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Israel threatens to cut Gaza supplies over rockets
They finally catching on?JERUSALEM (AFP) - Israeli Deputy Prime Minister Haim Ramon on Tuesday threatened to cut electricity, water and fuel supplies into Gaza if militants in the Hamas-ruled territory continued to fire rockets into Israel. On the eve of a meeting of Prime Minister Ehud Olmert's security cabinet to discuss the situation in Gaza, other senior ministers also called for stepping up pressure on Gaza residents in a bid to stop the fire. "It is unthinkable to continue to furnish Gaza with electricity, water and fuel while Israeli citizens are live targets of these rockets," Ramon, a close ally of Olmert, told the mass-selling Yediot Aharonot daily. "We have to draw a line for the Palestinians. We have to make it be known that for any rocket fire, we will cut for two or three hours the supplies of water, electricity and fuel to the Gaza Strip," he said. Environment Minister Gideon Ezra told public radio that he was also in favour of such a measure. Israel, which withdrew settlers and troops from Gaza in 2005 after a 38-year occupation, continues to provide nearly all utilities for the impoverished territory. Militants in Gaza regularly fire rockets and mortar shells into Israel, with most of the projectiles falling in open spaces. On Monday, seven rockets were fired from Gaza, with one exploding near a nursery school in the southern town of Sderot, which has borne the brunt of the fire. Trade and Industry Eli Yishai said Israel should exert growing pressure on Gaza's impoverished population in order for them to hamper the rocket launchers. "We should make it clear to the population that firing rockets against Sderot in fact damages the Palestinians. If the rocket launchers are not bothered by pressure from the outside, they should worry about inside pressure," Yishai told AFP. The ultra-Orthodox minister said Israel should use "an orderly and gradual plan" to stop the rocket fire and weapon smuggling into Gaza, but nevertheless rejected an extensive military operation. Gaza has been ruled since mid-June by the Islamist Hamas movement, whose charter calls for the destruction of Israel, after its fighters overran security forces loyal to moderate president Mahmud Abbas. Israel has been unable to stamp out rocket fire from Gaza, despite regular military operations in the overcrowded coastal strip. Posted by: tu3031 2007-09-04 |
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