Juan Cole
Robert Malley of the International Crisis Group is eloquent
in the Boston Globe/ IHT on why this Israeli tactic
is self-defeating.
But more important than whether it is practical
or not, it is a war crime.
"Gaza Strip: Crisis worsens despite Israel's
new fuel pledge". AKI reports:
' Amid predictions that more than a million people would
soon be without safe drinking water, there were reports
of raw sewage spilling into the streets because there was
no electricity to fuel the local pump station.
The Gaza power plant shut down its two working turbines
on Sunday, leaving much of Gaza in darkness, after Israel
closed border crossings on Friday.
Hospitals dependent on vital diesel supplies were also
predicting that they would run out of fuel within hours
and then be forced to make crucial life or death decisions
for their patients.
John Ging, director of the United Nations Relief and
Works Agency (UNRWA) in Gaza said the civilian
population was living in "abject misery" and had been
stripped of their human dignity.
"People here in Gaza have been living in abject
misery and hardship now for a long time," Ging told
the Arab TV network, Al-Jazeera. "On top of that
they are living in darkness.
"You have to see how miserable the situation is.
The civilian population is under occupation. It is
collective punishment - they are victims."
"What we need is action and it
starts with civilians." '
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