03/07/2009 The Israeli defense establishment recommended easing the siege on Gaza, mainly at the crossings, in order to advance the talks aimed at securing captured Israeli occupation soldier Gilad Shalit's release.
 
The recommendations – some of which have already been approved by the defense minister and will be brought to the political echelon's approval – have been obtained by Israeli newspaper Ynet and are revealed for the first time. They include allowing the transfer of coffee, tea, soup and canned food into Gaza, as well as fuel for electricity production.
 
The full recommendations were submitted at the beginning of the week, and are expected to be approved by Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak and Israeli military Chief of Staff Gabi Ashkenazi, who are expected to approve them. Later, the matter will be brought to the approval of Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and the five members of his limited forum, and perhaps even to the National Security Cabinet. 
 
Beyond the aim of securing the captured soldier's release, the ease of restrictions is a response to the increasing international pressure to improve the situation in Gaza, repeated appeals by Egypt, the ongoing “smuggling” of humanitarian equipment through underground tunnels at the Philadelphi route, and US President Barack Obama's speech in Cairo, Ynet said.
The plan is to implement the program in a gradual manner, as the Egyptian-mediated talks for Shalit's release and for a truce between Israel and Hamas progress.
 
The lines guiding the recommendations' authors were separating between the humanitarian aid, which may help advance Shalit's release, and rebuilding the Gaza Strip with what is defined as "cement, concrete and iron" – which may help “terror organizations” improve their military infrastructure, the daily added.
 
“The political echelon is recommended to continue transferring funds of international organizations to the Red Cross and to the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA), as well as allow the payment of salaries to Palestinian Authority workers "as a tool for bolstering the Salam Fayyad government", through a monthly transfer of NIS 50 million ($12.9 million) from banks in the West Banks to banks in Gaza. The recommendations' authors hope that all this will advance the negotiations and bring Gilad Shalit home.”