US businesses complained that Israeli officials demanded bribes in order to allow American goods into Gaza, according to a diplomatic cable released by WikiLeaks on Thursday.
The cable, released in June 2006, explains that "shipments of American goods, amounting to nearly USD 1.9 million dollars, have been waiting three to four months to cross into Gaza. US distributors assert they are being asked to pay 'special fees' which amount to as much as 75 times the standard processing fee."
RELATED:IDF will boost trucks to Gaza by 200%'Israel aimed to keep Gaza economy on brink of collapse'The distributors are some of the more recognizable American brands, such as Coca-Cola, Proctor & Gamble, Caterpillar, Philip Morris, Hewlett Packard, Motorola and Dell computers.
The cable reads: "The normal cost of shipping cargo is USD 600-650...and
the standard processing fee at Karni is NIS 370...[Coca Cola
distributor Joerg] Hartmann alleged that he has been asked to pay as
much as NIS 13,000-15,000 per truckload. The AmCit Westinghouse general
manager supplied FCS with invoices where he was charged NIS 14,000 and
NIS 28,000 per truckload."
Distributors who pay the bribes are guaranteed the first place in line,
or a spot near the front of the "Israeli line," which moves more
quickly. Hartmann said that the bribery ring was headed by "a certain
high-leve official at the terminal."
In a meeting between the distributors, US embassy officials and Karni
officials, the Israelis "did not address the issue of bribes, but
suggested that the USG either push the Palestinian Authority to allow
the businessmen to ship through Kerem Shalom or fund the purchase of
more conveyor belts at Karni."
