Israel May Cut Gaza's Water Supplies
Ha'Aretz | 06.09.2007 23:35 | Anti-racism | World
Collective Punishment is an International Crime.
Another page taken from the Warsaw Ghetto manual ...
Israel's Extremists can offer all the excuses they wish, but this is about making the Palestinians' life as difficult as possible, so they give up their Resistance to Zionist Oppression.
Another page taken from the Warsaw Ghetto manual ...
Israel's Extremists can offer all the excuses they wish, but this is about making the Palestinians' life as difficult as possible, so they give up their Resistance to Zionist Oppression.
Israel may cut Gaza water supply to stop rocket attacks
REBECCA HARRISON
ISRAELI leaders decided yesterday against a broad offensive in Gaza to curb cross-border rocket attacks, but did not rule out cutting off Israeli-supplied power, water and fuel to the territory.
Palestinian militants regularly fire rockets into Israel from Gaza. An explosion near a kindergarten in the Israeli town of Sderot this week rekindled calls for reprisals.
No-one was killed, but television footage of traumatised children and parents struck a nerve in Israel and the prime minister, Ehud Olmert, convened his security cabinet to consider military action to try to stop the salvoes.
A government official said after the security session that Ehud Barak, the defence minister, recommended "pinpointed" attacks against militants, rather than a large-scale invasion of Gaza, controlled since June by Hamas militants.
Mr Olmert's office said in a statement that Israeli security forces, which regularly launch raids and air strikes against militants in Gaza, would continue with "intensive military operations".
Israel is also examining the legal implications of shutting down utilities it supplies to the impoverished territory, and Mr Olmert's office said the government was drawing up a plan to "disrupt services" supplied by Israel to Gaza.
Haim Ramon, the vice-premier, has called for periodic power cuts as punishment for rockets fired.
"We have decided we will take specific steps to defend our people," Mark Regev, a foreign ministry spokesman, said.
According to Israeli and Palestinian officials, Gaza's population uses about 200 megawatts of electricity, out of which 120 are provided directly from Israeli power lines, 17 are delivered from Egypt and 65 are produced at a plant in Gaza.
Asked about the rocket attacks, Tzipi Livni, the foreign minister, said Israel could "send a message to Hamas" - which seized control of Gaza from rivals Fatah in June - without provoking a humanitarian crisis. "Life cannot continue normally [in Gaza]. Even if we are unable to prevent completely the firing of [rockets], I think there are things a country is obliged to do," she said at a news conference with her Italian counterpart.
Militants in Gaza, the home to some 1.5 million Palestinians, say they have a right to fire rockets as resistance to Israeli occupation. Israel pulled settlers and troops out of the territory in 2005 in a withdrawal that Palestinians do not consider an end to occupation, because Israeli authorities still control Gaza's borders, its air space and coastal waters.
thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1420012007
REBECCA HARRISON
ISRAELI leaders decided yesterday against a broad offensive in Gaza to curb cross-border rocket attacks, but did not rule out cutting off Israeli-supplied power, water and fuel to the territory.
Palestinian militants regularly fire rockets into Israel from Gaza. An explosion near a kindergarten in the Israeli town of Sderot this week rekindled calls for reprisals.
No-one was killed, but television footage of traumatised children and parents struck a nerve in Israel and the prime minister, Ehud Olmert, convened his security cabinet to consider military action to try to stop the salvoes.
A government official said after the security session that Ehud Barak, the defence minister, recommended "pinpointed" attacks against militants, rather than a large-scale invasion of Gaza, controlled since June by Hamas militants.
Mr Olmert's office said in a statement that Israeli security forces, which regularly launch raids and air strikes against militants in Gaza, would continue with "intensive military operations".
Israel is also examining the legal implications of shutting down utilities it supplies to the impoverished territory, and Mr Olmert's office said the government was drawing up a plan to "disrupt services" supplied by Israel to Gaza.
Haim Ramon, the vice-premier, has called for periodic power cuts as punishment for rockets fired.
"We have decided we will take specific steps to defend our people," Mark Regev, a foreign ministry spokesman, said.
According to Israeli and Palestinian officials, Gaza's population uses about 200 megawatts of electricity, out of which 120 are provided directly from Israeli power lines, 17 are delivered from Egypt and 65 are produced at a plant in Gaza.
Asked about the rocket attacks, Tzipi Livni, the foreign minister, said Israel could "send a message to Hamas" - which seized control of Gaza from rivals Fatah in June - without provoking a humanitarian crisis. "Life cannot continue normally [in Gaza]. Even if we are unable to prevent completely the firing of [rockets], I think there are things a country is obliged to do," she said at a news conference with her Italian counterpart.
Militants in Gaza, the home to some 1.5 million Palestinians, say they have a right to fire rockets as resistance to Israeli occupation. Israel pulled settlers and troops out of the territory in 2005 in a withdrawal that Palestinians do not consider an end to occupation, because Israeli authorities still control Gaza's borders, its air space and coastal waters.
thescotsman.scotsman.com/international.cfm?id=1420012007
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