[News] Gaza - Pitch black under siege

[Anti-Imperialist News]

Pitch black under siege

By 
<http://palestinethinktank.com/author/Haitham/>Haitham Sabbah • Apr 20th, 2010
http://palestinethinktank.com/2010/04/20/saleh-al-naami-pitch-black-under-siege/


By Saleh Al-Naami

Dr Moawya Hassanein, head of Emergency Medicine 
at the Palestinian Ministry of Health, warns that 
the lives of thousands of patients with kidney 
failure who require dialysis three times a week 
are at risk because of power failures. "There is 
little we can do at hospitals for patients with 
heart disease, cancer, in the ICU or premature 
babies," Hassanein declared. "We have power 
generators but no one can guarantee that they are 
enough or will not run out of fuel."

There is concern in Gaza about deteriorating 
environmental conditions, since water treatment 
stations could shut down because currently they 
rely solely on power generators. Several have 
already stopped operating, resulting in sewage 
water flooding some streets and refugee camps.

Walid Sayel, the executive director of the 
Palestine Electricity Company and chairman of the 
Gaza Power Generation Station, called on all 
Arab, international and Palestinian parties to 
swiftly find a solution for the power outage in 
Gaza. "The blackout is a critical development 
which requires everyone to shoulder their 
responsibility in saving the residents of Gaza, 
first and foremost, for humanitarian reasons," 
Sayel asserted. "The need for electricity is 
tantamount to the need for water and air. We are 
facing a serious humanitarian crisis and no one knows how it will end."

Although some Palestinian officials claim that a 
partial solution has been reached to resolve the 
crisis, thanks to $3 million from the EU to buy 
fuel, it is a temporary answer which will 
generate electricity to some areas in Gaza for 
only 12 hours a day. At the same time, there are 
no guarantees that more funds will be available 
to provide electricity in Gaza, even if only partially.

The power outage has resulted in a war of words 
between the governments in Gaza and Ramallah. In 
the beginning, the government in Ramallah stated 
that the power cut is a result of the EU not 
transferring the necessary funds to buy fuel. The 
EU vehemently denied this, saying that it 
regularly and routinely sends money for fuel. The 
Brussels-based European Campaign to End the Siege 
of Gaza (ECESG) confirmed that the EU had 
transferred the necessary funds. In a recent 
statement, ECESG called on the Ramallah 
government "to stop using unrealistic excuses to 
evade its responsibility, and direct the needed 
funds to Gaza, as provided by the EU, to pay for electricity fuel in Gaza."

The statement continued that "we have received 
messages from several EU foreign ministers 
assuring us that funds are transferred to the 
Fatah authorities in Ramallah, and that they have 
clearly pledged that they will pay for the heavy 
fuel needed for the power station." ECESG 
condemned "manipulating the humanitarian needs of 
1.5 million Palestinians in political bickering, 
since this could cost hundreds of Palestinians 
their lives, including the sick, and threatens 
severe humanitarian disasters." The statement 
further denied claims that the EU has halted or 
reduced funds for fuel at the main Gaza power 
station, saying that payments for Palestinian 
service sectors are made regularly to Salam Fayyad's government.

Meanwhile, the government in Ramallah gave 
different reasons why the power station has 
halted operations, including that the electricity 
company in Gaza is unable to collect fees from 
residents. Ghassan Al-Khateeb, director of the 
media office for Fayyad's government, further 
accused the electricity company of pocketing the 
fees it does manage to collect. Al-Khateeb blamed 
the authorities in Gaza for not supporting or 
giving the electricity company enough security 
coverage, which curtails its ability to collect fees from the public.

For his part, Ziyad Al-Zaza, deputy prime 
minister and minister of economy in Ismail 
Haniyeh's cabinet in Gaza, accused the government 
in Ramallah of "stealing" the funds needed for 
Gaza's power station. "Salam Fayyad's government 
is embezzling the funds for Gaza's electricity 
and sends limited amounts of solar fuel, only a 
third of what is needed," stated Al-Zaza.

He asserted that his government is in 
consultations to import industrial solar, 
gasoline, regular solar and natural gas energy 
through the Rafah border crossing. "We do not 
wish to remain hostage to the occupation and its 
agents," Al-Zaza retorted. "The Rafah crossing 
must be opened to people and commodities. We want 
to rely on the Arab and Muslim world, not Israeli 
occupation." He further argued that the blackout 
is caused by a "conspiracy" against the 
Palestinian people in Gaza "in order to bring 
them to their knees and break down their willpower".

Meanwhile, the power outage is claiming more 
lives. Buying a power generator is no guarantee 
of improving standards of living, but could 
result in the opposite. For instance, the three 
Boshr children were playing at their home in 
Abssan, southeast of Gaza, happy that their power 
generator was working at a time when the entire 
area was in pitch darkness. Shortly afterwards, 
the generator exploded, instantly killing all 
three. Thus, their family joined a long list of 
Palestinian families who have lost loved ones to exploding generators.

For many in Gaza, power generators have become 
time bombs at home. In Gabalaya Refugee Camp, a 
mother and three of her children died when the 
generator at their family home blew up. In other 
instances, gases from the generators have killed 
residents. Three members of the same family 
living in Khan Younis died after inhaling exhaust 
fumes containing carbon dioxide from their generator.

According to statistics by the Civil Defence 
Authority in Gaza, 82 fires occurred in the past 
three months as a result of faulty usage of power 
generators. Several died or suffered from burns 
and asphyxiation in the fires. Salem Abu Ouda, a 
technician who specialises in generators, told 
Al-Ahram Weekly that the biggest problem is that 
the majority of generators being smuggled into 
Gaza are of poor quality. Abu Ouda, who repairs 
tens of generators in his workshop, stated that 
long operating hours and substandard quality are 
the reasons behind these disastrous accidents.

On another plane, it was announced that the Ship 
Intifada will relaunch soon as a sign of 
intensified efforts to lift the siege on Gaza. 
Gamal Al-Khodari, the chairman of the Popular 
Committee for Confronting the Siege, revealed 
that some 10-20 vessels will participate in this 
effort, including ones from Malaysia, Turkey and 
Europe. Ship Intifada is scheduled to begin at 
the end of April or early May, depending on weather conditions.

The ships will be carrying several 
parliamentarians, politicians and media people 
from around the world, as well as much needed 
supplies. These include construction materials 
such as steel and cement, supplies to meet 
medical, humanitarian relief, school and 
children's needs, as well as power generators. 
Al-Khodari hoped that the campaign would result 
in lifting the siege and establishing a route by 
sea between Gaza and the rest of the world, which 
would allow freedom of movement. Several vessels 
have already arrived in Gaza, while many were 
prevented by occupation forces from approaching 
the coast of Gaza as a result of the last war.

Source: Al-Ahram Weekly




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