Press Release

ICSPR CALL UPON ALL CONCERNED PARTIES TO STOP POLITICIZATION ELECTRICITY

ICSPR Call upon all concerned parties to stop politicizing electricity

International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (I.C.S.P.R) followed with great concern the recurrence of the electricity crisis in Gaza Strip, On Sunday, 16 April, Gaza’s power company shut down the enclave’s sole power plant after internationally supplied fuel from Qatar and Turkey ran out. According to Palestinian Energy And Natural Resources Authority, Gaza residents were currently connected to power for six hours at a time followed by 12 hours blackouts — down from Gaza’s normal schedule of two eight-hour intervals of daily electricity.

Deputy Chairman of Gaza’s power authority Fathi al-Sheikh Khalil said in a news conference in Gaza City that Gaza Strip’s sole power plant shut down on Sunday, as fuel supplies funded by Qatar and Turkey in January dried up, an as the PA did not agree to exempt fuel taxes, making it impossible to buy industrial fuel because of tax rates raised, and the inability to be covered from funds collection, According to Khalil, taxes makes operating the power plant’s two generators costs 50 million shekels ($13.67 million) instead of 20 million ($5.47 million)

Renewal of the electricity crisis in Gaza Strip has created a general dissatisfaction among peoples in Gaza Strip as a result of electricity cuts continues over the  past years, under justifications which become not acceptable to the citizen who has suffering successive crises, which led to health and environmental disasters, it consider threatening all aspects of life.

International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (I.C.S.P.R) consider this press release as a human, ethical and legal message addressed to Presidency Council and Cabinet to assume their ethical and legal responsibilities to find a solution to the electricity crisis in Gaza Strip, and to cease politicization of electricity and other services, including reconsidering the concession contract signed between PA and Palestine Electric Company.

International Commission to Support Palestinian Rights (I.C.S.P.R) reaffirms the responsibility of the Israeli Occupation State to ensure facilitate the lives of people in the occupied territory, as it express it shock towards the silence of all Palestinian factions, therefore it demand the following:

ICSPR calls upon the Palestinian President to intervene and find an urgent solution for the electricity crisis, especially under the economic situation after the PA- cuts in salaries 30%to 50% of Gaza employee’s monthly salaries.
ICSPR calls the Palestinian Government to assumes it legal, ethical and national obligations through putting the electricity crisis on its agenda, and issuing a resolution to raise the Blue and other taxes on industrial fuel, and employing the line KV161 from the Israeli network.
ICSPR demands to restore national unity, and establishing a national unity Government capable of uniting Palestinian institutions, and, until then, Palestinian Energy and Natural Resources Authority and Electricity Distribution Corporation- Southern provinces- is required to transfer the funds collection for the competent authorities to enable the power plant to work, to avoid any risk of the services sectors.
ICSPR hold Palestinian and international parties’ the legal responsibility of the catastrophic consequences over continuing the current electricity crisis in Gaza Strip.
ICSPR urges the International Community and all humanitarian organizations to intervene and putting pressure on Israeli occupation to stop the siege and its systematic policies against Gaza Strip, and meet its ethical and legal obligations towards civilians in Gaza Strip, according to the Fourth Geneva Convention of 1949.
ICSPR Calls upon the International Community, and Arabic and Islamic states, to intervene to end the electricity crisis in Gaza by all possible means, including providing power plant of fuel by developmental grants, and to link Gaza power grid to eight-electricity network, and contribute to implement generating electricity with natural gas.

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