News - Middle East: Two Palestinian industrial institutions in the Gaza Strip have strongly condemned Israel’s latest decision to close the Kerem Shalom crossing for exports from the Gaza Strip, describing the move as a collective punishment that exacerbates the sufferings of the people in the besieged territory.

Waddah Bseiso, the spokesman for the General Federation of Palestinian Industries, said at a press conference on Tuesday that the Israeli decision will have negative repercussions and greatly affect Gaza’s economy, particularly the industrial sector, Palestine’s official Wafa news agency reported.
The decision threatens the closure of hundreds of industrial facilities that heavily depend on export and will lead to laying off thousands of workers, he added.
Bseiso further called on Israel to retract the decision, saying any actions that lead to the closing of the crossing are rejected by the industrial sector, which is to export standards and procedures.
Ayed Abu Ramadan, the head of the Union of Chamber of Commerce in the Gaza Strip and Secretary of the Coordination Council for Private Sector Institutions, also condemned the Israeli decision, stressing that the closure is an “unjustified escalation” in the 18-year-long Israeli blockade on the impoverished coastal territory.