Israel Details Easing of Its Gaza Blockade

JERUSALEM — Israel on Monday announced details of the easing of its blockade of Gaza, and the Israeli defense minister held a rare face-to-face meeting here with the Palestinian prime minister in a flurry of activity apparently intended to show diplomatic momentum ahead of the Israeli prime minister’s meeting with President Obama, scheduled for Tuesday in Washington.

Tara Todras-Whitehill/Associated Press

Israel’s defense minister, Ehud Barak, left, met with the Palestinian prime minister, Salam Fayyad, in Jerusalem on Monday.

After a rocky few months in Israeli-American relations, officials on both sides seemed eager to move to a smoother footing and show progress in the Israeli-Palestinian peace process, in which the Obama administration has invested heavily.

American-brokered indirect peace talks started in May after a year of efforts. Daniel Shapiro, a senior Middle East adviser at the National Security Council, said Friday that in the weeks since, “the gaps have been narrowed.”

Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu said over the weekend that the “main goal” of his meeting with Mr. Obama would be to advance to direct talks with the Palestinians, as well as to discuss security issues like Iran’s nuclear drive. Yossi Gal, the director general of Israel’s Foreign Ministry, said the “significant steps” that Israel had taken regarding Gaza would also be raised.

But Palestinians say little has been achieved so far, and they have tried to dispel any inflated notions of progress. “What I see is all public relations,” Saeb Erekat, the chief Palestinian negotiator, said Monday by telephone.

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