On February 17, 2015, the military announced a string of relaxation measures in the siege on Gaza, aimed at "assisting the residents and the reconstruction of the Gaza Strip". The military decided, inter alia, to allow the transfer of 45 tractors for farming, increase the daily quota of permits given to merchants for entry to Israel and to the West Bank, and expand export of agricultural and industrial products from Gaza.
On the following day,
the military published a document listing the relaxation measures regarding permits of exit from Gaza, among them the approval of entry of 50 students from Gaza to the West Bank. Despite the small number allowed, this was an exceptional step, as travel of students from Gaza to the West Bank for academic studies has not been allowed since 2000. But the optimism turned out to be premature: on February 19, 2015, the military informed human rights organization Gisha that with regards to the exit of students, the document was incorrect due to a clerical error. The published document was withdrawn.
Once again, the dismal reality created by the siege on Gaza has been exposed, a reality where economic interests, arbitrary conduct, and, it now turns out, also clerical errors dictate the lives of millions of Palestinians.
