Gaza... not yet out of the woodwork

In a statement widely reported in the media, the Israeli military announced last week that Gaza furniture makers will be allowed to ship their goods to Europe. The announcement was made almost a year after the Israeli government had stated it would allow increased exports out of Gaza as part of measures to "ease" the blockade.

But despite the latest announcement, no exports have made it out thus far. "We've been hearing promises for months, and we're ready to ship our products abroad if only Israel allows us to," the deputy manager of Al Issi Furniture Company, Abu Jamal (in picture), told Oxfam. The company is one of the Gaza Strip's biggest furniture makers but since the blockade was imposed, its workforce was cut by 60%.

"We used to sell more than half of our products to Israel and the West Bank, where our prices would fetch 100% more than what the Palestinians in Gaza can afford to pay," Abu Jamal said.

"Since 2004 we've been denied access to the outside market and until today it's still the same for us. If Israel opens the gates to export we can start shipping our goods from tomorrow."

Even if Israel were to allow furniture exports, the benefit to Gaza would still be limited as the traditional market destinations - Israel and the West Bank - remain restricted. Before the blockade, 90 percent of garments, 76 percent of furniture products and 20 percent of food products produced in Gaza were marketed in the West Bank and Israel.

"This announcement means next to nothing for Gaza's furniture industry," said the Director of Oxfam partner PalTrade, Hanan Taha. "Businessmen need to establish new contacts in Europe while they are still under blockade. Israel - which was the traditional 'middleman' for Gaza's export - remains banned, and so is the West Bank market, which used to provide the other bulk of Gaza's traditional trading business. Gaza can provide high quality furniture, but finding the market in these conditions is very hard."

Gaza has had no exports since last May, when one truckload of flowers was allowed out to the Netherlands, as part of a special agreement.

Taha said the situation remained still too unstable to provide any respite for Gaza's businessmen.

"It's all too risky for businessmen who have time and again invested in their businesses only to see the doors closed again," PalTrade's director said. "We can only start talking of exports once Gaza's blockade is completely lifted."