When The Heat Is On, They Can Always Blame Israel

Only Israel would accept the responsibility to supply the bulk of electricity to the people who are firing rockets at them:

The Gaza Strip's only power station has been shut down due to a fuel dispute between the territory's de facto Hamas government, the West Bank-based Palestinian Authority (PA) and Israel.

The plant, which supplies 25 per cent of Gaza's power, was closed on Saturday, according to a Palestinian official.

It was the third time the plant has shut down since January, according to the Ma'an News Agency,which reports from the Palestinian territories.

The Gaza Power Authority said the PA had failed to pay Israel, through which the Gaza plant's diesel fuel is routed.


But the PA government has placed the blame on rival Hamas, saying that Gazans are allowed to avoid electricity bills that would help pay for the fuel.

Ghassan Khatib, a spokesperson for the PA, told the Associated Press news agency that Hamas, which is meant to collect the power bills and send them to the West Bank, has only been sending an average of $1.3 million a month, far less than the $9 million the PA pays for fuel.

"We need some transparency here. There has to be some kind of audit," Khatib said.

...Israel supplies around 70 per cent of Gaza's power, and Egypt supplies around five per cent, with remainder coming from the plant.

Does anyone really think that either Hamas or the PA is competent to ensure the basic needs of the people who are under their rule? Gazans are not going to think very highly of either Hamas or the Palestinian Authority over this--

The shut down also comes at a time when it could be particularly politically damaging to Hamas and the PA, with temperatures in Gaza routinely soaring into the mid-30s over the summer months

Mid-30 Celsius means in the low 90's Fahrenheit.
Well, they can always blame Israel.

Technorati Tag: Palestinian Authority and Hamas.