Erez Crossing

March 8th, 2004

Dear Friend,

On February 26, 2004, an IDF soldier was killed when a terrorist shot at an army post in the Erez Industrial Zone. Relatively easy access to the shared industrial zones makes them a preferred target for terrorist groups; since September 2000, there has been a dramatic increase in the attacks against those areas.

Erez Industrial Zone:
The area, built 30 years ago, today has more than 200 factories, half of which are owned by Palestinians. 4,500 Palestinians work today in Erez, and earn 90 shekels a day (by comparison, in Gaza workers earn 50 shekels a day). Since September 2000, there have been many attacks in the area, among them: January 2004: four soldiers were killed and 10 were injured in a suicide attack. Hamas took responsibility for the attack. In the same month the IDF arrested Gamal Barchat, who admitted he was planning a suicide attack in the area. June 2003: four soldiers were killed and 4 more were injured in a shooting against an army post. March 2003: Two bombs were found in the area, one attached to the bottom of a car and the other found near a factory in the area. February 2003: A terrorist from the Islamic Jihad group infiltrated the area and opened fire before being killed by soldiers protecting the post. June 2002: A soldier was injured when a grenade was thrown at an army post by a terrorist from the Islamic Jihad. April 2002: one soldier was killed and 4 more injured in a suicide attack.

Karni Industrial Zone:
Approximately 700-800 trucks containing goods to and from the Gaza Strip pass everyday through the Karny Crossing. As at the Erez Crossing, there has been a dramatic increase in attacks at the Karni Crossing since September 2000, in addition to an epidemic of weapons smuggling into the Gaza Strip. June 2003: A fake permit to transfer 20 tons of sulfuric acid to Gaza was found by the army. The acid, which is used for making explosives, had already been transferred to Gaza. December 2002: 7,500 bullets were found in a truck attempting to enter Gaza through the Karni crossing. October 2002: The IDF stopped a truck trying to smuggle a caravan into Gaza containing 2,000 bullets. August 2002: Basal Arif, a member of the Palestinian Security force, revealed during investigation that 1,500 guns and half a million bullets were smuggled into Gaza through the Karni Pass in the last three years. The attacks and the smuggling have hurt business in the area. Before September 2000, there were 31 factories and 2,000 Palestinians workers in the area; today, there are only 17 factories and 900 workers.

Atarot Industrial Zone:
The area was built in the '70s and, like the other areas, has suffered many attacks since September 2000: February 2002: A former coffee factory employee, a member of the Tanzim group, murdered the Israeli owner of the factory. January 2001: The manager of a factory in the area was shot and killed while driving his car. The attacks in all these areas hurt the businesses and the people who work there. Many Palestinians who used to work in the industrial zones have, as a result of the attacks, lost their jobs. Palestinian Terrorism hurt the Palestinian people more than anything else. Stopping the Palestinian Terrorism should be a priority for the palestinian people.

Thank you for your time. For more information please visit the Consulate's website.
If you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact me.

Sincerely,

Yariv Ovadia
Consul for Communications and Public Affairs