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Israel high court okays Gaza fuel cuts
AFP, November
30, 2007
JERUSALEM, Nov
30, 2007 (AFP) - Israel's high court on Friday ruled that
the state could continue with month-long fuel cuts to the
Hamas-run Gaza Strip, but ordered a delay on plans to reduce
electricity supplies too, officials said.
The rulings
came in response to a petition by 10 Israeli and Palestinian
human rights groups, who had called the moves to limit Gaza
energy supplies an act of illegal collective punishment that
endangered civilians.
On the issue of
fuel, the court said that it was possible to reduce supplies
without affecting the humanitarian situation in the
impoverished territory that is home to 1.5 million
Palestinians, the groups said.
The court,
however, ordered the military to provide information to back
its claims that the power cuts will not harm vital systems
like hospitals, the Gisha Legal Centre, one the groups who
filed the petition, said in a statement.
Israel had
planned to start reducing electricity into Gaza on Sunday.
It will now
likely hold off as judges said they "presume" the
restrictions will not be implemented until their final
decision, said Sari Bashi, a Gisha spokeswoman.
Israeli moves
to cut fuel and electricity to Gaza have been slammed by
both Hamas and the Palestinian Authority, while the European
Union has expressed "concern."
In its ruling
on fuel, the high court said that "we do not accept the
petitioners' argument that there is no way to ensure that
the fuel provided will indeed be used for humanitarian
needs," Ynet quoted the decision as saying.
"Under the
current circumstances, if the distribution of fuel is
controlled and prioritised in a way that puts humanitarian
needs first, it would appear that the amount provided even
after the cutback will be enough to satisfy these needs."
Israel -- which
supplies all fuel and majority of electricity to Gaza --
began restricting fuel shipments to the territory on October
28, saying the move was in response to continuing rocket
fire.
The fuel cuts
continued while the supreme court examined the appeal, as
justices never ordered them to stop, Bashi said.
Following
Friday's ruling, the petitioning groups slammed the decision
on fuel and cautiously welcomed the one on electricity.
"We are
extremely concerned about the continued fuel cuts, which
constitute illegal collective punishment," Gisha said in a
statement.
"Gaza's
civilians have no way to defend themselves against the
disruptions in vital humanitarian services, because they can
receive fuel and essential goods only via Israel, which
controls Gaza's borders -- land, air and sea."
On Thursday,
Gaza industry officials warned of a crisis unless Israel
allows in more fuel, saying that 70 percent of all petrol
stations in Gaza do not have enough supplies.
Ismail Haniya,
who headed a government later dismissed by Palestinian
president Mahmud Abbas, told reporters in Gaza on Friday
that the court ruling was "dangerous" and aimed to "increase
the siege on Gaza."
After Hamas,
which refuses to recognise Israel and renounce violence,
seized control in Gaza in mid-June, Israel has further
tightened restrictions on the movement of goods and people
into the territory from which it withdrew settlers and
troops in 2005. |
