TEL AVIV - Israel said Sunday it was easing a land blockade on the Gaza Strip to allow in all goods except for arms and materials used to make them. The softening of a policy criticized as collective punishment of Gaza's 1.5 million Palestinians to weaken their hardline Islamist leaders follows an Israeli raid on a blockade-running flotilla in which nine activists died. The United States quickly welcomed the shift and said President Barack Obama would hold a delayed meeting with Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu in Washington on July 6. Israel's old rules banned everything it chose not to let in. Netanyahu said Israel would "as quickly as possible" publish a list of banned goods and all items not on it would be allowed in to the Palestinian territory run by the Hamas Islamist group. "Israel seeks to keep out of Gaza weapons and material that Hamas uses to prepare and carry out terror and rocket attacks against Israel and its civilians," he said. "All other goods will be allowed into Gaza." Israel has been under pressure to ease its blockade since the May 31 raid on ships bringing aid to Gaza. Israel says the nine Turkish activists killed were waiting to attack Israeli commandos but the outcome sparked an international outcry. Israel's allies, including the United States and the EU, said the blockade was a failing policy that had become counter-productive and difficult to defend.
