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A Palestinian boy lighting candles Saturday during power outages caused by fuel shortages. (Reuters)
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Last update - 20:36 19/08/2007
EU delaying transfer of fuel to Gaza power plant
By Avi Bar-Eli, Yoav Stern and Yuval Azoulay, Haaretz Correspondents and Reuters

The Gaza Generating Company has not received any fuel for its power plant because the European Union has yet to decide whether to continue paying for it.

As a result, the power plant said it had shut down all four of its generators, which provide electricity to roughly one-fourth of Gaza's 1.5 million residents.

Palestinian officials said a European Union aid program, which funds fuel for the plant, has not sent its monitors to the crossing to facilitate the shipment as required.

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The fuel for the power plant is financed by the EU, and Dor Alon Energy, the Israeli company that supplies the fuel, is in constant contact with EU officials in order to receive payment in advance. Several days ago, the EU informed the company that it would not pay for the fuel until further notice.

Following Israel's decision to reopen the crossing, Dor Alon asked the EU if the decision not to pay for the fuel was still in effect, and was answered in the affirmative.

"Fuel supplies will resume if and when the European Union or another credible source notifies us that it will guarantee payment for the power station's fuel," the company said in a statement.

A diplomat from the EU said he hoped supplies would resume on Monday. He said that the EU was conducting an "overall review" of the program and was seeking assurances Hamas did not play a role in it and that security would be provided for the fuel transfers.

Colonel Nir Peres, head Israel Defense Forces' Coordination and Liaison Administration, said he believes "this is an internal Palestinian matter," while some Israeli officials went as far as to say Fayad was trying "to flex his muscles in order to show Hamas that he is the one who controls the tap and is running the show."

Israel reopened the Nahal Oz crossing Sunday morning in order to allow fuel through, despite continued terror alerts regarding a potential attack on the site. Palestinians placed orders for roughly 100,000 liters of various kinds of fuels, although according to the District Coordination Office, it received no orders for fuel from the Gaza electric company.

As a result of the halt in shipments through the Nahal Oz crossing, which began on Thursday, the Gaza Generating Company was forced to reduce power production by 50 percent.

The reductions plunged about 600,000 Gazans into darkness, until Israel and Egyptian companies that power the rest of the strip supplied affected homes with several hours of electricity over the weekend.

The Palestinian electric company is controlled by Hamas, which forced company executives out after the movement's takeover of the territory. Fuel shipments from Israel were not halted, however, as part of Israel's commitment to maintaining humanitarian services.

The closure of the Nahal Oz crossing followed specific terror warnings in the area. Sources at the IDF Coordination and Liaison (IFCL) offices at the Erez Border Crossing said Saturday that the Palestinians did not raise the possibility that the closure could effect electricity generation until Friday afternoon.
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  1.   THE PARAMOUNT SENSE IN ISRAEL IS STUPIDITY 10:11  |  paul harris 19/08/07
  2.   WHY NOT? 10:19  |  indrajaya 19/08/07
  3.   You said it, Paul! # 1 10:58  |  Clickfool 19/08/07
  4.   "Israel resumes fuel shipments to Gaza Strip", too bad!!! 11:12  |  Anat 19/08/07
  5.   Innocence dostroyed 11:15  |  Kris 19/08/07
  6.   Whoever ordered 11:17  |  Edifice 19/08/07
  7.   A lesson learned? 11:38  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 19/08/07
  8.   No interference please 11:40  |  Miche Norman 19/08/07
  9.   Powerless(on) 12:22  |  jjvanka 19/08/07
  10.   Why is the PA negotiating for Hamas ? 12:50  |  redmike 19/08/07
  11.   #4 - you mean Olmert and you`re right ! 12:52  |  redmike 19/08/07
  12.   #3 - do you post on Muslim sites and complain about kassams etc 12:57  |  redmike 19/08/07
  13.   #2 only a madman helps someone that wants to kill him 13:06  |  redmike 19/08/07
  14.   Hysterical redmike in Tel Aviv 13:30  |  Joe B. 19/08/07
  15.   #3 NO CLIKKY IT HAS NOT BEEN DELIVERED !! 13:38  |  paul harris 19/08/07
  16.   #12 MIKE CLIKKY HAS A ONE WAY COMPUTER 13:41  |  paul harris 19/08/07
  17.   For Redmike # 12 13:47  |  Clickfool 19/08/07
  18.   Margie #7 (helping the needy???) 13:54  |  guido 19/08/07
  19.   No, "redmike", what I mean by saying too bad is that 13:59  |  Anat 19/08/07
  20.   #14 - I am super calm super relaxed and very happy :-) 14:00  |  redmike 19/08/07
  21.   # 2, FAKE INDRAJAYA ALERT 14:24  |  indrajaya 19/08/07
  22.   helping Hamas in Gaza 14:28  |  Hilda 19/08/07
  23.   No Shipments Without Full Stop of Missiles 14:31  |  Jane 19/08/07
  24.   Is in not a disgrace for you islamists you rely on Israel 14:33  |  Johnny 19/08/07
  25.   What a joke - Pals shoot missiles at our power plants 14:42  |  JonathanInTelAviv 19/08/07
  26.   Who give a crap! 15:01  |  Avraham 19/08/07
  27.   Well done, hamas 15:02  |  KUTW 19/08/07
  28.   For Redmike, again # 20 15:03  |  Clickfool 19/08/07
  29.   seems the palestinians dont want to get the fuel... 15:06  |  scallywag 19/08/07
  30.   Israel Should Not Deliver Anything To Gaza 15:09  |  D.Nigh 19/08/07
  31.   indrajaya - be happy, another reason to boycott - this time eu!! 15:15  |  scallywag 19/08/07
  32.   For Jonathan in Tel Aviv # 25 15:17  |  Clickfool 19/08/07
  33.   Why doesn`t Hamas pay the Bill? 15:17  |  Avram 19/08/07
  34.   To a Gnat 15:19  |  David James Vickery 19/08/07
  35.   #17 CLIKKY TO BE CAPTURED BOTH PARTIES MUST WEAR UNIFORMS 15:21  |  paul harris 19/08/07
  36.   guido 15:28  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 19/08/07
  37.   EU delaying transfer - excellent news !! 15:30  |  redmike 19/08/07
  38.   Britain must immediately pay the bill 15:33  |  J. Haifa 19/08/07
  39.   Margie #7 (helping the needy: followup) 15:39  |  guido 19/08/07
  40.   #12 - Redmike 15:42  |  Double Click 19/08/07
  41.   gpn`t confuse ineffiencies and collapse with"collective punishm 15:42  |  r 19/08/07
  42.   I remember ALL killings done by Hamas 15:43  |  civilized kid 19/08/07
  43.   # 3 Clicky, the EU is the responsible party 15:51  |  Lynn 19/08/07
  44.   # 4 Anat 15:56  |  Lynn 19/08/07
  45.   #25 YOU ARE IN LACK OF PROPAGANDA DUDE 15:59  |  ILSupporter 19/08/07
  46.   Gaza 15:59  |  Chris 19/08/07
  47.   # 5 Kris in Australia 16:01  |  Lynn 19/08/07
  48.   # 18 guido of Paris 16:05  |  Lynn 19/08/07
  49.   Johnny of Stockholm 16:07  |  Lynn 19/08/07
  50.   Indrajaya- make up your mind who you support 16:14  |  Avrum 19/08/07
  51.   Indrajaya, I agree 16:17  |  Ed 19/08/07
  52.   the 21 Ghito is called Gaza 16:18  |  prisoner 19/08/07
  53.   Israel still helds MILLION of Palestinian taxes revenue 16:26  |  nobodysacred 19/08/07
  54.   For Clickfool # 3 on Israeli stupidity 16:34  |  Ed 19/08/07
  55.   Clickfool`s responses 16:53  |  Meir 19/08/07
  56.   Guido: easy to talk, harder to do 16:58  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 19/08/07
  57.   Double click 17:01  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 19/08/07
  58.   Ed 17:05  |  Hannah 19/08/07
  59.   Margie #56 17:12  |  guido 19/08/07
  60.   Who Is To Blame Here? 17:29  |  Jeff Northridge 19/08/07
  61.   Israeli obligation towards Occupied Gaza 17:30  |  Tosefta 19/08/07
  62.   Gaza is still legally "occupied" 17:35  |  Tosefta 19/08/07
  63.   Advice to Gazans 17:36  |  Tosefta 19/08/07
  64.   Nobody`ll ever forget the babyboom we`ll get of this 17:36  |  J.M.Jordan 19/08/07
  65.   Chris # 46 17:45  |  ChanahS 19/08/07
  66.   Guido # 39 17:47  |  ChanahS 19/08/07
  67.   HEY ISRAEL WAKE UP! 17:51  |  Neil Golan 19/08/07
  68.   Why don`t Arab billionaires pay for fuel instead of infidels from 17:53  |  PETER SM 19/08/07
  69.   When Shalit Walks Out 17:56  |  Ron 19/08/07
  70.   Tosefta, Star of David? 18:02  |  Lynn 19/08/07
  71.   # 68 Peter SM 18:03  |  Lynn 19/08/07
  72.   nobodyscared # 53 Taxes 18:05  |  Jeff Northridge 19/08/07
  73.   #2 Indra why why? 18:13  |  Infidel Too 19/08/07
  74.   Peter SM 18:17  |  Benny 19/08/07
  75.   guido 18:24  |  Margie in Tel Aviv 19/08/07
  76.   SO ITS THE EU THAT IS RESPONSIBLE ? 18:32  |  EYESWIDEOPEN 19/08/07
  77.   For Clickfool #17 18:37  |  Stephen 19/08/07
  78.   to 72 18:46  |  indrajaya 19/08/07
  79.   No Shalit, No Fuel 18:55  |  Rick 19/08/07
  80.   Israel Insane -- Coup Now 18:57  |  J 19/08/07
  81.   Tosefta`s compassion 19:02