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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert (file)
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| By Israel Insider staff June 17, 2007 |
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Prime Minister Ehud Olmert said Sunday that Israel will not allow Gaza to descend into humanitarian crisis, adding that Israel will find a method of delivering food and medicine to Gazans via international aid organizations.
MK Zahava Gal-On, chairwoman of Meretz, said Sunday that Israel must act to prevent catastrophe in the Gaza Strip.
"We must immediately transfer food and medications to the Gaza Strip. We cannot allow ourselves to stand aloof. The international law and the laws of morality do not allow us to be indifferent and say 'let the Arabs kill themselves,'" stated Gal-On. She continued, warning that "in the event of a disaster Israel will be seen responsible, just like what happened in Sabra and Shatila."
MK Effie Eitam (NU-NRP) said that humanitarian aid to Gaza is not Israel's responsibility, and that Jerusalem should gradually halt aid completely.
"An Islamic country has been established in Gaza, which is in our backyard. The country controlling Gaza today is Iran, and from this point we must derive our decisions regarding the humanitarian aid to the Strip," said Eitam.
Eitam continued, saying that Egypt should now be responsible for aid to Gaza.
"I have no problem if [Egypt wants] to bring food into the Strip by planes or transfer it through UN convoys. I have no problem if the UN wants to supply food through convoys which will pass through Israel. But the responsibility should not be put on us, it should be put on Egypt," he stated.
Infrastructure Minister Benjamin Ben-Eliezer agreed, saying that Israel should stop aid until the situation in the Gaza Strip becomes more clear.
"We must stop all aid and assistance to the Strip," Ben-Eliezer told Army Radio. "I am stopping everything until I understand what is going on there.
"We simply have to step up the separation between Gaza and Judea and Samaria, close them off completely. The only entrance we should leave is via Rafah [on the Gaza-Egypt border]."
Ben-Eliezer will head a meeting scheduled for Wednesday on Israel's supply of water, fuel and electricity to Gaza
Deputy Defense Minister Efraim Sneh told Army Radio that aid to Gaza will not be completely halted, however he continued saying, "There will be a crisis in Gaza because it's being controlled by gangs who show no responsibility to the public," he told Israel Radio. "Israel is not (Hamas head) Ismail Haniyeh's welfare office."
The suspension of supplies to Gaza already began Sunday, as Israeli fuel company Dor Alon stopped supplying fuel and gas to the Gaza Strip. Dor Alon, which is the only fuel provider for the Gaza Strip, will now supply fuel only for Gaza's power plant. This will cause major shortages of fuel and gas used for cooking, predicted a company spokesman.
According to company representatives Sunday, Dor Alon could not get in touch with the Palestinian officials in Gaza who oversee the delivery of fuel from Israel through Karni Crossing.
Olmert issued a statement Sunday that the decision to suspend fuel delivery to the Gaza Strip was made by Dor Alon, and not the government.
Asef Hamdi, gas station worker in Gaza, expressed his concern of the fuel shortages.
"The results will be Gaza in full darkness, with no cars," he said. "In simple words... welcome to the Taliban lifestyle."
Currently, approximately one third of Gazans are already without power due to recent factional fighting. The repairing of power lines have been slow because of a shortage of materials usually obtained from Israel. Many Gazans depend of generators, as well as some hospitals. PA health officials worry that a shortage of fuel, which is also needed for ambulances, will hamper deliveries to medical facilities of blood, medicines and food.
Saeb Erekat, a top advisor to Abbas, pleaded to Israel and abroad not to stop supply transfers to Gaza.
"Residents must not be punished for the bloody coup staged by Hamas," he stated. |
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