Israel’s Parting Gift to Gaza

Israel’s Parting Gift to Gaza Electric company ignores $150 million Palestinian debt, transfers generators for Gaza hospitals. By: Jewish Press News Briefs Published: August 6th, 2014|10 AV, 5774 The Israel Electric Company (IEC) has provided 10 generators to Gaza hospitals as a parting gift from the month-long Operation Protective Edge, despite a Palestinian Authority debt of more than $150 million in unpaid bills to the IEC. The generators, with a 4.3 megawatt capacity, were delivered to Palestinian officials in Gaza at the Kerem Shalom checkpoint, according to the Rotter online news website. The report failed to say whether the Palestinians who accepted the donation were connected to Hamas, or whether Israel would monitor whether or not the gift is used for Palestinian hospitals. It should be noted that IEC workers had to be fitted with military-standard bullet-proof vests in order to protect themselves from the recipients of the humanitarian gesture.

Israel Repairs Gaza Damage While Talks Continue Nine of the ten power lines leading to Gaza were damaged by Hamas terror rockets fired at Israel. By: Rachel Levy While representatives of various Palestinian Arab factions “talk” with Israeli negotiators — albeit indirectly — about how to extend a 72-hour cease fire into something more permanent, Israel is already starting to rehabilitate Gaza.

Employees of the Israel Electric Company began repairing the power grid for Gaza residents on Tuesday night. Workers from the Be’er Sheva district – the same people repeatedly forced to race for shelter from rocket fire launched from Gaza – were ordered to repair the grids damaged by those same rockets fired by Hamas terrorists in the first place. IDF soldiers have been assigned to guard the IEC technicians working on the lines. IEC provides 120 megwatts of electricity to Gaza on 10 high voltage lines, nine of which were damaged by the rocket fire. The IEC employees are working on the lines from the Israeli side only, although a number of damaged lines are also located within Gaza. “All of the IEC work is being carried out in coordination with the Coordinator of Government Activities in the Territories (COGAT),” according to IEC deputy spokesperson Iris Ben-Shahal.