LIGHTS OUT IN GAZA
Electricity is latest Gaza battleground (AP)
GAZA CITY, Gaza Strip - Electricity in Gaza on Monday became the latest battleground in the struggle between the coastal strip’s Islamic Hamas rulers and their Fatah rivals, who have accused Hamas of pocketing electricity revenues.
The losers are hundreds of thousands of Gazans, who have been plunged into darkness as European donors cut off key electricity aid.
On Sunday, the European Union stopped paying for fuel to power generators that produce electricity for at least half of Gaza’s population of 1.4 million. On Monday, it said the payments would not resume because it had received word that Hamas was “diverting” electricity revenues.
“We are ready to resume our support to the Gaza power plant within hours once we receive the appropriate assurances that all the funds will be exclusively used for the benefit of the Gaza population,” the European Commission — the EU’s executive branch — said in a statement.
YNet News reports that Israel allowed fuel into Gaza in order to restore electricity. So why no juice?
Military officials however confirmed to Ynet that fuel tanks designated for the power station were allowed into the Gaza Strip on Sunday. The officials hinted that the station could still be shut because the fuel deliveries did not reach their destination.
So who hijacked the fuel, and who's going to blame Israel for the lights out?
Today's Jerusalem Post sheds more light on Gaza's lack of electricity:
According to Dor Alon Energy, the fuel is ordered by the PA in Ramallah and is paid for by the EU. In a statement to the media, it said it stopped a planned shipment on Sunday after notification from the EU that it would not foot the bill at this time.
Meanwhile, Hamas and Fatah are using the power outage for their own power games.
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