Israel’s Channel 10 television station said this week that the chairman of the Palestinian Authority (PA), Mahmoud Abbas has rejected a proposal to build Gaza new electricity lines to support the power sector in the impoverished coastal enclave. The project reportedly received Israeli consent, but failed to get the green light from the PA. The Israeli station added that everything was ready and agreed about, until the PA declared its position of thwarting the plan without explanation.
Qatar has pledged to fund the project in an attempt to mitigate the severe power crisis in Gaza since 2006, when Hamas achieved a landslide victory in the Palestinian Legislative elections. European companies expressed willingness to implement the Qatar plan yet, the PA has intentionally missed the chance of substantially decrease the impact of the power crisis inside the Palestinian society in Gaza.
Hamas criticized Abbas for rejecting the long-awaited project. “Abbas is not willing to miss any occasion in which he can stave off his political foes, even if it is done at the expense of his people. This does not make difference with him at all,”Hamas spokesman Sami Abu-Zohri told Mondoweiss.
Abu-Zohri added that Abbas would not hesitate to torment his own people to achieve his ultimate purpose of strangling Hamas in Gaza as part of his political game. “He is switching roles with the Israeli occupation to strengthen and foster the blockade,” he said.
Abbas’s policy toward Gaza
Since Hamas took control in Gaza in 2007, Mahmoud Abbas has neglected the region resulting in multiple crises on nearly all facets of life. Fayz Au-Shamalah, a Palestinian commentator, told Mondoweiss, “He wants the Palestinians in Gaza to draw a comparison between their significantly deteriorating conditions under Hamas, and the good living conditions in the West Bank under his rule. Unfortunately, that is his logic.”
This has led Abbas to collude with Israel and Egypt to make the siege on Gaza more relentless. “Israel stated that it was Abbas who asked the Egyptians to flood Gaza’s smuggling tunnels. And he said himself that it is a right of Egypt’s to close Rafah crossing whenever it wants in accordance with its national security,” he added.
The Palestinian internal division is also to be blamed for the failure to impediment many foreign initiatives to help the Palestinian people. “Our friends do not know to whom they should go to carry out their plans that aim in easing the blockade on Gaza,”Au-Shamalah said.
Organizing the internal Palestinian house is an absolute priority, and it is up to the leaders of the Palestinian people to complete the reconciliation once and forever. “We should be one hand then we can struggle to take our rights,” Au-Shamalah concluded.
Most of the Palestinian parties have demanded Abbas explain his stance toward fixing Gaza’s acute power crisis.
Hani Thawabta, a leader at the Palestinian Front for Liberation Palestine (PFLP) demanded that Abbas clarify his stance over the issue if he is interested in answering the growing accusations made against him in the Palestinian street. He said that it could not be tolerated for Abbas to cause more problem in Gaza because of malicious political interests.
Political Crisis
The electricity crisis in Gaza is part of the Israeli blockade imposed on the region since 2007. Also, in 2006 Israel shelled the only electricity station in Gaza and caused serious damage. During the summer conflict in 2014, a lot of electricity lines and gas stations were also hit by the Israeli military jets.
Fathi Khalil, the deputy of the Energy Authority based in Gaza says the crisis is clearly political. “Whenever we discuss ideas to combat the crisis and lessen its impact, we are faced with many barriers from all sides,” he said. He recalls when they discussed a plan to generate electricity through the solar power Israel rejected it calling it “inefficient” without even giving it a try.
As if that is not enough for Gaza, the Palestinian government in Ramallah imposes high taxes on the electricity company in Gaza, which has loaded it with huge debts.
The Palestinian official added that Gaza needs about 500 megawatt on daily basis, but is only currently allowed to have 220. This has resulted in long hours of power outage that sometimes reach 12 hours a day.
Gaza has three main sources of electricity. The Israeli lines provide 120 mw, and Egypt provides a mount that does not exceed 50 mw to the southern areas in the strip, like Rafah. The local station in Gaza can hardly generate 60 mw due to the lack of gas needed in operating the station. It has four generators, only two of them can be operated.
According to Abu-Zohri, Abbas is succeeding in being viewed not only a political failure, but also ethical failure in the collective Palestinian awareness as he has failed to be at the side of his people yet another time.
He’s a monster, but he’s our monster!
Abbas has been a dismal failure. He has let his people down, time and time again. It would be interesting to know why he has rejected the badly needed offer of electricity, which results in the people struggling and having to do without. Time for Abbas to go, and the Palestinian people must have a stronger leader, who will push hard for the occupation to end, and stop giving in to the occupier. Abbas seems to be too compliant to the zionists.
Interesting thought that the PA is more the enemy than Israel of the Palestinian people in Gaza. No progress can be expected in the region until the PA is restructured / replaced.
An interesting article on this topic is http://www.al-monitor.com/pulse/originals/2015/11/gaza-electricity-gas-supply-qatar-israel.html#
“The Qatari project may be perceived as a glimmer of hope for the Palestinians, but the successful implementation of a solution to the problem is not that straightforward. The Israelis want to end the accusation of besieging Gaza, and it seems that they are interested in selling Palestinians the gas needed for the power plant. This could imply an end to the blockade of the Gaza Strip, which means that Hamas’ calls for Israel to lift the siege were met.
The implementation of the project, under direct Qatari supervision, may raise fears within the Palestinian Authority that the Gaza Strip remains out of its control. This is especially true in light of the strategic alliance between Doha and Hamas, with Hamas seemingly welcoming the Qatari project without any reservations.”
This report is fascinating following the other recent post in MondoWeiss about the PA crackdown on West Bank teachers.
Hearing finally of criticism of the operation of the PA under Abbas’ tutelage with this:
Netanyahu is somehow expected to be able to make a deal with the Palestinians with a leadership completely fractured and Abbas about to exit very soon.
Where is the howling pack of anti-Zionists at the moment? Not even making excuses.[..]
Pallywags – all of them.
Abbas must go, and Israel’s decades-long occupation and colonization of Palestine (i.e., land outside of its / Partition borders) must end.
Immediately:
– force Israel to end its occupation and withdraw to within its / Partition borders;
– officially recognize the state of Palestine and help the Palestinians democratically elect a new government; and
– provide political, financial and economic assistance to stabilize Palestine, develop its infrastructure and get its economy going.
Then:
– introduce military assistance to help Palestine develop its defensive capabilities; and
– undertake impartially-mediated (that does not mean you, America) negotiations to resolve issues surrounding refugees, natural resources, etc.