Published Sunday 23/08/2009 (updated) 24/08/2009 16:12 Gaza – Ma’an –

For the past three years Gazans have dealt with an increased strain on their power grid during the month of Ramadan, usually eating their two meals (one at dusk and another at dawn) in the dark.

The chronic electricity shortage in Gaza is primarily the result of Israel’s ongoing siege of the Gaza Strip.

The only power plant in Gaza was bombarded in 2006 by an Israeli airstrike. While subsequent repairs have brought the plant back into working order, it operates at only two-thirds capacity because Israel restricts the amount of European Union-supplied industrial fuel allowed through the Nahal Oz crossing point. Diesel smuggled from Egypt is of insufficient quality to fuel the plant. The power plant’s total output is 55 megawatts.

About a year and a half ago Egypt built a line to carry electricity into the Rafah and Khan Younis districts, in the southern Gaza Strip, which provides 17 megawatts.

Israel provides 120 megawatts through land power lines to cover the northern and eastern regions of the Gaza Strip. Still, the grid suffers from a permanent shortage of 30% of the needed power supply prompting the power authority and electric company to schedule regular power cuts for eight hours a day.

During Ramadan this problem is exacerbated because Palestinians preparing their evening meal all do so around the same time of the afternoon causing the grid to overload and outages to occur.

According to Kanan Ubeid, deputy chief of the Palestinian Energy Authority, “This power crisis can be solved either by increasing the shipment of fuel donated by the EU, or enlarging the Egyptian line to increase its capacity.”

Haniya asks Arab, Islamic leaders to lift the siege on Gaza

[ 23/08/2009 - 09:29 AM ]

GAZA, (PIC)--

Ismail Haniya, the Palestinian premier, has asked the leaders of the Arab and Islamic countries to act to lift the siege on the Gaza Strip and to end the suffering of the Palestinians especially with the advent of the holy fasting month of Ramadan.

Haniya was speaking during an Iftar (breaking the fast) banquet on Saturday organized by the union of Islamic institutions in cooperation with Hamas and with the support of the Eid charitable society in Qatar.

The premier urged those leaders to follow suit of the Emir of Qatar Sheikh Khalifa bin Hamad who donated on Friday 10 million dollars for Palestinian workers and fishermen in Gaza.

He thanked Eid society for its contributions, and added that the Qatari Emir's donation would be distributed to 100,000 workers and fishermen.

For his part, Sheikh Ali Al-Suwaiji, the director of Eid society, said in a statement over the phone that his society would continue to support the people of Gaza, asking the Arab League to move in a bid to break the siege.

In another development, Haniya on Saturday night congratulated a number of Arab heads of state on the occasion of Ramadan and reviewed with them latest Palestinian developments.

The Arab leaders affirmed their backing to the Palestinian people and their legitimate rights, a statement by Haniya's office said.