Since his visit to Israel in May, foreign affairs minister Maxime Verhagen has repeatedly called on Israeli ministers, including defence minister Ehud Barak, to open the border.
Mr Verhagen underscored the political and socioeconomic significance of the Dutch flower project. 'Since Hamas took control of Gaza, the economy has practically come to a standstill. It is important to offer the people of Gaza an alternative, the prospect of a better future, based on peaceful economic cooperation between Palestinians and Israelis.'
The project, which is worth one million euros, provides jobs for more than 1500 Palestinians. In the next few days, eleven trucks will deliver Dutch seeds to the growers in Gaza. The flowers - carnations - should be ready for sale round Christmas, Valentine's Day and Easter.
With the help of Dutch development aid, Palestinian farmers have been growing carnations, strawberries and tomatoes since 2005. Israeli exporters sell the carnations at the flower auction in Aalsmeer. A ceasefire was agreed for Gaza on 19 June, and Israel subsequently reopened its border crossings. Nonetheless, famers in Gaza had not been able to import seeds for the coming season until today.