The total electricity supply in the Gaza Strip has been reduced by 10 percent as of last Saturday because of additional cuts in the supply of industrial diesel that Israel allows to be imported into the area, the project manager of the Gaza Power Generating Company said Sunday in a sworn affidavit to the High Court of Justice.
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According to the project manager, Rafiq Maliha, the Gaza power plant requires 360,000 liters of diesel fuel per day to operate the two gas turbines at full capacity and produce a total of 65 megawatts of electricity. As a result of the sanctions, the supply has been reduced to 250,000 liters per day and the output of the power station to 45 MW.
In addition to the Gaza power plant, Israel supplies 120 MW of electricity and Egypt another 17. Thus, until Saturday, the total electricity supply in Gaza amounted to 202 MW. It has now dropped to 182 MW.
According to Palestinian estimates, Gaza requires a total of 210 MW to provide for its winter needs, when consumption is higher.
Even before Israel imposed the first cuts, the power company was initiating planned power cuts because of the shortage in electricity caused by Israel's bombing of the turbines in June 2006.
Until now, only two of the three turbines destroyed by the bombings have been replaced.Maliha added that the company had been planning to introduce a third turbine, which would increase the local supply by another 20 megawatts, thus boosting its total capacity to 80 MW. However, with the new turbine, the plant would require a supply of about 500,000 liters to produce the 80 MW.
"The cut to industrial diesel, used exclusively to power the turbines in Gaza's power plant, mean longer and more frequent power outages for hospitals, water wells, and other humanitarian services, in blatant violation of international law," said Sari Bashi, executive director of Gisha, one of 10 NGOs that have petitioned against the fuel and electricity sanctions.more info at
http://www.jpost.com/servlet/Satellite?pagename=JPost/JPArticle/ShowFull&cid=1198517306053Comments:
The last paragraph quoted above shows that the sanctions are having the intended effect. These sanctions are designed to make sure that ordinary Palestinians suffer the consequences for voting against Israeli interests.
How many Gaza children will suffer life-long health problems because of these policies? Already 20-30% of Gaza children are malnourished. Israel's continued sanctions/blockade will ensure that that number will increase.
At what point can we expect any member of the US congress, that provides so much aid to Israel, speak out against these brutal policies? These policies that will not bring peace, but only the certainty of more suffering. Please TAKE ACTION!
Sign this petition from Progressive Democrats of Americahttp://capwiz.com/pdamerica/issues/alert/?alertid=10668241&PROCESS=Take+ActionThe 1.5 million women, children and men living in Gaza are being deprived of the simplest requirements for a decent life and are literally edging toward starvation. PDA believes it is our moral duty to help protect the lives of all such innocent people whose right to exist is under attack. We need your support. This is a genuine call to rescue people, not governments or political parties. It is time to put aside partisan conflicts and unite in an effort to end the needless suffering of the Palestinian citizens of Gaza. Please act.