Nov 10, 2008 10:47 am US/Pacific
Israel Withdraws Threat To Continue Gaza Fuel Cut
JERUSALEM (AP) ―
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A Palestinian boy attempts to cross the road lit only by the headlamps of cars near the parliament building in the heart of Gaza City on Nov.10, 2008.
Mohammed Abed/AFP/Getty Images
Israel reversed course Monday and decided to resume fuel shipments to Gaza's electricity plant despite continued rocket fire. Gaza authorities already had shut down the facility, cutting power to much of Gaza City.
Israel stopped the shipments last week and closed Gaza's border crossings in response to a wave of Palestinian rocket attacks, which followed an Israeli incursion into Gaza and a fierce gunbattle between army troops and Hamas forces. The clashes have tested an Egyptian-mediated truce that has held for five months.
Israel is the sole provider of industrial fuel to Gaza's only power plant. Israeli defense officials said Defense Minister Ehud Barak agreed to a request by peace envoy Tony Blair to resume the shipments, and Israel will allow minimal amounts of fuel for the power plant to enter Gaza starting Tuesday. Otherwise, crossings would remain closed, they said.
The defense officials spoke on condition of anonymity because no public statement had been released.
The decision came despite a rocket attack on Israel Monday. The military said Palestinian militants fired three rockets at Israel, but two fell short and exploded inside Gaza.
Gaza energy official Kanan Obeid said the power plant was shut down after sundown. Much of Gaza City was without electricity after nightfall. Many residents, who purchase gas and diesel fuel smuggled in from Egypt, started their own generators.
In a statement, Israel's Foreign Ministry said 70 percent of Gaza's electricity comes over lines directly from Israel, and that continues to flow. An additional 17 percent is supplied by Egypt, the statement said, adding that Israel remains committed to the truce.
Hamas officials warned the Israeli move could further undermine the shaky truce.
The Israeli closure has also kept journalists from entering the coastal territory for five days, drawing a protest from Tel Aviv-based Foreign Press Association. The association, which represents foreign reporters in Israel and the Palestinian territories, called the Israeli move "a serious violation of press freedom."
Israeli military spokesman Peter Lerner said crossings would open only for humanitarian reasons, and that journalists would be allowed to leave but not enter.
(© 2009 The Associated Press. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
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