The Israeli security cabinet has approved a 40 per cent reduction in Israel’s electricity supply to the besieged Gaza Strip, “in response to a request by Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas,” Middle East Monitor has reported.
The approval came after Israeli authorities announced plans to make the cuts last month, upon request of the Palestinian Authority (PA) in occupied West Bank, which foots Gaza’s monthly electricity bill from Israel.
Abbas had reportedly informed Israel that the PA only intended to pay 60 per cent of the 40-million shekel ($11.19 million) monthly bill, as Hamas and Fatah blamed each other for a deepening crisis in Gaza.
"Israel has no policy for #Gaza, only decisions.” Among them last night's disastrous decision to reduce electricity supply to Gaza. pic.twitter.com/l9R7gQ19KQ
— Gisha גישה مسلك (@Gisha_Access) June 12, 2017
Last week, the Palestinian Energy and Natural Resources Authority blamed Hamas for obstructing the PA’s plan with Israel to solve the electricity crisis by not transferring electricity payments to the PA, rejecting statements by Gaza’s power authority that it had met all of the PA’s stipulations to end the electricity crisis.
The PA agency insisted that a solution to the severe electricity woes in Gaza could not be achieved without political reconciliation.
However, critics have said the PA has attempted to use the electricity crisis to exert pressure on the Hamas government in an effort to force it to relinquish control of the Palestinian enclave.
(MEMO, PC, Social Media)
