Al-Khodari calls on the EU to intervene in Gaza electricity crisis

Palestinian MP Jamal al Khodari, the head of the Popular Committee Against the Siege, has called upon the European Commission’s representative to intervene in the electricity crisis in the Gaza Strip, caused by the lack of fuel for the lone power station in the territory. As reported in Middle East Monitor earlier this week, the lack of spare parts due to the Israeli siege and the EU’s decision not to purchase fuel will see the power station closed by the weekend. The appeal for an intervention has been addressed to Christian Berger, the EC representative in Jerusalem. Until November last year, the European Union contributed $13m per month for the power station’s fuel.

While thanking the EU for such support over the past few years, and its support for the Palestinian people generally, Al-Khodari stressed the need to resume payments so that Gaza’s electricity supply can be maintained, even at a reduced level. Most families in Gaza have no electricity for up to eight hours a day, affecting heating, cooking and lighting. Some areas go without for even longer periods. Such cuts to the electricity supply have a significant impact on water supplies, sanitation and health care. According to Al-Khodari, “This crisis is aggravated daily, and could lead very quickly to the deterioration of many basic services that are usually taken for granted in normal times.”