Power Struggle Means Lights Out For Gaza

The latest Hamas-Fatah squabbling gives new meaning to Gaza's power struggles. Cuts in EU aid for Israeli fuel used in Gaza's power plant leave Palestinian leaders bickering over how to make up the shortfall.

I don't expect the crisis to be resolved before the power plant shuts down some time today, which would leave the strip without juice for 48 hours. This AP report pretty much sums up what you need to know:

The current crisis emerged when the European Union, one of the biggest donors to the Palestinian Authority, decided to scale back aid, including payment of fuel for the power plant. The EU spent 268 million euros on fuel for the plant over three and a half years, EU officials said.

The decision, made in consultation with the Palestinian Authority, meant the West Bank government had to find another way of paying for the fuel. The plant provides electricity to about 25% of Gaza. The rest gets power from Egypt and Israel.

The PA wants Hamas to contribute since it collects money from residents for electricity, said Ghassan Khatib, a spokesman for the Abbas government . . .

Hamas demanded that the EU continue to foot the bill.

So the EU is cutting aid with prior knowledge of Hamas and the PA; you can bet Israel will be blamed for the mess anyway.

Posted at 12:07 PM