Saturday, January 8, 2011

Of bribes and blockades

"The June 14, 2006, cable released on Thursday said distributors for major American companies that included Coca-Cola Co., Caterpillar Inc. and Motorola Inc. complained of widespread corruption at the border crossing:
As of late May 34 shipments of American goods, amounting to nearly USD $1.9m, have been waiting three to four months to cross into Gaza. US distributors assert they are being asked to pay "special fees" which amount to as much as 75 times the standard processing fee as quoted by GOI [Government of Israel] officials.
Israeli officials denied any wrongdoing at the Karni crossing, which was once a major shipping point for cargo entering Gaza. Its operations were scaled back after Hamas seized control of Gaza in June 2007." (Thanks Anne)

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/middleeast/2011/01/20111617116558943.html

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