Saffa News has published details of a “confidential document” which reveals that the Palestinian Authority in Ramallah offered to sell Egypt the fuel donated by Qatar to operate Gaza’s power plant. The Gaza Strip has been suffering from an electricity and fuel crisis under the Israeli-led blockade for seven and a half years.
The controversial document, dated 1 January 2014, is an “official letter” from the Palestinian ambassador in Cairo, Barakat Al-Farra, to the Egyptian General Petroleum Corporation (EGPC). In his letter the ambassador offers to sell the corporation the balance of the diesel donated by Qatar in April 2012 to fuel the power plant in Gaza. The Qatari diesel was unloaded in the Port of Suez months ago, but only a small amount has reached its intended destination. According to the document, Ambassador Al-Farra set out the PA’s intention to sell the Qatari donation at a price $90 below the standard international rate.
According to Saffa News, it has been unable to obtain any comment from Al-Farra or other officials in the Palestinian Authority.
Qatar intervened to solve the electricity crisis in Gaza in December and paid $10 million to the Palestinian Authority to meet the value-added tax on fuel which it had increased without notice.