Israel to Begin Reopening Gaza Crossings Closed After Bus Attack

Israel will begin this week reopening Gaza Strip border crossings that were sealed after the deadly bombing of a Tel Aviv bus, Prime Minister Yitzhak Rabin said Sunday. But he promised to do “whatever is needed” to stop violence by Palestinian militants.

About 30,000 Palestinians who live in the PLO-run Gaza Strip have been unable to get to their jobs in Israel since Israel closed the borders in response to the Oct. 19 bus bombing that killed 23 people.

Rabin met for an hour in Casablanca on Sunday with Palestine Liberation Organization leader Yasser Arafat before the opening of a Middle East and North African summit aimed at promoting economic development in the region.

It was their first meeting since the Tel Aviv bombing and the signing of the Israel-Jordan peace treaty, which Arafat has strongly criticized.

The Palestinians had demanded a complete and immediate reopening of the Gaza crossings. Rabin said he told Arafat that, starting Tuesday, “we gradually will lift the closure.”

In addition, Palestinian officers will be allowed to take up positions at two border crossings, the Allenby Bridge between Jordan and the West Bank, and the Rafah crossing between Egypt and the Gaza Strip, Rabin said.

Rabin said he and Arafat would talk again in a week. A Palestinian source speaking on condition of anonymity said the meeting would take place next Monday in Erez, the main Gaza-Israel crossing.