27 dec 2013
Lack of fuel brought Gaza's lone power plant to a halt on Friday, just 12 days after it was fired back to life following a seven-week shutdown, the Palestinian territory's electricity firm said.
"The plant stopped working on Friday morning due to a lack of fuel caused by Israel's closure of the Kerem Shalom crossing," an electricity company official said.
Israel closed the crossing to the besieged Palestinian territory on Tuesday following a series of violent incidents on the border.
Lack of fuel returns blackouts to Gaza
Gaza’s sole power plant stopped working once again on Friday due to the lack of diesel fuel after Israel closed Karm Abu Salem commercial crossing, preventing the entry of the needed fuel to run its turbines. Gaza's Electricity Company was forced to limit electricity supplies to six hours per day instead of 12 hours, increasing the suffering of the people of the besieged enclave.
Fathi al-Sheikh Khalil, the company's deputy chairman, confirmed that Gaza's sole power plant has been shut down on Friday due to the lack of fuel after Israel's closing of Karm Abu Salem crossing, leaving Gaza again with six hours of electricity per day followed by 12 hours of rupture.
Gaza's power plant resumed functioning two weeks ago, after seven weeks of shutdown, after receiving the needed fuel using funds donated by Qatar.
"The plant stopped working on Friday morning due to a lack of fuel caused by Israel's closure of the Kerem Shalom crossing," an electricity company official said.
Israel closed the crossing to the besieged Palestinian territory on Tuesday following a series of violent incidents on the border.
Lack of fuel returns blackouts to Gaza
Gaza’s sole power plant stopped working once again on Friday due to the lack of diesel fuel after Israel closed Karm Abu Salem commercial crossing, preventing the entry of the needed fuel to run its turbines. Gaza's Electricity Company was forced to limit electricity supplies to six hours per day instead of 12 hours, increasing the suffering of the people of the besieged enclave.
Fathi al-Sheikh Khalil, the company's deputy chairman, confirmed that Gaza's sole power plant has been shut down on Friday due to the lack of fuel after Israel's closing of Karm Abu Salem crossing, leaving Gaza again with six hours of electricity per day followed by 12 hours of rupture.
Gaza's power plant resumed functioning two weeks ago, after seven weeks of shutdown, after receiving the needed fuel using funds donated by Qatar.
24 dec 2013
Financial Crisis Not Over
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has formally thanked the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for granting the Palestinian Authority 50 Million USD to help it pay late salaries and perform its duties.
Abbas sent a letter to the President of the UAE. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, thanking him and his country for their ongoing support to the Palestinian people and its struggle against the Israeli occupation.
Abbas added that “this generous donation would also assist the P.A. in paying some of its debts to local banks and private sector organizations”.
Earlier this month Palestinian Prime Minister in the occupied West Bank, Rami Hamdallah, stated that Qatar has promised to transfer $150 million to the Palestinian Authority (P.A.) to help ease its sharp financial crises.
Hamdallah said that the P.A. needs at least $150 million by the end of this year, in order to provide and maintain basic services.
Israel controls all border terminals leading to the West Bank and, therefore, all exports or imports must go through Israeli-controlled border terminals. Palestinians leaving or entering the country also end up paying fees to the Israeli Border Authority.
Tel Aviv is supposed to transfer approximately 500 million New Israeli Shekels per month, for taxes it collects on border terminals, but has repeatedly withheld the transfer, in an attempt to pressure the P.A. into halting all international political moves, including the submission of applications to join Unites Nations institutions.
It also deducts 3% each month, in commissions for collecting the money, as it refuses to grant the P.A. access or control over border terminals.
The U.S. has repeatedly withheld financial support to the P.A. in the West Bank, in pressuring the organization into continuing direct diplomatic talks with Tel Aviv, despite the escalating Israeli violations and settlement activities.
Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas has formally thanked the United Arab Emirates (UAE) for granting the Palestinian Authority 50 Million USD to help it pay late salaries and perform its duties.
Abbas sent a letter to the President of the UAE. Sheikh Khalifa bin Zayed Al Nahyan, thanking him and his country for their ongoing support to the Palestinian people and its struggle against the Israeli occupation.
Abbas added that “this generous donation would also assist the P.A. in paying some of its debts to local banks and private sector organizations”.
Earlier this month Palestinian Prime Minister in the occupied West Bank, Rami Hamdallah, stated that Qatar has promised to transfer $150 million to the Palestinian Authority (P.A.) to help ease its sharp financial crises.
Hamdallah said that the P.A. needs at least $150 million by the end of this year, in order to provide and maintain basic services.
Israel controls all border terminals leading to the West Bank and, therefore, all exports or imports must go through Israeli-controlled border terminals. Palestinians leaving or entering the country also end up paying fees to the Israeli Border Authority.
Tel Aviv is supposed to transfer approximately 500 million New Israeli Shekels per month, for taxes it collects on border terminals, but has repeatedly withheld the transfer, in an attempt to pressure the P.A. into halting all international political moves, including the submission of applications to join Unites Nations institutions.
It also deducts 3% each month, in commissions for collecting the money, as it refuses to grant the P.A. access or control over border terminals.
The U.S. has repeatedly withheld financial support to the P.A. in the West Bank, in pressuring the organization into continuing direct diplomatic talks with Tel Aviv, despite the escalating Israeli violations and settlement activities.
22 dec 2013
A Palestinian child wearing a Santa Claus costume waves a national flag as another holds a poster of late Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat during a weekly demonstration, Dec. 20, 2013, against Israel's separation barrier
After a decade of unrest, Bethlehem has seen a surge in visits to Christ's traditional birthplace, raising hopes of a tourism bonanza in the West Bank town despite Israel's separation barrier.
The Palestinian territories' top tourist destination is a victim of the barrier which cuts off the town from nearby Jerusalem, just 10 kilometers (six miles) away.
Israel began work on its sprawling barrier -- dubbed the "apartheid wall" by Palestinians -- in 2002 at the height of the second intifada, or uprising.
It defends the construction as a crucial protective measure, pointing to a drop in attacks inside Israel as proof of its success.
Palestinian tourism minister Rola Maayah sees the barrier as a key obstacle to encouraging visitors to the town.
"Bethlehem, one of our main tourist attractions is circled by 27 settlements. As a result, we are surrounded by high walls, fences and menacing checkpoints which put tourists off," Maayah said.
"We could develop tourism, attract people from all over the world, but it's not possible because of the Israeli occupation," she added.
The expansion of nearby Israeli settlements has deliberately helped to isolate the city, Palestinians say.
But since a UNESCO decision in June 2012 to grant world heritage status to Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity -- hailed as a "historic" diplomatic victory by the Palestinians -- the town has been eyeing a tourist bonanza that could boost the local economy.
In Bethlehem, where nearly one quarter of its 25,000 residents are unemployed, two out of three households rely on tourism for their income.
Between 2011 and 2012, more than two million people visited the town. The record crowds brought much-needed revenues after a tough decade for tourism during the second intifada.
"There was a significant jump in tourism in Palestine in 2012 with an 18 percent rise in the number of visitors," Maayah said. A little over half of these were foreigners.
With 3,800 rooms, Bethlehem accounts for nearly half of the West Bank's hotel capacity. But the occupancy rate (65 to 70 percent) is unevenly distributed throughout the year.
"We are booked up in advance for Christian holidays, but there are lots of empty rooms the rest of the year," said the deputy head of the Bethlehem board of commerce, Fairouz Khoury.
To redress this imbalance, Vera Baboun, a Palestinian Catholic and Bethlehem's first female mayor since 2012, aims to encourage visitors to stay longer.
"Our visitors should know that Bethlehem is not just about the nativity," said Baboun.
The pilgrims -- who mostly come from Russia, the United States and Poland -- descend on the town by the coachload, queuing to see the Church of the Nativity, one of Christianity's oldest and holiest, leaving immediately afterwards.
Those who linger for more than a few hours are rare.
"This year our motto is 'Come home for Christmas,' which means: take the time to wander around the alleys of the Old City, talk to the residents, help them to live here," Baboun explained.
"Bethlehem is not a museum," she said.
Palestinian tourist guides have also complained they suffer because of the favorable treatment granted to their Israeli competitors.
Some 150 Israelis are authorized to work as guides in Bethlehem, compared with 42 Palestinians permitted to work in Israel and east Jerusalem, the chamber of commerce said.
"They take more than 80 percent of the market," complained Mohammed Awadallah, a Palestinian guide.
But Israeli authorities, who have long courted the lucrative market in catering to Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land, deny the accusations.
"We do everything we can so that Christians can visit the holy sites," Israeli Tourism Minister Uzi Landau said.
After a decade of unrest, Bethlehem has seen a surge in visits to Christ's traditional birthplace, raising hopes of a tourism bonanza in the West Bank town despite Israel's separation barrier.
The Palestinian territories' top tourist destination is a victim of the barrier which cuts off the town from nearby Jerusalem, just 10 kilometers (six miles) away.
Israel began work on its sprawling barrier -- dubbed the "apartheid wall" by Palestinians -- in 2002 at the height of the second intifada, or uprising.
It defends the construction as a crucial protective measure, pointing to a drop in attacks inside Israel as proof of its success.
Palestinian tourism minister Rola Maayah sees the barrier as a key obstacle to encouraging visitors to the town.
"Bethlehem, one of our main tourist attractions is circled by 27 settlements. As a result, we are surrounded by high walls, fences and menacing checkpoints which put tourists off," Maayah said.
"We could develop tourism, attract people from all over the world, but it's not possible because of the Israeli occupation," she added.
The expansion of nearby Israeli settlements has deliberately helped to isolate the city, Palestinians say.
But since a UNESCO decision in June 2012 to grant world heritage status to Bethlehem's Church of the Nativity -- hailed as a "historic" diplomatic victory by the Palestinians -- the town has been eyeing a tourist bonanza that could boost the local economy.
In Bethlehem, where nearly one quarter of its 25,000 residents are unemployed, two out of three households rely on tourism for their income.
Between 2011 and 2012, more than two million people visited the town. The record crowds brought much-needed revenues after a tough decade for tourism during the second intifada.
"There was a significant jump in tourism in Palestine in 2012 with an 18 percent rise in the number of visitors," Maayah said. A little over half of these were foreigners.
With 3,800 rooms, Bethlehem accounts for nearly half of the West Bank's hotel capacity. But the occupancy rate (65 to 70 percent) is unevenly distributed throughout the year.
"We are booked up in advance for Christian holidays, but there are lots of empty rooms the rest of the year," said the deputy head of the Bethlehem board of commerce, Fairouz Khoury.
To redress this imbalance, Vera Baboun, a Palestinian Catholic and Bethlehem's first female mayor since 2012, aims to encourage visitors to stay longer.
"Our visitors should know that Bethlehem is not just about the nativity," said Baboun.
The pilgrims -- who mostly come from Russia, the United States and Poland -- descend on the town by the coachload, queuing to see the Church of the Nativity, one of Christianity's oldest and holiest, leaving immediately afterwards.
Those who linger for more than a few hours are rare.
"This year our motto is 'Come home for Christmas,' which means: take the time to wander around the alleys of the Old City, talk to the residents, help them to live here," Baboun explained.
"Bethlehem is not a museum," she said.
Palestinian tourist guides have also complained they suffer because of the favorable treatment granted to their Israeli competitors.
Some 150 Israelis are authorized to work as guides in Bethlehem, compared with 42 Palestinians permitted to work in Israel and east Jerusalem, the chamber of commerce said.
"They take more than 80 percent of the market," complained Mohammed Awadallah, a Palestinian guide.
But Israeli authorities, who have long courted the lucrative market in catering to Christian pilgrims in the Holy Land, deny the accusations.
"We do everything we can so that Christians can visit the holy sites," Israeli Tourism Minister Uzi Landau said.
21 dec 2013
The garbage trucks of Gaza city are at a standstill due to an ongoing fuel shortage
The head of Hamas office for refugees' affairs appreciated the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)'s initiative with regard to easing the fuel shortage in the Gaza Strip. Dr Essam Odwan called Saturday in a statement on the UNRWA "to make every effort to resolve the crises of electricity and fuel, and to contribute to the entry of building materials, which would serve to improve its image among its audience,"
Robert Turner, the Director of Operations in Gaza for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in late November that "Turkey agreed to fund fuel purchases that will be used to provide power for emergency services in the Gaza Strip, including hospitals and idle sewage treatment plants,"
Turkey pledged $850,000, which should be able sustain the operation of emergency services for the next four months, he pointed out.
On December 18, dozens from Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp demonstrated in front of UNRWA offices to demand that the UN agency repair their flooded homes following a four-day storm which caused widespread damage in the coastal territory.
Fuel supplies have been scarce since the Egyptian military crackdown on smuggling tunnels on the border with Gaza began on early July.
The amount of fuel allowed by Israel into Gaza via Karam Abu Salem crossing serve only little of the Gaza needs.
During the Alexa storm which lasted for four consecutive days and led to huge damage to public and private sectors and forced thousands out of their homes to makeshift shelters, civil defense crews were crippled by a lack of electricity and a lack of fuel to operate generators to pump water.
The head of Hamas office for refugees' affairs appreciated the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)'s initiative with regard to easing the fuel shortage in the Gaza Strip. Dr Essam Odwan called Saturday in a statement on the UNRWA "to make every effort to resolve the crises of electricity and fuel, and to contribute to the entry of building materials, which would serve to improve its image among its audience,"
Robert Turner, the Director of Operations in Gaza for the UN Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA) in late November that "Turkey agreed to fund fuel purchases that will be used to provide power for emergency services in the Gaza Strip, including hospitals and idle sewage treatment plants,"
Turkey pledged $850,000, which should be able sustain the operation of emergency services for the next four months, he pointed out.
On December 18, dozens from Gaza's Jabalia refugee camp demonstrated in front of UNRWA offices to demand that the UN agency repair their flooded homes following a four-day storm which caused widespread damage in the coastal territory.
Fuel supplies have been scarce since the Egyptian military crackdown on smuggling tunnels on the border with Gaza began on early July.
The amount of fuel allowed by Israel into Gaza via Karam Abu Salem crossing serve only little of the Gaza needs.
During the Alexa storm which lasted for four consecutive days and led to huge damage to public and private sectors and forced thousands out of their homes to makeshift shelters, civil defense crews were crippled by a lack of electricity and a lack of fuel to operate generators to pump water.
The fired engineers said the UNRWA violated an agreement it signed with the union of employee
"Ninety-six Palestinian engineers in the Gaza Strip lost their jobs with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)," Middle East Monitor reported.
The UNRWA told the engineers that "there is no longer any work for them due to the Israeli siege on Gaza halting construction projects,"
"The released engineers held a protest in front of the UNRWA’s headquarters in Gaza demanding reinstatement," saying that "the UNRWA violated an agreement it signed with the union of employees,"
Middle East Monitor (MEMO) quoted the protesting engineers as saying "UNRWA should be able to employ us in other projects," who vowed to continue their sit in until they reach an agreement with UNRWA.
"Ninety-six Palestinian engineers in the Gaza Strip lost their jobs with the United Nations Relief and Works Agency (UNRWA)," Middle East Monitor reported.
The UNRWA told the engineers that "there is no longer any work for them due to the Israeli siege on Gaza halting construction projects,"
"The released engineers held a protest in front of the UNRWA’s headquarters in Gaza demanding reinstatement," saying that "the UNRWA violated an agreement it signed with the union of employees,"
Middle East Monitor (MEMO) quoted the protesting engineers as saying "UNRWA should be able to employ us in other projects," who vowed to continue their sit in until they reach an agreement with UNRWA.
16 dec 2013
The Gazan economy suffered losses of around $500 million in the last 3 months and 57 % of the Gazan families are suffering from nutritional insecurity as the level of unemployment in the strip reached 40%, Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) reported. The IOC issued a report about the humanitarian situation in Gaza under the imposed siege by Israel since 2007 and the effect of the current events in Egypt on Gaza. It shed the light on the losses in health care , energy and clean water supplies, Rafah crossing, municipalities, educational, economy and infrastructure sectors . It reported that all Gaza sectors are directly or indirectly influenced by the chronic fuel and electricity shortages.
The report mentioned that the shortage in drug and medical supplies reserves reached about 29% and the total shortage of medical equipment reached about 52%. While the total number of Palestinian patients who are denied the access to Egypt by the Egyptian authorities are estimated to 1000 patients.
It reported a drop of about 15% in the total number of passengers allowed to travel via Rafah crossing in compare to last year.
It noted that there is a significant drop in the fishing activities due to the fuel shortage and about 80% of fishermen lost their jobs.
It reported that the electricity outages reached 16 hours a day compared to the previous average. It explained that the electricity outages have resulted in an increase in fuel consumption that reached 666.711 liter a month in total.
It reported that 90% of the infrastructure projects are halted and around thousands of Palestinian builder and construction workers lost their jobs since July 2013. More than 12,000 of Gazans became homeless because of the lack of building materials which banned by Israel.
Its report explained that the fuel shortage also affected the agricultural sector , it estimated the financial losses in the agricultural sector to $ 150,000 per day due to farmers' inability to export and transport their crops.
The report mentioned that the shortage in drug and medical supplies reserves reached about 29% and the total shortage of medical equipment reached about 52%. While the total number of Palestinian patients who are denied the access to Egypt by the Egyptian authorities are estimated to 1000 patients.
It reported a drop of about 15% in the total number of passengers allowed to travel via Rafah crossing in compare to last year.
It noted that there is a significant drop in the fishing activities due to the fuel shortage and about 80% of fishermen lost their jobs.
It reported that the electricity outages reached 16 hours a day compared to the previous average. It explained that the electricity outages have resulted in an increase in fuel consumption that reached 666.711 liter a month in total.
It reported that 90% of the infrastructure projects are halted and around thousands of Palestinian builder and construction workers lost their jobs since July 2013. More than 12,000 of Gazans became homeless because of the lack of building materials which banned by Israel.
Its report explained that the fuel shortage also affected the agricultural sector , it estimated the financial losses in the agricultural sector to $ 150,000 per day due to farmers' inability to export and transport their crops.