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Ignoring security concerns? Israeli OKs import of motorcycle parts to Gaza

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories did not answer an inquiry from Channel 12 regarding the decision.

By World Israel News Staff

After years of refusing to allow the importation of spare parts for motorcycles to the Gaza Strip out of fear that the materials could be used for terror purposes, Palestinian officials announced that Israel had permitted a massive shipment of the parts.

“The Ministry of Transportation in Ramallah is announcing that the Israeli side is allowing the importation of motorcycle spare parts into the Strip, for the first time” in years, said the chairman of the Gaza merchants’ Union in a media statement quoted by Channel 12.

The chair added that the decision came after “many efforts to permit their entry, after Israel repeatedly rejected the import in the past.”

Anis Arafat, a spokesman from the Gaza Ministry of Transportation, told Arabic-language media outlets that the importation of the parts would “have a positive effect on the high prices and prevent monopolies in the [local] markets.”

The Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT) body, which is a unit of the Defense Ministry that coordinates on civilian issues between the Israeli government and the Palestinian Authority, did not answer an inquiry from Channel 12 regarding the decision.

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But while the importation of the parts is likely good news for Gazan consumers and its transport authorities, there are major security concerns that come along with the move.

The reason why Israel would not permit the transfer of the materials for many years is because many elements within those imports could be used for anything from bomb-making to helping terrorists flee targeted IDF assassinations.

Hamas often leverages motorcycles in order to transfer weapons and even rockets throughout the Strip and transport terrorists to rocket launch sites in remote areas closer to Israeli communities.