Qatar launches initiative to ease power crisis in Gaza
As Palestinians in the Gaza Strip continue to suffer from daily power cuts, Qatar proposed to Israelis supplying Gaza with natural gas.
Palestinians in the Gaza Strip have been suffering from electricity outages since June 28, 2006, when Israel shelled the only electrical power plant in Gaza, in retaliation of the abduction of Israeli soldier Gilad Shalit by Hamas.
Since then, Gazans have not had a power supply that exceeds eight hours in a row on any given day. In early September, the electricity crisis came to a head, and Gazans demonstrated demanding that electricity services be improved.
Hamas and the unity government subsequently started blaming one another for the power shortages in Gaza, as the unity government accuses Hamas of not forwarding the money it collects from the electricity bills payed by Gazans. In turn, Hamas accuses the unity government of imposing high taxes on fuel dedicated to the power plant.
During a press conference in Gaza on Sept. 10, Mohammed al-Emadi, Qatari ambassador to Gaza and chairman of the National Committee for the Reconstruction of Gaza, said that the committee discussed with Israel the supply of natural gas to Gaza; Israelis expressed their initial consent to this proposal. He added that the Quartet has appointed a special consultant for the project of building a gas pipeline to the Gaza power plant.
