Israeli minister of agriculture Shalom Simhon met with his Palestinian equivalent Mahmoud Habash this week, to discuss the possibility of re-allowing fresh produce exports from the Gaza region.
Last week, Israel turned down a request by the Dutch government to enable the export of flowers from Gaza to Europe. The Netherlands has invested €20 million (£14m) in flower production in Gaza, with the aim of sending product to the Dutch auction in Aalsmeer.
But, based on the Israeli cabinet’s decision that the Gaza region is a “hostile entity”, Israel has barred the export of flowers and other fresh produce items from Gaza to Europe, as these are traditionally transported through Israel.
As a result, some 800,000 flowers were reportedly destroyed last week in Gaza.
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