Israel to allow Gaza to import legos to aid in reconstruction

The Israeli government said on Wednesday it would permit the importation of legos, sticker tape, animal feces and limited quantities of good intentions and hope into Gaza, in a limited lifting of the years-long embargo to ensure there is something to bomb in the next military campaign.

Tel Aviv announced the limited concession after banning cylindrical tubes, iron, steel, wood panels that are more than a few centimeters wide, cement, 4×4 vehicles, sugar and cocoa powder, a move that disappointed patrons and allies that had hoped to capitalize on providing limited reconstruction funds to the Palestinians for PR efforts.

A government spokesman said both American and Chinese iterations of legos would be allowed for the purposes of paving roads and sidewalks, building manhole covers, as well as room partitions, roofs and pillars for buildings.

Sticker tape and paper in the form of Arabic and Hebrew newspapers will also be allowed in, and can be used to line the walls of homes in lieu of emulsion paint, which remains banned, the spokesman said. Decorative paper will also be permitted and can be used as wallpaper, but some colors, including green, red, white and black will remain banned.

The spokesman said feces from livestock can also be used after hardening instead of cement, and shipments will begin immediately from Israel proper. In addition, limited quantities of good intentions and hope will be allowed into Gaza, despite posing a strategic threat, as a gesture of goodwill.

In a supplemental press release, the Israeli government said it would no longer ban the entry of condoms into the strip after years of proscribing them due to their potential use as incendiary balloons, in order to limit the area’s birth rate. Plastic pink toy cameras will also be allowed and can be used by human rights activists and journalists to document abuses, a move the government said shows its commitment to the work of journalists and civil society in the area.