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The Ashkelon power station both provides Gaza with much of its electricity and serves as a prime target for Qassam rocket fire. (Limor Edrey)
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Last update - 01:24 23/11/2007
Israel to start gradually reducing Gaza power supply December 2
By Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondent
Tags: Palestinians, Israel 

Israel to begin gradually reducing the power supply to the Gaza Strip on December 2, in response to the ongoing Qassam rocket fire at Israeli communities along the Strip, Attorney General Menachem Mazuz told the High Court of Justice on Thursday.

According to the State Prosecution, the defense establishment has finalized preparations meant to ensure that the power reduction does not cause humanitarian harm Gaza.

The Palestinians will be given a one-week advance notice of the intention to begin reducing the power supply.
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The prosecution said the defense establishment would "follow the effect of the power reductions on Gaza residents with attention to the commitment not to cause a humanitarian crisis in the Gaza Strip."

On Monday, the prosecution handed the court an affadavit asserting that Israel's decision to cut fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip does not violate its responsibility to provide humanitarian services to residents of the coastal territory.

The affidavit, filed on behalf of Shlomi Muchtar of the IDF Coordination and Liaison Office, which coordinates Palestinian civilian affairs, said the cuts do not "harm the humanitarian minimum to which Israel is committed."

The affidavit was submitted after High Court justices last week ordered the State Prosecution to present data affirming that Israel's move would not affect the humanitarian needs of the civilian population of the Gaza Strip.

The affidavit said that Israel intends to cut diesel fuel supplies for transportation purposes from 1.4 million liters per week to 1.2 million, and diesel fuel supplies for power stations from 2.2 liters per week to 1.75 liters.

According to IDF calculations, humanitarian needs require 800,000 liters of diesel each week. "And that's a strict estimate," the affidavit said.

The High Court hearing is in response to the petition of ten Israeli and Palestinian human rights organizations against the state's decision to cut fuel and electricity supplies in response to constant Qassam rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into western Israel.

Shlomo Dror, a spokesman for the IDF, said there would be no such harm. "It won't be a powerful cut that will cause damage, he said. There will only be minor cuts."

Gaza is dependent on Israel for all its fuel and about half its electricity.

Related articles:
IDF: Gaza fuel cuts don't violate humanitarian duty
Ministers slam AG for prohibiting punitive power cuts to Gaza
EU urges Israel to reconsider cuts to Gaza energy supply
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  1.   you might as well say it will never happen 20:30  |  vik 22/11/07
  2.   Israel: Collective Punishment = Peace 20:48  |  POP 22/11/07
  3.   The terrorists should use their qassams for electricity 20:52  |  Dani 22/11/07
  4.   More Collective Punishment From The War Criminals 21:08  |  chet 22/11/07
  5.   Humanitarian minimum or depravity? 21:09  |  sh 22/11/07
  6.   It won`t help 21:29  |  IsraFan 22/11/07
  7.   A load of horse garbage! 21:29  |  Dan 22/11/07
  8.   Will the grovelling Israel Uncle Tom Abbas display any backbone? 21:35  |  Clickfool 22/11/07
  9.   Too little, too late 21:36  |  Neteq Muhlat 22/11/07
  10.   They use that electricityto manufacture kassams 21:37  |  JD 22/11/07
  11.   let them get their fuel and power elsewhere 21:39  |  Dror 22/11/07
  12.   Israel is playing with a double edged sword 21:44  |  Natallie Durson 22/11/07
  13.   Clickfool 21:51  |  Warum 22/11/07
  14.   Pop and Chets solution 21:52  |  Edifice 22/11/07
  15.   Natallie - bad analogy 21:55  |  Tor 22/11/07
  16.   Unrelenting Qassam Propaganda Campaign 22:00  |  chet 22/11/07
  17.   Natallie Durson 22:00  |  Edifice 22/11/07
  18.   The rules of war allow 22:05  |  Yonaatan 22/11/07
  19.   Why is the court involved? Please let us know! 22:15  |  redmike 22/11/07
  20.   "Cuts that do not harm the humanitarian 22:18  |  Steve the Pals. 22/11/07
  21.   To the Dursons of the World 22:18  |  Proud Israeli 22/11/07
  22.   To Chet 22:22  |  Eli 22/11/07
  23.   Very good news indeed, finally the satanists will pay 22:27  |  Johnny 22/11/07
  24.   Natallie, try you own advice and see how the legal system reacts 22:30  |  Johnny 22/11/07
  25.   End the vile siege you rotters! chet,clickfool,pop,natalie D. and 22:30  |  lakshmi 22/11/07
  26.   Power reduction will stop kasam production 22:31  |  Abu Halil bin yusuf 22/11/07
  27.   Stop power totaly for a day for every kasam 22:32  |  El higazi 22/11/07
  28.   This is state sponsored sadism 22:46  |  www.kibush.co.il 22/11/07
  29.   Less electricity to Gaza 22:52  |  Frank 22/11/07
  30.   clickfool #8 23:17  |  mRAD 22/11/07
  31.   #19 - I don`t understand you post .. 23:26  |  redmike 22/11/07
  32.   #13 - not a serious post! No attacks, no retaliation ! 23:31  |  redmike 22/11/07
  33.   #12 - what is it that you want to say? 23:35  |  redmike 22/11/07
  34.   9neteq Muhlat,wrong!israel would have done it if it could but it 23:46  |  lakshmi 22/11/07
  35.   Cut Off All Supplies To Gaza and Quarantine the Entire 00:00  |  Martin Luther 23/11/07
  36.   "...December 2" 00:04  |  jjvanka 23/11/07
  37.   #2 POP goes the weasel 00:14  |  * BEN JABO 23/11/07
  38.   #4 Chet - Those hundreds of thousands 00:17  |  * BEN JABO 23/11/07
  39.   redmike # 28 - By Now I Thought You Would Figure Out The Guy 00:20  |  Eli 23/11/07
  40.   #25 kibush - You are most correct 00:20  |  * BEN JABO 23/11/07
  41.   #5 sh 00:21  |  * BEN JABO 23/11/07
  42.   lakshmi # 22 This is hysterical, thanks 00:24  |  Darth Zaider (Ed) 23/11/07
  43.   Hamas has the "Guts" to seize control of Gaza 00:24  |  cristo 23/11/07
  44.   #22 Lakshmi Thank you 00:25  |  * BEN JABO 23/11/07
  45.   How is this not going to make them hate us even more? 00:36  |  Zack 23/11/07
  46.   #28 redmike I dont understand my own post 00:44  |  redmike 23/11/07
  47.   Oh, well that`s all right then.. 01:03  |  Don Camillo 23/11/07
  48.   the minimum israel is commited to...? 01:12  |  Omerbj 23/11/07
  49.   Israel`s nightmare 02:18  |  US Observer 23/11/07
  50.   Don Camillo 02:36  |  Edifice 23/11/07
  51.   It is about time, it is about time!!! We must also cease 02:41  |  Ra`aya 23/11/07
  52.   Call It What You Will - Who Cares? 02:43  |  Jane 23/11/07
  53.   # 32 Don Camillo - civil servant 02:48  |  17 23/11/07
  54.   minor cuts are a waste of time & achive nothing 02:55  |  zionist forever 23/11/07
  55.   Zack - What Will They Do Kill You More? 03:03  |  Jane 23/11/07
  56.   #30 03:14  |  viking 23/11/07
  57.   #8 clickfoolish 03:25  |  viking 23/11/07
  58.   When things get dark enough maybe.... 04:36  |  R 23/11/07
  59.   Easy way to keep electric on 06:20  |  * BEN JABO 23/11/07
  60.   #16, chet... 06:35  |  Silvienne 23/11/07
  61.   EXCELLENT NEWS : BUT LATE COMING ! ! 10:20  |  B . H e d d e m 23/11/07
  62.   Silvienne- Pals just better at killing themselves. 05:07  |  Stephen in New York 24/11/07
  63.   #62, Stephen in New York... 06:11  |  Silvienne 24/11/07
  64.   Silvienne 63 06:45  |  Stephen in New York 24/11/07
  65.   Stephen, BRAVO BRAVO I think she ran away, hiding at this point 18:14  |  Elizabeth 24/11/07
  66.   Silvienne - prior to the Pow Wow in Annapolis 02:46  |  * BEN JABO 25/11/07
  67.   #64, Stephen... 04:46  |  Silvienne 25/11/07
  68.   #65, Elizabeth, the day I run from the likes of you... 04:47  |  Silvienne 25/11/07
  69.   #66, Ben Jabo... 04:49  |  Silvienne 25/11/07
  70.   Silvienne- I have nothing more to say to you. 08:48  |  Stephen 25/11/07
  71.   SULLENVIENE, i HAVE A BRILLIANT IDEA JUST FOR U, FLY TO EGYPT, 10:43  |  Elizabeth 25/11/07
  72.   stop threatening shut it off 14:12  |  real vision 25/11/07
  73.   #69 Silvienne - I thought you were up on latest news 17:36  |  * BEN JABO 25/11/07
  74.   #71 Elizabeth to Silvienne 17:38  |  * BEN JABO 25/11/07
  75.   Ben Jabo re Silvienne 20:44  |  Stephen in New York 25/11/07
  76.   #70, Stephen--fine with me, dearie 02:09  |  Silvienne 26/11/07
  77.   #73, Ben Jabo... 02:10  |  Silvienne 26/11/07
  78.   #74, Ben Jabo... 02:14  |  Silvienne 26/11/07
  79.   #78 Silvienne - I think you said 02:46  |  * BEN JABO 26/11/07
  80.   Now isn`t that an interesting caption! 14:10  |  Murray of Montreal 26/11/07
  81.   A little known fact about the barbarism of Israel