No fuel delivered to Gaza on Sunday

The Gaza power plant is teetering on the brink of shut-down by Tuesday, for lack of fuel.

Again on Sunday, the power plant’s manager of contracts, Dr. Rafiq Maliha, said that there still had been no fuel delivered – although he said that one Palestinian truck that had been stuck at the crossing last week had been allowed through. It contained only 45,000 liters of the industrial diesel fuel that the power plant uses – not enough for even half a day of operations for one turbine.

Israel’s Haaretz newspaper reported that “The head of the political-defense bureau at the Defense Ministry, Amos Gilad, told the radio Sunday that before fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip are renewed, the investigation into the attack must be completed ‘in order to prevent future attacks’ … He added that Israel will transfer fuel and supplies to Gaza when it ‘sees fit’.”

Gilad also said that Israel was ensuring that there will be no humanitarian crisis in Gaza – though it is not clear exactly how. The Israeli military is putting out frequent updates of the truckloads of humanitarian supplies it is delivering into Gaza – mostly on behalf of international organizations.

But, because of the closure of Nahal Oz, this does not include fuel.

Gisha, the Israeli human rights organization that led the effort to stop those cuts, issued an appeal on Sunday to Israel’s Defense Minister Ehud Barak to order a restoration of all fuel supplies to Gaza. Israel has the right to protect itself against attacks on its civilians. But, just as international law forbids deliberately harming Israeli civilians working at Nahal Oz, so it (also) forbids deliberately harming civilians in Gaza, by depriving them of the fuel they need to produce electricity, travel, and run vital services”.

Currently, Gisha said, Gaza is experiencing rolling electricity blackouts that last approximately three hours a day. In the statement, Gisha’s Executive Director Sari Bashi noted that Israel does not permit fuel to enter Gaza from any point other than Nahal Oz.

Gisha added that “The cuts to Gaza’s fuel supply are part of punitive measures taken against Gaza residents, pursuant to an Israeli Cabinet decision calling for restrictions on the movement of people and goods in an out of Gaza”.

The industrial diesel fuel needed to run Gaza´s power plant has been paid for by the European Union ever since the plant was able to resume partial operations, many months following the damage inflicted by an IDF airstrike at the end of June 2006, in retaliation for the abduction of IDF Corporal Gilad Shalit near the Kerem Shalom crossing. (Shalit is still being held captive somewhere in Gaza.)

Dr. Maliha has told this reporter that the Gaza power plant has never been allowed to replenish its fuel reserves since they were drawn down following the start of Israeli military-imposed sanctions that began on 28 October.

Now, the Gaza power plant has only enough fuel on hand to last to Tuesday – and only due only to its own economies since late January, the last time the power plant was forced to close operations due to lack of fuel.

Since late January, the average daily electrical output of Gaza’s power plant has been limited, because of the reduced quantity of fuel, to 55 MW, Dr. Maliha said.

The Israeli Supreme Court declined to intervene after months of petitioning and arguments from ten Israeli and Palestinian human rights organizations who tried to block the military-ordered fuel cuts, and cuts in Israeli-supplied electricity as well.

Despite information supplied to the Court that it would take 3.5 million liters of industrial diesel fuel per week to operate two turbines at a full load — more than the 2.2 million liters permitted under the military-imposed sanctions that have been in place since 28 October — the Israeli Supreme Court did rule that this quantity should be boosted, when it handed down its ruling on 27 January.

Gisha noted in its statement on Sunday that this Israeli Supreme Court decision was “condemned by human rights groups as authorizing illegal collective punishment”.

There is also a severe crisis in ordinary diesel fuel and gasoline for private automobiles, which has nearly paralyzed life in the sealed-off coastal strip where 1.5 million souls are hemmed in, and unable to leave. A Hamas spokesman said Saturday that 80% of all vehicles are without fuel.

Gisha noted, in its statement, that “Gasoline supplies have been cut by 81%, while ordinary diesel has been cut by 43%”.

Interestingly, Haaretz reported on Thursday that “The fuel depot at Nahal Oz, near the Karni crossing did not have guards, despite its proximity to the Gaza border and the presence there of civilians. The IDF only had troops along the border fence, who failed to prevent the terrorists’ infiltration. IDF sources said that Dor Alon, the company that operates the terminal, probably did not post guards at the site to save money, even though the IDF had demanded it. The sources said other companies operating border crossings to the Gaza Strip all employed security guards. In response, Dor Alon said it had never been asked to post guards at the depot and that the IDF is responsible for the crossing”.

Even more interestingly, the same Haaretz story also stated that “Palestinian fuel coordinators alerted Israelis operating the Nahal Oz fueling terminal that Palestinian terrorists had infiltrated Israel prior to the terror attack that left two Israeli civilians dead”.