Israel Allows Transfer of Construction Materials for Gaza Hospital

Israel's Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu has agreed to transfer construction materials into the Gaza Strip in order to rebuild a Gaza hospital damaged during Operation Cast Lead.  Until now Israel has not allowed cement and other constuction materials into the Gaza Strip.

Ha'aretz reports that the move is a gesture to France for stepping up its pressure on Iran:

.Netanyahu told Sarkozy by phone Tuesday that he had decided to approve the project as a humanitarian gesture. The premier also said he wished to accommodate Paris due to the "strident stance that France has taken on Iran's nuclear program."

Sarkozy made the request during Netanyahu's visit to Paris earlier this year. The hospital in question is Al-Quds Hospital, which is managed by the Red Crescent Society in Gaza.

Sarkozy added that the initiative is a joint venture between France and Qatar, the wealthy Gulf sheikhdom that broke off relations with Israel during the Gaza war.

The prime minister told Sarkozy earlier this year that Israel would consult with the defense establishment on the matter, yet in practice nothing materialized.

Last week, Netanyahu and Sarkozy met on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly opening session in New York. A source in the prime minister's bureau said that Sarkozy raised the issue again during the meeting. Netanyahu, in turn, promised to update the French leader within a number of days.