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| Israel-Palestine-Jordan |
| Gazans' Latest Crisis: Fuel Cuts |
| 2008-04-09 |
| Muin Abdul Ghani sleeps in his car, parked among dozens of other vehicles at a gas station, unwilling to give up his place in line in his desperate scramble for gasoline. It's one way Gaza's embattled 1.4 million residents are adjusting to their newest crisis: a protest by gas station owners who have refused to sell the small amounts they have in stock or accept future shipments after months of restricted Israeli fuel supplies. Gaza residents also wrestle with high black market prices and overstuffed taxis. They have turned to bicycles, liquid gas for their cars and homemade fuel recipes to try to deal with the shortage. Israel has restricted fuel supplies since September to pressure Palestinian militants into halting rocket fire at neighboring Israeli communities, but with no apparent results. "We are like street dogs looking for bones," said Abdul Ghani, a 44-year-old taxi driver, smoking by his car at a gas station in the northern Gazan town of Jebaliya. Around 200 cars, taxis, delivery trucks and farm machinery vehicles were parked there, waiting for the gas station to distribute rationed supplies. Some drivers abandoned their cars, while others sold their places in line. Abdul Ghani expected to wait at least another day for a day's worth of fuel. Gaza's Hamas government rations out fuel, only allowing residents to take four gallons at a time. Israel supplies around 19,000 gallons of gasoline a week, 8 percent of Gaza's needs, and 200,000 gallons of diesel fuel — 30 percent of Gaza's needs, Palestinians charge. Israeli army Col. Nir Press, commander of the military liaison unit, countered that Israel is supplying Gaza with more than enough fuel for its basic needs, but the Islamic Hamas movement is using some of it for its own purposes, including fuel for vehicles that ferry rockets to be fired at Israel. "I really don't think that this is a crisis," Press said. "They want to create an appearance of a crisis." The Hamas government takes around half of Gaza's reduced supplies for hospitals, municipal services, water wells and sewage pumps, said Ziad Zaza, a senior Hamas government official. |
| Posted by:Fred |
| #10 Why do they want gas from Israel? Don't they know jew-cooties are highly soluble in non-polar solvents like gasoline? |
| Posted by: SteveS 2008-04-09 15:43 |
| #9 "We are like street dogs looking for bones," said Abdul Ghani, a 44-year-old taxi driver, smoking by his car at a gas station..." I guess he is safe, since there is no gas, no source of vapors to cause a kaboom. too bad. |
| Posted by: USN,Ret. 2008-04-09 14:07 |
| #8 Tell them to consider it doing their part in the Fight Against Global Warming... |
| Posted by: tu3031 2008-04-09 11:30 |
| #7 The Israelis are just reducing the carbon footprint of Gaza! So why the problem? They are ecological heroes. |
| Posted by: Oldcat 2008-04-09 11:30 |
| #6 Hey, low on gas, guys? Just ask Joe! |
| Posted by: Raj 2008-04-09 10:23 |
| #5 Paleos have attacked the terminal where Israel transfers fuel to Gaza. 2 Israelis dead. I'd say no more fuel for quite a while. |
| Posted by: phil_b 2008-04-09 10:04 |
| #4 Here is a thought. Why don't these savages BUY their own gas like the rest of us have to? And where are all their Muslim brothers? This is exactly the limit of what they are capable of: Whining and finger pointing and not a lifted finger for anyone. Not even themselves. |
| Posted by: Excalibur 2008-04-09 09:43 |
| #3 They have turned to bicycles, liquid gas for their cars.. oh nooooes! The solid stuff ain't available? That there's good reporting |
| Posted by: Frank G 2008-04-09 09:00 |
| #2 “Gaza's Hamas government rations out fuel, only allowing residents to take four gallons at a time.” In an effort to conserve fuel, HAMAS has announced that the permit fees for Bride-burning will increase slightly. The residents are encouraged to perform all Honor killings in eco-friendly manners such as the traditional stoning and beheading methods. |
| Posted by: DepotGuy 2008-04-09 08:29 |
| #1 TOPIX > VARIOUS - GIVE US OUR DAILY BREAD: EGYPT AT THE BREAKING POINT + RISING FOOD, FUEL COSTS ANGER EGYPTIANS. Riots. The GAZA Paleos still wanna break the Barrier and go there??? |
| Posted by: JosephMendiola 2008-04-09 03:03 |