Prime Minister Binyamin Netanyahu has ordered the military establishment to arrange the transfer of NIS 50 million in bills to be transferred to Hamas-controlled Gaza to permit payment of salaries. The matter was discussed in a meeting on Wednesday between the prime minister and Quartet Mideast envoy Tony Blair.

Blair delivered a complaint from PA Prime Minister Salim Fayyad, who insists Israel is blocking the transfer of funds, making payment of salaries impossible.

The prime minister signals that the sum approved is lower than requested by the PA, which is seeking cash capital to assist in stabilizing its banking system.

On Thursday morning, protesters took up position at Erez Crossing to block the transfer of funds into Gaza, demanding information on captive IDF soldier Gilad Shalit. They demanded that at the very least, the handover of funds should be linked to a demand to permit a representative of the International Red Cross to visit Shalit. Protestors used tractors and other vehicles to block the crossing into Gaza.

(Yechiel Spira – YWN Israel)