GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip — For the first time since 2007, a sewing company in Gaza has exported a shipment of ready-made clothes to the Israeli market through the Kerem Shalom commercial crossing on Aug. 28.
The Israeli decision to allow this shipment came after meetings and understandings between Palestinian and Israeli trade delegations at the Erez crossing in the northern Gaza Strip on Nov. 23, 2015. The goal was to overcome obstacles to the transportation and marketing of clothing products exported from the Gaza Strip to Israel.
An agreement was reached at the time to allow transportation of clothes from the Gaza Strip to the West Bank to then be transferred to Israel. This came within the scope of the economic and living facilities announced by Israel to the residents of Gaza after the end of the 2014 Israeli-Gaza war. Indeed, this agreement was implemented until Aug. 28, when a shipment of clothes went directly from the Gaza Strip to Israel for the first time since 2007.
Bashir al-Bawwab, the head of UniPal 2000, the sewing company that exported the shipment, told Al-Monitor that the shipment included 3,500 pieces of ready-made clothes for the fall and winter seasons, including 2,100 pieces of long-sleeved blouses and blazers, 800 pieces of jeans and trousers, and 600 pieces of children’s clothing. “This is likely to restore the lost confidence between the Palestinian and Israeli suppliers,” Bawwab said.
AL-MONITOR All-Access gives you unlimited access to all our journalism, the full Daily Briefing, exclusive interviews, premium newsletters, and live events — for less than $2/week.
