Gaza Strip fuel sanctions reversed

[oberliner]

The government is halting the industrial diesel fuel sanctions it imposed on the Gaza Strip on October 28, and will restore the daily supply to the level it was before the measure was imposed, the state has informed the High Court of Justice.

The sanctions were imposed to pressure terrorist organizations in Gaza to halt Kassam rocket and mortar attacks against Sderot and other communities in the Gaza periphery.

In a brief to the court submitted on Thursday, the state wrote: "After completing its staff work, which started before the petitioners filed their 'urgent' requests to the High Court, and without any connection to them, the minister of defense gave his approval today to increase, for the time being and temporarily, the amount of industrial diesel to the Gaza Strip to 2.2 million liters per week, similar to the amount supplied before the sanctions went into effect."

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[Englander]

1. What does "temporarily" mean, here?

Jan 10, 2008 20:59 | Updated Jan 10, 2008 21:06
Israel is "temporarily" restoring fuel supply to Gaza to its pre-cut rates

The IDF agreed Thursday to restore the supply of diesel fuel to Gaza after cutting it back by 30% only a few days ago, human rights organizations said.

The announcement came in a court paper filed by the state in response to an appeal against the cutbacks, launched by NGOs "Gisha" and "Adallah".

The change of policy came as it became obvious that Gaza water, sanitation and health care systems were badly affected by the cuts. The medical services in Gaza's main hospital were particularly disrupted. Shifa Hospital director Hassan Khalef said: "We were forced to shut down vital systems in the hospital, and we could not clean the hospital, wash linens or operate the sterilization system."

Israel had reduced the flow of fuel - necessary for operating Gaza's power station, water pumps, sewage system and hospitals' generators - in a bid to force Hamas to clamp down on the launchers of the Kassam rockets. The cuts forced daily eight-hour blackouts on the Strip, leaving many families with no means to warm their homes.

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