Powerless Gaza protests
Power supplies in Gaza fade in face of Israeli border lockdown
Monday, 21, Jan 2008 11:20
Palestinians living in the Gaza Strip held protests after an Israeli blockade forced the closure of the territory's only power plant yesterday.
A candlelit vigil took place last night after the shutdown, which resulted in around half the 1.5 million residents of Gaza losing electricity.
The Israeli government is downplaying reports of a growing humanitarian crisis. It insists it will continue to place pressure on the territory's Hamas government until militants cease rocket-fire into Israel.
At least 160 Qassam rockets have been fired into Israel from the Gaza Strip in the last week, prompting intensified Israeli reprisals which have left 37 people dead.
Israel announced plans to lock down crossing points into and from Gaza last Thursday, stopping fuel and other supplies from entering the territory of 1.5 million people.
Now the shutdown of its main power station has prompted a flurry of diplomatic protest.
Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak appealed to Israeli prime minister Ehud Olmert to end "Israeli aggression against the Palestinian people".
Palestinian Authority president Mahmoud Abbas demanded that the Israeli government lift the blockade to allow the functioning of hospitals.
And Christopher Gunness, a spokesman for the UN agency supporting Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), said: "The logic of this defies basic humanitarian standards."
Israeli officials have downplayed reports of intensified suffering in Gaza, however. Foreign ministry spokesman Arye Mekel said yesterday: "They have an interest in exaggerating.
"The ball is in their court. If they stop the rockets today, everything would go back to normal."
Middle East negotiators say the violence is seriously undermining the peace process championed by George Bush during a recent trip to the region.