(NEWS) The Netherlands Hosts Gaza Counter-Arms Smuggling Meeting

"The Gaza Counter-Arms Smuggling Initiative has just concluded a two-day meeting in The Hague. It was the fifth meeting of this international working group, whose aim is to stop weapons being smuggled into Gaza by sea. The participating countries were Canada, Denmark, France, Germany, Italy, the Netherlands, Norway, the United Kingdom and the United States. The EU and Israel attended as observers.

The participants discussed ways of improving cooperation, e.g. intelligence sharing, joint diplomatic pressure and possible interceptions at sea. They also discussed how to work with private international shipping companies and port companies, and visited the port of Rotterdam.

The group was set up in 2009 to prevent and interdict the illicit trafficking of arms into the Gaza Strip, and is part of the international community’s efforts to achieve a permanent ceasefire in Gaza and to support conditions for success in the Palestinian-Israeli negotiations. This means an end to all violence, including rocket attacks on Israel and other hostilities targeting civilians, unhindered access to Gaza for humanitarian aid and the permanent reopening of border crossings for people and ordinary goods.

Since the group’s formation, the countries involved have been in regular contact on how to work together to achieve its goals." (source)