Gaza: Israeli Defense Minister Ehud Barak decided to keep Israel’s borders with the Gaza Strip closed on Wednesday, continuing a two-week-long strict blockade.

The renewal of the blockade was a rejection of calls by senior United Nations officials, including Secretary-General Ban Ki-Moon to allow humanitarian aid into Gaza.

Ban phoned Israeli Prime Minister Ehud Olmert on Tuesday to urge him to ease the blockade. According to the UN, Olmert promised to "look seriously into the urgent matter" of the blockade.

Wednesday's order means that the Israeli military will continue to turn away trucks carrying food, medicine, fuel, and other essential goods before they can reach Gaza's 1.5 million residents.

The closure was ordered on the pretext of Palestinian homemade projectiles fired from Gaza into Israel. Israeli radio reported that this decision came after a meeting Barak …