I am sure that the actions of shutting down Gaza are giving rise to innumerable stories in the overseas press concerning “humanitarian crises”, “occupation” and all the other buzz words. Hamas, as is to be expected, are claiming lives are being lost in hospitals yet there has been no independent confirmation of this.
United Nations representatives are talking in terms of “How would Tel Avivians feel if waste was flowing down the streets etc., etc.,
The facts are that the supply of electricity to Gaza from the Israel and the Egyptian power grids (124 Megawatts and 17 Megawatts respectively) has continued uninterrupted. These 141 Megawatts of power represents around 75% of Gaza's electricity needs.
While the fuel supply from Israel into Gaza has indeed been reduced, due to the Hamas rocket attacks, the diversion of this fuel from domestic power generators to other uses is wholly a Hamas decision - apparently taken due to media and propaganda considerations.”
It is the case that while the Gaza population remains in the dark, the fuel generating power to the Hamas rocket manufacturing industry continues to flow unabated.
Also the Hamas claim of a humanitarian crisis in Gaza is also greatly exaggerated. There is no shortage of basic foodstuffs, and Gaza patients who need treatment in Israeli hospitals continue to travel into Israel for care.
I received the following letter from a resident of a kibbutz that has been under kassam attack for 7, yes 7 years. She writes:-
"Yesterday 56 kassams , today only 40 but the day is not over yet.
Yesterday morning I was coming to work at almost 8:00 in the morning and the moment I enterd to Sderot 4 kassams landed in a few minutes. I had no place to hid,e the alarm screamed over and over again. I couldn’t move, I felt like I couldn’t even breathe. The smell of smoke and the sound is still real like I’m there once again.
I came home to our kibbutz, thought to my self a little quite, it was 17:00. After half an hour, 2 kassams fell and for 3 hours there was no electricity, it was dark and very cold. I did my best to make the children play with me and maybe have fun but I think they don’t believe me any more when I say that it will be alright.
We all do our best to continue normal life but what can I say? Nothing is normal. Today a kassam missed Inbar on his bus to school, the parents were histerical and everybody talked about the miricle but when I spoke with Inbar he dismissed it like it was nothing. I ask you is this normal that a 11 year old boy won’t be afraid? Maybe fear is his daily experience so it doesn’t count or mean anything."
Showing posts with label Kassams. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Kassams. Show all posts
Monday, January 21, 2008
Sunday, November 4, 2007
A Humanitarian Crisis?
“If the economic sanctions that Israel has applied against the Gaza Strip in reducing fuel supplies are to be regarded as collective punishment, so should the economic sanctions that were imposed against South Africa during the apartheid years, or those against Iran today”’ writes Dan Izenberg in the Jerusalem Post.
Although there is lots of talk about cutting off supplies of electricity and fuel to Gaza and the humanitarian crisis that would result, the courts are preparing to hear this week a petitioners' request for a show-cause order to cancel the original decision.
What has actually happened thus far is that amount of gasoline allowed into Gaza had been cut from an average of 350,000-400,000 liters per week to 300,000 liters and the government is also considering a further, gradual reduction.
Diesel exports were cut from 1.4 million liters per week to 1.2 million liters. A government spokesman stated that "according to government estimates, the amount of fuel necessary to fulfill the Gaza Strip's humanitarian needs does not amount to more than 50 percent of the amount supplied today, and this is a conservative estimate which provides a significant safety margin."
The spokesman added that the export of diesel for use in Gaza's power station had been reduced from an average of 2.2 million liters to 1.75 million per week. It said that in September, the Palestinians in Gaza had added a third turbine to provide additional power. When only two turbines operate, the power station produces 55 megawatts of electricity. When the third one functions, supply goes up to 63 megawatts. The drop in diesel exports imposed by Israel last week means that the amount of electricity provided for Gaza will return to the pre-September level.
All in all, hardly a humanitarian crisis but meanwhile at least one woman was suffering from shock after three Kassam rockets were fired at Sderot late Sunday morning, Israel Radio reported. One of the rockets hit a house and another hit an electrical line, causing a complete blackout in the western Negev town.
The siren system and 106 emergency hotline were offline following the attack, leaving the town's residents without even the means to prepare in case another rocket salvo would follow later in the day.
And so the deliberate targeting of the Israeli civilians goes on.
Although there is lots of talk about cutting off supplies of electricity and fuel to Gaza and the humanitarian crisis that would result, the courts are preparing to hear this week a petitioners' request for a show-cause order to cancel the original decision.
What has actually happened thus far is that amount of gasoline allowed into Gaza had been cut from an average of 350,000-400,000 liters per week to 300,000 liters and the government is also considering a further, gradual reduction.
Diesel exports were cut from 1.4 million liters per week to 1.2 million liters. A government spokesman stated that "according to government estimates, the amount of fuel necessary to fulfill the Gaza Strip's humanitarian needs does not amount to more than 50 percent of the amount supplied today, and this is a conservative estimate which provides a significant safety margin."
The spokesman added that the export of diesel for use in Gaza's power station had been reduced from an average of 2.2 million liters to 1.75 million per week. It said that in September, the Palestinians in Gaza had added a third turbine to provide additional power. When only two turbines operate, the power station produces 55 megawatts of electricity. When the third one functions, supply goes up to 63 megawatts. The drop in diesel exports imposed by Israel last week means that the amount of electricity provided for Gaza will return to the pre-September level.
All in all, hardly a humanitarian crisis but meanwhile at least one woman was suffering from shock after three Kassam rockets were fired at Sderot late Sunday morning, Israel Radio reported. One of the rockets hit a house and another hit an electrical line, causing a complete blackout in the western Negev town.
The siren system and 106 emergency hotline were offline following the attack, leaving the town's residents without even the means to prepare in case another rocket salvo would follow later in the day.
And so the deliberate targeting of the Israeli civilians goes on.
Monday, August 13, 2007
The North last Year, the South for a Year Plus
Whilst some of the world’s media do occasionally report a Kassam or mortar attack on S’derot in the south of the country, no-one (to my knowledge) seems to cover the daily trauma experienced by the residents of the area. This is an exact repetition of last year’s war in Lebanon, when you were hard pushed to find any reports on the trauma facing the northern population.
A friend in the south relates his and his wife’s personal experience last Thursday. As he starts his letter “I hope that none of you have to go thru a day like we had yesterday.”
He then goes on to tell how his day went; “we were not hurt nor anything like that but it was just a nerve racking day.
A group of Jewish American media people came to visit our senior center and hear from us and two more people who live in my area on what it is like living under the daily threat of Kassam and mortar shells.
Every thing went well until they were going to leave us when we had 3,yes 3 color red warnings about incoming Kassams. One of the Kassams landings we heard there may have been more booms but that was the only one I heard.
When we got home, we heard two big booms but until now we have no idea of what it was and if there was any damage.
In the evening I went to spinning and then later in the pool I heard a color red warning and I heard one boom from far away and another one close by.
In the mean time at home, my wife heard two large explosions and this time it was Mortar shells falling very close to the living area on the Kibbutz.
She also told me, when I got home, that there was a lot of weapons firing before and after the mortars.
My wife was asked by one of the visitors, why we don't leave S’derot and her answer was simply because this is our home. I glanced around at the visitors and it seemed to me that the answer was enough for them for I saw a few write down the answer and giving the expression of a good answer had been received.
Kibbutz Nir Am, which is going thru a tougher time then we are; they have been hit at least 20 times this last few months with Kassams and a lot of damage to their Kibbutz and like one said ‘many hours without things like electricity because of damage to their electoral supplies and electricians afraid to come to fix it’.
However, to finish on a good note; today, (Friday morning) they invited us and others for breakfast and a chance to show our solidarity with them. A large number of people from the neighboring Kibbutzim and from S’derot were there and a good time was had by all. The only problem was for me is that I ate too much and if you didn't know, I am on a diet!! Ah well back to the first week of the diet for me"
The ongoing trauma of living such a life is telling. Sounds that appear as though a siren is about to sound, still stirs the heart for many people momentarily for others more long lasting.
Just try to imagine a place not more than 5-6 miles away from you home being bombarded by "cheap, inaccurate" missiles, as reporters often report the Kassams
A friend in the south relates his and his wife’s personal experience last Thursday. As he starts his letter “I hope that none of you have to go thru a day like we had yesterday.”
He then goes on to tell how his day went; “we were not hurt nor anything like that but it was just a nerve racking day.
A group of Jewish American media people came to visit our senior center and hear from us and two more people who live in my area on what it is like living under the daily threat of Kassam and mortar shells.
Every thing went well until they were going to leave us when we had 3,yes 3 color red warnings about incoming Kassams. One of the Kassams landings we heard there may have been more booms but that was the only one I heard.
When we got home, we heard two big booms but until now we have no idea of what it was and if there was any damage.
In the evening I went to spinning and then later in the pool I heard a color red warning and I heard one boom from far away and another one close by.
In the mean time at home, my wife heard two large explosions and this time it was Mortar shells falling very close to the living area on the Kibbutz.
She also told me, when I got home, that there was a lot of weapons firing before and after the mortars.
My wife was asked by one of the visitors, why we don't leave S’derot and her answer was simply because this is our home. I glanced around at the visitors and it seemed to me that the answer was enough for them for I saw a few write down the answer and giving the expression of a good answer had been received.
Kibbutz Nir Am, which is going thru a tougher time then we are; they have been hit at least 20 times this last few months with Kassams and a lot of damage to their Kibbutz and like one said ‘many hours without things like electricity because of damage to their electoral supplies and electricians afraid to come to fix it’.
However, to finish on a good note; today, (Friday morning) they invited us and others for breakfast and a chance to show our solidarity with them. A large number of people from the neighboring Kibbutzim and from S’derot were there and a good time was had by all. The only problem was for me is that I ate too much and if you didn't know, I am on a diet!! Ah well back to the first week of the diet for me"
The ongoing trauma of living such a life is telling. Sounds that appear as though a siren is about to sound, still stirs the heart for many people momentarily for others more long lasting.
Just try to imagine a place not more than 5-6 miles away from you home being bombarded by "cheap, inaccurate" missiles, as reporters often report the Kassams
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