker Seeks Protection as Israel Relaxes Blockade

Israel’s blockade of the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip has been a bonanza for Palestine Food Industries Co., the only functioning juice maker in the Gaza Strip, with sales increasing ten-fold as the embargo kept out competition.

Now, as Israel relaxes its restrictions, the company has joined fellow manufacturers including Pepsi-Cola bottlers Yazegi Group in demanding that Hamas protect local industries and refuse imports of juice, soda and snack foods. Officials of the Islamic movement have heeded the calls and are barring entry of such items as Israeli grapefruit juice and potato chips.


“The policy of the government is to protect and maintain local products and industry and employ a large number of workers who have no job due to the siege,” Ziad Zaza, the Hamas economy minister, said in an e-mailed response to questions about the restrictions on Israeli goods.

When can we expect a list of what goods Hamas will allow into Gaza?

No mention that the policy of Hamas is also to destroy its next door neighbor, or that its policy over the last decade has been to fire rockets at Israeli civilian targets.

Truth be told, if the policy of the government was "to protect and maintain," it wouldn't be firing rockets on Israel or hiding in a hospital basement when Israel tries to put a stop to it.

Building bunkers next to schools and hospitals for Gazans to seek protection instead of being built for weapons storage and serving as targets for the IDF might be an idea too.

But what do you expect when you elect terrorists?

Technorati Tag: Gaza and Hamas.