Israel Cuts Gas Supplies to the Gaza Strip

by Robert Farago

October 25th, 2007 12:17 PM

israel cuts gas supplies to the gaza strip

In the face of daily rocket attacks from the Gaza Strip into Israel– 13 Kassam rockets and 12 mortar shells were reported fired on Tuesday– the Jewish state has declared the Palestinian-controlled territory an "enemy entity." The decision gives Israel the power to cut off all vital supplies to the region, including electricity and gas. Which they're about to do. Philadelphia's Bulletin quotes a military source who acknowledged the embargo's potential impact on Palestineans' lives and explained the tit-for-tat rationale for constricting fuel supplies. "There's no doubt that a gas shortage will make the Palestinians' lives more difficult. If they don't let us live and move around freely in the Sderot area and its surroundings, they won't move around freely either. Diesel and crude oil will enter the Gaza Strip regularly so as not to affect the ambulances, garbage trucks and fire trucks. As far as we're concerned, there's no problem if the terrorists and local police can't drive around in their private cars. The Palestinian civilians had better realize that Hamas doesn't care about them any more."

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Mel23 on Oct 26, 2007

jkross22: I agree that the Palestinians have been abused by Arab powers, but this in no way relieves Israel of their crimes nor us for enabling them. Considerable resources have flowed into the Palestinian territories only to be destroyed by US-supplied, Israeli-operated planes and rockets. Regardless of resources, roadmaps, etc., Israeli settlements continue to expand, the roadblocks continue to stifle Palestinian movement within their own area, and Palestinians continue to be killed and abused on a daily basis that goes largely ignored here. We should change our behavior because it's the right thing to do, but, if that's not enough reason, because it would be in our interest in changing our image in the Arab world.

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Ryan Knuckles on Oct 26, 2007

mel23: That would change our image in the Arab world?

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Whatdoiknow1 on Oct 26, 2007
Ryan Knuckles : October 26th, 2007 at 12:21 pm mel23: That would change our image in the Arab world? Yes it would! Americans need to stop walking around with blinders over their eyes believing that everyone else in the world is ignorant. When I was in school during the cold war we were always taught that the Soviets did not have a free press and they only believed what their government tells them. I have watch my country men walk around believing that they "know" what is going on in the world when in reality they only know what our piss-poor media establishment wants them to know. Even in the age of the interent I find most Americans are still unwilling to explore what other people have to say about what is happening in the world. Is it because the real news is rather bleak for us in the USA. We like to believe that everyone else outside of USA, Canada, Europe, and Japan are poor. We hate to find out that there folks all over the so called thrid world that are now enjoying a standard of living that is surpassing that of many US citizens. We hate to here about how much US debt the Chinese hold. Once us Americans deal with that issue we can begin to understand how China has so much power over the decisions being made in Washington DC. So in a nutshell do not sleep on all of those Arabs. Many of them are much better educated than most Americans and they are informed or desperately trying to get informed. They do know that the US and it policies are quite hypocritical. They do see us support the rather abusive Saudi regime today. They have seen us support the Shah and his serect police in Iran before the revolution. They see us claim to support both sides in the Israeli/ Palestinian conflict yet the USA seem to always turn a blind eye to whatever misdeed the Israelis commit. What these Arabs do know is that if the corrupt Saudis were not in the pocket of few Americans the middle east WOULD be a very differet and more stable place today.

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Landcrusher on Oct 26, 2007
We hate to find out that there folks all over the so called thrid world that are now enjoying a standard of living that is surpassing that of many US citizens. Could you please point out an example? The only folks I know of like this are either NOT in the third world at all, or are part of a class that is exploiting another class that doesn't live so well. By average, they are not so well off. At any rate, even the World Bank has now figured out that rights have economic value that makes household goods look cheap. We hate to here about how much US debt the Chinese hold. Once us Americans deal with that issue we can begin to understand how China has so much power over the decisions being made in Washington DC. Could you give an example of how their holding our debt has affected our decision makers? I would say that the shoe is on the other foot, because we can always do what the rest of the world does and burn them on the debt. Many of them are much better educated than most Americans and they are informed or desperately trying to get informed. I have a close friend who is Palestinian, and he is very bright, well traveled, and well educated. He is now an American. Since I was raised with an education that taught classics and skepticism, I am often suprised with the garbage he picks up from "international sources". And no, I would never disagree with a "fact" simply because our press disagrees.

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