Israeli Energy Minister Blocks Electricity Cuts To Gaza, But AP Still Paints Israel In Bad Light
David Lange
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Over a month ago, I posted how the PA had informed Israel it would stop paying for electricity to the Gaza Strip, all due to a power struggle with Hamas.
Electricity to Gaza has already been reduced because of this, but now Israel’s Energy Minister has indicated he does not want to allow any additional cuts.
But note how AP – who wrote the following report – still finds a way to paint Israel in a bad light (no pun intended)
Sebastien Leban/Al Jazeera
Abbas, whose government pays Israel for the electricity, has stepped up financial pressure on Hamas in recent weeks by threatening to reduce its funding in hopes of forcing his rivals to cede ground.
But in a new twist, Israeli Energy Minister Yuval Steinitz said he would block any additional electricity cuts until further review. Steinitz argued that Israel, which supplies only 30% of Gaza’s power needs, should not be drawn into an internal Palestinian problem, a decision that also effectively shields Hamas, Israel’s enemy, against Abbas.
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The Israeli electricity is funded by the Abbas government at a cost of about $11 million a month, which Israel deducts from the taxes it routinely collects on behalf of the Palestinian Authority. Israeli authorities deal with the PA on electrical and fuel supplies for Gaza because Israel does not engage with Hamas.
In May, the Palestinian Authority informed Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories Maj. Gen. Yoav Mordechai that it would only cover up to $7 million of the monthly electricity bill. In response, Mordechai said last week that electricity in Gaza would have to be scaled back further.
This elicited a sharp response from Steinitz. In a letter to Mordechai, the energy minister wrote that “we should be the ones to decide where to cut electricity,” sarcastically suggesting Abbas’ headquarters in Ramallah as a starting point. Israel should “not become a pawn in their [the Palestinians] hands.”
The Energy Ministry said Steinitz will seek a broader review of the issue.
Further proof that Israel actually cares about the palestinians more than their own leaders. And the mainstream media couldn’t care less.
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David Lange
