(C) Daily Kos This story was originally published by Daily Kos and is unaltered. . . . . . . . . . . Israel [finally] gives Cyprus preliminary OK for major aid to Gaza by sea. Challenges remain. [1] ['This Content Is Not Subject To Review Daily Kos Staff Prior To Publication.'] Date: 2023-12-28 Cyprus first proposed this October 31 or earlier. TimesOfIsrael/AFP - December 28, 2023 Israel has given preliminary approval to Cyprus for a maritime humanitarian corridor [“with Israeli supervision”] to ship aid to the besieged and war-torn Gaza Strip, the Foreign Ministry says [“but there are still some logistical problems waiting to be solved.”]... ...Cyprus [had] proposed establishing a humanitarian [sea-lane] corridor to collect, inspect and store aid on the east Mediterranean island before shipping it to Gaza, some 210 nautical miles away. Official sources tell the Cyprus News Agency that Cyprus had completed its part of the necessary procedures, but the issue of the security of the ships and their crews approaching Gaza was raised, as well as who would receive the aid. During a visit to Nicosia last week, Foreign Minister Eli Cohen expressed support for creating a fast-track process for humanitarian aid sent to Gaza by sea. He said Cyprus, Israel and other regional partners are promoting the initiative to facilitate the transfer of aid “in an organized and well-inspected manner.” New Delhi Television Ltd/Agence France Presse — December 28 ...The proposal, in the works for more than a month, aims to deliver large quantities of badly needed aid to Palestinians in Gaza, where Israel has waged a nearly three-month war against the Hamas group which rules the territory. Gaza's 2.4 million people are suffering chronic shortages of water, food, fuel and medicine, with only limited aid entering the Palestinian coastal territory…. ...Under the plan, the aid would be checked in Cyprus by a joint committee, including representatives from Israel. The initiative aims to enhance humanitarian relief to Gaza by importing large volumes by ship instead of the limited deliveries by truck through the Rafah border crossing with Egypt. Nicosia said it is ready to deliver large quantities of aid through this "maritime lifeline" expected to provide "a sustained flow of high-volume humanitarian assistance to the civilians" in Gaza. Israel is facing growing international pressure to increase desperately needed aid to Gaza... Greek City Times - December 29 (their time) reported on a December 28 front-page exclusive in Israel Hayom that the Israeli Ministry of Foreign Affairs announced acceptance in principle to the Republic of Cyprus and the United Kingdom on a humanitarian sea corridor to Gaza, with shipments to begin upon completion of the required preparations. [It report attributes the proposal jointly to] Cyprus and Greece ...at the beginning of the war [with Israel having announced] that in the future it would not have any responsibility for the daily living conditions [of the] Gaza Strip. [Upon that announcement, various other proposals were made to the Ministry of Foreign Affairs as well; this one was prioritized.] [FM Cohen visited Cyprus last week to inspect] the “Zeno” operations centre in Larnaca, together with his Cypriot counterpart, Constantinos Kombos, and specifically the area where an Israeli team will carry out the security check of the material that will be transported to Gaza… ...the purpose of the sea humanitarian corridor will be the complete [economic] disengagement of Israel from Gaza ... and will not allow the revival of the reality that existed before the murderous attack of Hamas on October 7. [The Israel Hayom article cited Israeli FM sources saying] the anchorage located in Al-Mawashi settlement, port of the city of Khan Yunis, will be designated on the coast of the southern part of the Gaza Strip…. Cyprus Mail - December 28 Israel’s ‘green light’ for the ‘Amalthia’ humanitarian plan aid corridor to Gaza from Cyprus remains vague. Official reticence on information both on the ‘Amalthia’ plan and on the location of the British navy’s aid vessel dispatched last week suggest that the humanitarian maritime corridor is still far from becoming a reality. Sources cited by the Cyprus News Agency (CNA) said Israel has greenlighted ‘in principle’ the creation of [the Cyprus’ government- dubbed] ‘Amalthia’ humanitarian plan [but Cyprus Mail requests] to the president’s office and the foreign ministry for comment yielded no answers. On Thursday afternoon, an anonymous source presumably close to the government told CNA that “the conditions for the full implementation of Cyprus’ initiative for humanitarian aid to Gaza, as well as the related timeline, are affected by [factors beyond our control].” “The ‘Amalthia’ plan is ... at a sensitive point ...[we are] doing everything we can to help. And we will continue,” ... [he added that there is international consensus on the escalating need to provide aid Gaza’s civilian population, and the] moral obligation to work in that direction. was changed due to security concerns. ...According to the latest reports, the [the fate of the British naval vessel identified as RFA Lyme Bay, which was dispatched over a week ago with 80 tonnes of humanitarian aid to Gaza via Cyprus, remains unclear; its scheduled route] Images circulating online showed the vessel docked in Malta. However, no official government sources have confirmed its current exact location, which continues to remain a mystery… ...According to Cohen, the choice of Larnaca port was for Israel to avoid any direct contact with Gaza, as the vessels’ cargo would have been inspected on Cypriot soil,... KNEWS/Kathimerini Cyprus-English - December 28 Cyprus-Israel humanitarian corridor … faces challenges ...Cyprus has completed its procedures, the sources said, but there are other issues still pending, such as ensuring the security and safety of the ships and crews that will approach the port of Gaza as well as determining who will receive the aid, and ensuring it will be distributed to the population…. From TheNewArab - December 5 Cyprus president visits Egypt, Jordan [and Qatar] Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides visited Egypt and Jordan in a diplomatic shuttle on [December 5] to discuss a maritime corridor to deliver aid directly to Israeli-besieged Gaza. [Cyprus] has spearheaded a drive to establish an aid corridor from its port city of Larnaca directly into Gaza, which has been pounded by Israel for two months. In brief visits to Egypt and Jordan, Cypriot President Nikos Christodoulides “.. referred to specific aspects of the initiative for a maritime corridor for the unimpeded provision of humanitarian aid to the unarmed population in Gaza," a statement from the Cypriot presidency said… ...Christodoulides also visited Qatar last week. The Cypriot plan is aimed at expanding capacity for humanitarian relief directly to the Gaza Strip beyond limited deliveries being made through the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Palestinian territory. Britain has already offered Cyprus vessels to get aid into Gaza, and last week dispatched 80 tonnes of aid ... for when the corridor materialises. In Jordan, Christodoulides discussed the initiative at length with King Abdullah, who, the presidency said, has publicly expressed support. ["Both Jordan and Egypt recognise the added value of the corridor," a Cypriot official added.] "(They) agreed to remain in constant contact to promote this initiative, but also on efforts to de-escalate and encourage a political horizon, on the basis of a two-state solution," Cyprus's presidency said, referring to the Israeli-Palestinian conflict. Backstory and scope-proposal (mine) HERE. See also: $155m 2023-24 EU additional short term aid package to Palestinian Authority for West Bank & Gaza [END] --- [1] Url: https://www.dailykos.com/stories/2023/12/28/2214317/-Israel-finally-gives-Cyprus-preliminary-OK-for-aid-to-Gaza-by-sea?pm_campaign=front_page&pm_source=trending&pm_medium=web Published and (C) by Daily Kos Content appears here under this condition or license: Site content may be used for any purpose without permission unless otherwise specified. via Magical.Fish Gopher News Feeds: gopher://magical.fish/1/feeds/news/dailykos/