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January 20, 2008

UN Condemns Israel's Tightening of Sanctions on Gaza
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http://enews.voanews.com/t?ctl=1AFB9C2:A6F02AD83191E160127CB66EF072DAE8E55ED32ED25AB8F6& United Nations
saying measures are leading to humanitarian crisis among Gaza's 1.5
million residents The only power plant in the Hamas-ruled Gaza Strip
has begun shutting down after Israel reduced fuel supplies.  As Robert
Berger reports from VOA's Jerusalem bureau, the tightening siege on
Gaza has raised fears of a humanitarian crisis in the impoverished
Palestinian territory.







Palestinian children participate in a protest against the Israeli
economic blockade of Gaza outside a United Nations office in Gaza
City, Sunday, 20 Jan. 2008Tens of thousands of people in Gaza are
without electricity after Israel closed its borders in response to
Palestinian rocket attacks. Officials at the Gaza power plant say it
cannot operate because fuel shipments have not arrived and there are
no reserves.

The plant supplies about a third of the electricity to Gaza, with the
remainder coming from Israel and Egypt.

Israel has tightened sanctions on Gaza since June, when the Islamic
militant group Hamas seized control of the territory, routing the
Fatah forces of western-backed Palestinian President Mahmoud Abbas.

The United Nations condemned the Israeli measures, saying they are
leading to a humanitarian crisis among Gaza's 1.5 million residents. 
John Ging is a senior U.N. official in Gaza.

"Everything is in short supply, all reserves have run out, and we are
living here day to day," Ging said.

Israel closed its border crossings with Gaza on Friday, after Hamas
fired more than 100 rockets at the Jewish state in three days.  Hamas
stepped up attacks in response to Israeli raids in Gaza that are
taking a heavy toll on Palestinian fighters.

Israeli analyst Jonathan Fighel says the sanctions on Gaza are
justified.

"The fact that a sovereign country is being attacked by missiles, this
is totally inconceivable and totally unacceptable and the leadership
of the Palestinian terror organizations have to pay a price," Fighel
said.

Israel says it will ease the closure when the rocket attacks stop. 
But Hamas is defiant.  It issued a statement saying that Israeli
sanctions would not weaken "the determination and steadfastness" of
the Palestinian people."  




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