Minister says no instant solutuion

Occupied Jerusalem: A Palestinian minister said the people of Gaza must realise that there is no instant solution to the electricity problem.

"They have to take matters into their own hands. Our people have to go out and rally against Hamas to force it to withdraw from the electricity company and stop collecting electricity bill payments," Riad Al Maliki, Palestinian Information Minister told Gulf News.

He denied there was an agreement between the Palestinian government and the European Union, which had suddenly decided to stop paying Gaza's electricity bill.

As a result, more than 600,000 Palestinians out of 1.5 million in Gaza are living without electricity.

"The Palestinian government will not pay for the fuel needed to generate electricity while Hamas is controlling the company's accounts and collecting the bills, ignoring the interests of the people," said Al Maliki.

"We have nothing to do except to wait for Hamas's next move," Al Maliki said, something that Hamas denied through its spokesperson, holding the government responsible and accusing it of conspiring with the EU and Israel to further tighten the siege imposed on Gaza.

Dor Alon, the sole Israeli company providing fuel to Gaza, issued a statement on Monday, in which it confirmed that it has stopped providing Gaza with fuel after the EU informed the company that it will no longer shoulder the bill.

Monthly bill

The company said that it would not provide any fuel to Gaza unless it was assured that a credible side would pay the $12 million (Dh44.04 million) monthly bill.

Saeb Erekat, Chairman of the Negotiations Department at Palestinian Liberation Organisation (PLO) told Gulf News that the Palestinian leadership would work with Egypt to increase the amount of electricity received from Egypt to cover the middle areas of Gaza, while working with the Israeli company to increase their supply to cover northern Gaza.

Erekat strongly denied reports that the Palestinian National Authority is applying pressure on the EU to stop paying the bill as a means of controlling Hamas.

"If it was not for the Palestinian National Authority's efforts with Israel and donor countries to allow foodstuff and medicines into Gaza, it would have been a disaster. The only one to blame is Hamas," Erekat said.

He stressed that the Palestinian Authority is doing its best to reduce the suffering of the people of Gaza.

Gaza needs 200 mega watt of electricity daily, out of which 120 mega watt (70 per cent) come from Israeli power lines, while 17 mega watt (5 per cent) come from Egypt and 65 mega watt (25 per cent) from the Palestinian Electricity Company.

"We are stuck between the hammer of Hamas and the anvil of Fatah, and our only saviour is Allah," said Abdullah Sadi, 35, from Gaza.