IDF: Gaza fuel cuts don't violate humanitarian duty

Haaretz 00:36 20/11/2007
By Yuval Yoaz, Haaretz Correspondent

Israel's decision to cut fuel supplies to the Gaza Strip does not violate its responsibility to provide humanitarian services to residents of the coastal territory, an Israel Defense Forces official maintained on Monday. Shlomi Muchtar of the IDF Coordination and Liaison Office, which coordinates Palestinian civilian affairs, wrote in an affidavit to the High Court of Justice that the cuts do not "harm the humanitarian minimum to which Israel is committed." The affidavit was submitted after High Court justices last week ordered the State Prosecution to present data affirming that Israel's move would not affect the humanitarian needs of the civilian population of the Gaza Strip.

The affidavit said that Israel intends to cut diesel fuel supplies for transportation purposes from 1.4 million liters per week to 1.2 million, and diesel fuel supplies for power stations from 2.2 liters per week to 1.75 liters. According to IDF calculations, humanitarian needs require 800,000 liters of diesel each week. "And that's a strict estimate," the affidavit said. The High Court hearing is in response to the petition of ten Israeli and Palestinian human rights organizations against the state's decision to cut fuel and electricity supplies in response to constant Qassam rocket fire from the Gaza Strip into western Israel. The State Prosecution will submit to the High Court additional calculations regarding the humanitarian needs of the Gaza population, and will also note ways it will supervise the ramifications of the cuts, to ensure the population's needs are being met. The government also intends to cut electricity supplies to the Gaza Strip. However, Attorney General Menachem Mazuz froze the current defense establishment's plan to do so, saying that the it must be examined further to determine whether the measure can be implemented without causing a humanitarian crisis.