JERUSALEM - Israel decided to cut off electricity for the Gaza Strip. This is done after the Palestinian Authority pays less electricity bills. This decision may be fatal to health and the environment in the enclave.
The Israeli security cabinet unanimously decided to cut off the Gaza Strip's electricity supply on Monday. The decision was made after the Palestinian Authority limited how much it would cost to supply electricity to the enclave.
"This is Abbas's decision that Israel's paying for Gaza's electricity bill is an unlikely situation," Israeli Public Security Minister Gilad Erdan was quoted as saying by Russia Today on Tuesday (13/6/2017).
Last month, the Palestinian Authority informed Israel that the payout will only cover 70 percent of the monthly electricity costs supplied by Israel Electric Corporation to the Gaza Strip.
The Gaza Strip has been controlled by the Hamas movement since the 2007 conflict with the Fatah party, led by West Bank-based Mahmoud Abbas. All efforts to achieve reconciliation between the two sides have failed so far.
Payment for electricity is deducted by Israel from Palestinian tax revenues collected on behalf of the Palestinian Authority. Tel Aviv does not deal with Hamas and considers it a terrorist group.
A Palestinian Authority official publicly admits that the electrical disputes are aimed at bringing the Gaza Strip under control.
"We are renewing calls to the Hamas movement and the de facto government there to hand over to us all the responsibility of government institutions in Gaza so that the government can best serve our people in Gaza," Palestinian Authority spokesman Tareq Rashmawi said.
According to a spokesman for the Health Ministry in Gaza Ashraf al-Qidra, the decision may be fatal to Gaza's health situation. This is because the medical facilities in the enclave have much to rely on small generators.
Hamas has condemned the decision to cut power supplies to Gaza as disastrous and dangerous, and threaten both Israel and Palestinian authorities.
"The occupation's decision to reduce electricity to Gaza at the request of Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas is catastrophic and dangerous, which will accelerate the deterioration and blow up the situation in the Gaza Strip," Hamas spokesman Abdel Latif al-Qanua said.
"Those who will bear the consequences of this decision are Israeli enemies, who are besieging the Gaza Strip, and Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas," he added.
Dr. Asa'ad Abu Skarekh, a professor at Al-Azhar University in Gaza, called the move a collective punishment by Palestinians by Israel, saying people depend on electricity for life support and ordinary people will suffer most.
"In hospitals in Gaza, there are people who live on life support machines.There are children, there are babies, there are people who suffer from kidney disease, from cancer unless there is electricity, these people will suffer. Maybe they will die, of course we need electricity for universities, for our schools, for our welfare, to cook us Electricity must be provided for all aspects of life, "said Skarekh.
Skarekh said that Israel is internationally recognized for occupying Gaza, and thus responsible for the welfare of the people living there. He also achieved, at the same time, the international community did not punish Israel for because as he said racial law against the Palestinian people. "
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